Georgia Dream PEN: up to $12,500 toward your down payment for protectors, educators and nurses (terms effective July 8, 2026). Start the six-question check

Homebuyer lessons

Short lessons for first-time buyers in Georgia

Patient, plain-English answers for Georgia teachers, nurses, first responders and service members: homestead filing, closing taxes, attorney closings, base towns, rural loans and how Georgia Dream assistance really works.

Buying a first home in Georgia when you work for yourselfFor Georgia contractors, stylists, tutors and other business owners: how a spouse's PEN job can help, a worked HVAC example, the 2-year rule, documents, and which Georgia programs fit.Driving or shopping for an app? Here's how buying a Georgia home worksFor Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, Instacart, Shipt, Spark and Amazon Flex workers in Georgia: what each situation qualifies for, a Savannah mileage example, how 1099s are read, and records to keep now.Filing your first Georgia homestead exemptionYour first Georgia homestead filing, step by step: the January 1 rule, the April 1 deadline, the $2,000 statewide exemption, the HB 581 cap and extra relief for veterans and first responders' families.Georgia's intangible tax and transfer tax, explained for first-time buyersHow Georgia's intangible recording tax and real estate transfer tax are figured, who pays each one, worked numbers on a $250,000 FHA purchase, and where down payment help fits.What to expect at a Georgia attorney closingWhy a Georgia lawyer must run your closing, who that attorney works for, what happens from accepted offer to recorded deed, and how remote closings and Georgia Dream paperwork fit in.Metro Atlanta vs. Savannah vs. Augusta: what a first home really costsSide-by-side look at Georgia Dream limits, local down payment help, closing taxes, property tax and flood insurance in metro Atlanta, Savannah and Augusta, with worked numbers at three prices.Buying near a Georgia base: a plan for service members and base civiliansHow service members, Guard members, reservists and base civilians in Columbus, Hinesville, Savannah, Augusta and Warner Robins can use Georgia Dream PEN, VA loans and Peach Select VA, plus what PCS orders mean for your assistance.Stacking down payment help in Georgia: what combines and what doesn'tWhich Georgia down payment programs can be layered and which can't: Invest Atlanta, Fulton, Gwinnett, Cobb, Clayton, Savannah and Columbus rules, employer grants, Peach Plus and Peach Select VA, and Good Neighbor Next Door.When and how you repay Georgia Dream assistanceGeorgia Dream's down payment help is a 0% second mortgage, not a grant. Here is when it comes due, what a payoff looks like, how the federal recapture tax works, and how forgivable local programs compare.Your credit score and Georgia's homebuyer programs, step by stepA score-by-score map of Georgia's first-time buyer programs, how Georgia Dream reads a couple's scores, the 45% debt rule below 700, student loans in your ratios, and a practical plan if you're under 640.How your school-year, shift or overtime pay counts toward a mortgageHow lenders treat ten-month school pay, summer school, new teaching contracts, 12-hour nursing shifts and public safety overtime, with worked examples for Georgia PEN buyers.A first home outside the big metros: USDA, Targeted Areas and manufactured homesHow USDA Guaranteed loans pair with Georgia Dream, which rural-feeling counties get metro Atlanta's higher limits, how Targeted Areas waive the first-time buyer rule, and what manufactured homes need.