Georgia state law
The national outline teaches general real estate concepts. Georgia’s supplement adds state license law, brokerage practice, finance, and closing rules. Start with the same transaction, then ask which Georgia rule changes the answer. The comparisons below explain the distinction and give you a concrete way to apply it.
Facts checked against the current PSI Candidate Information Bulletin and GREC sources.
The published Georgia salesperson outline allocates 52 questions across three groups: 16 Laws and Rules, 21 Practice in Georgia, and 15 Finance and Closing. National concepts still matter. They are the foundation for identifying which state rule applies.
These 18 comparisons are grouped into 6 areas. The general-concept column does not describe a universal rule for every other state. The applications are original study examples, not predictions of live exam questions.
General concept
Agency creation and duties depend on the applicable state law and agreement.
Georgia rule
Under BRRETA, a client has a written brokerage engagement; a customer does not.
Apply the distinction
Identify the broker’s role before choosing the duties owed.
General concept
Showing a property or answering a question does not establish representation in every state.
Georgia rule
A transaction broker may assist without representing the customer. Offer presentation, accounting, specified disclosures, and the ban on knowingly false information still apply.
Apply the distinction
Customer protections still apply to an unrepresented buyer. Separate those protections from client representation.
General concept
Dual-agency rules vary by state.
Georgia rule
Georgia permits dual agency with all clients’ written informed consent, subject to BRRETA’s disclosure requirements.
Apply the distinction
Distinguish written informed consent from a casual acknowledgment or an undisclosed conflict.
General concept
The firm and the individual agent can have different responsibilities.
Georgia rule
A broker may designate different affiliated licensees to represent opposing clients under BRRETA. Same-firm representation is not automatically dual agency.
Apply the distinction
Identify who is designated and whether the same licensee represents both clients.
General concept
Lien theory and title theory describe different legal effects of a security instrument.
Georgia rule
A Georgia security deed conveys legal title to the grantee as security. The borrower retains equitable rights and ordinarily possession; cancellation on payment reconveys title.
Apply the distinction
Separate legal title, equitable rights, possession, and repayment liability.
General concept
A note promises repayment; a mortgage, deed of trust, or security deed supplies collateral.
Georgia rule
The security deed is Georgia’s standard real estate financing instrument. Georgia also recognizes mortgages, which create liens rather than conveying title.
Apply the distinction
Choose the instrument from its function. Do not treat every Georgia mortgage reference as legally impossible.
General concept
Foreclosure procedure and redemption rights are state-specific.
Georgia rule
A valid power-of-sale clause permits nonjudicial foreclosure subject to Georgia procedure. No statutory redemption period follows that mortgage-debt foreclosure; tax-sale redemption is different.
Apply the distinction
Check the sale type and the instrument. Do not apply tax-sale redemption to a power-of-sale foreclosure.
General concept
Closing roles depend on state law; a national example may use an escrow officer.
Georgia rule
A Georgia attorney must conduct and control the legal closing. A notary signing followed by next-day lawyer review does not satisfy that role.
Apply the distinction
Separate lender approval, brokerage coordination, notarization, and legal closing work.
General concept
A real estate license does not authorize every kind of contract advice.
Georgia rule
Georgia licensees may complete authorized forms under the statute’s conditions and explain factual business terms within competence. Title opinions, disputed legal rights, and custom legal drafting need counsel.
Apply the distinction
Distinguish filling in agreed facts from deciding legal effect or writing a new legal provision.
General concept
Transfer-tax rates, exemptions, and taxable bases vary by state.
Georgia rule
When taxable consideration exceeds $100, Georgia charges $1 for the first $1,000 or fraction, then $0.10 per additional $100 or fraction. Exclude a qualifying preexisting lien not removed by the sale.
Apply the distinction
On taxable consideration of $285,050, the tax is $285.10. A new buyer loan is not automatically a deduction from price.
General concept
Recording fees and taxes on secured debt are separate charges.
Georgia rule
Georgia’s intangible recording tax is $1.50 per $500 or fraction of a qualifying long-term secured note, capped at $25,000. For recording from July 1, 2025, some principal must be due more than 62 months after the note or security-instrument date; exemptions still matter.
Apply the distinction
Use the taxable note amount, not price or assessed value. A qualifying $340,000 note produces $1,020.
General concept
Property-tax assessment ratios vary by jurisdiction and property type.
Georgia rule
Georgia generally assesses taxable property at 40% of fair market value before millage and applicable exemptions. Statutory exceptions can apply.
Apply the distinction
For a stated ordinary assessment with no exemptions: $300,000 × 40% ÷ 1,000 × 25 mills = $3,000.
General concept
The form’s terms matter, as do the rules for who may prepare or complete it.
Georgia rule
Georgia does not require every transaction to use a GAR form. The authorized-form statute and the actual agreement control the licensee’s work.
Apply the distinction
Do not confuse a trade association’s form with a state-mandated contract.
General concept
An inspection contingency can provide a negotiated termination right.
Georgia rule
A Georgia due-diligence termination right comes from the contract. The deadline, permitted method, notice, and earnest-money provisions must be read; there is no universal statutory cancellation window.
Apply the distinction
A buyer who misses the agreed notice deadline cannot assume the same unrestricted termination right continues.
General concept
The contract identifies who holds the earnest money and on what terms.
Georgia rule
If a Georgia broker holds covered trust funds, the separate-account, prompt-deposit, accounting, and authorized-disbursement rules apply. A closing attorney may instead be the agreed holder.
Apply the distinction
Identify the holder and any written deposit agreement. Do not put client funds in a personal account or invent a universal deposit-day deadline.
General concept
Legislatures enact statutes; commissions administer licensing law and adopt authorized rules.
Georgia rule
GREC investigates complaints and may impose authorized licensing sanctions. Its role is distinct from a court deciding damages or criminal guilt.
Apply the distinction
Identify whether the requested remedy is a licensing sanction, civil award, or criminal punishment.
General concept
Education requirements and deadlines vary by license and state.
Georgia rule
Georgia’s standard salesperson route includes a 75-hour approved prelicense course. A 25-hour postlicense course is due in the first year; the 36-hour renewal CE requirement is separate.
Apply the distinction
Distinguish eligibility education, first-year postlicense work, and four-year renewal education. Alternative qualifying education can apply.
General concept
Reciprocity depends on the applicant’s qualifications and the receiving state’s rules.
Georgia rule
A license earned by examination elsewhere and held in good standing may qualify for Georgia reciprocity without retesting. Qualifying Florida residents must take the Georgia supplement examination.
Apply the distinction
Check residence as well as license history, good standing, and the current application instructions.
Use these to check whether you can identify the relationship, instrument, or calculation base before selecting an answer.
Read one comparison, close it, and explain the rule in your own words. Then change a fact: a written engagement becomes no engagement, a new loan becomes assumed debt, or a power-of-sale foreclosure becomes a tax sale. Explain whether the answer changes.
Check your reasoning in the 52-question Georgia practice test. For one focused topic, use BRRETA scenarios or theworked closing worksheet.
The PSI July 1, 2026 bulletin, printed pages 10–12 establishes syllabus coverage, not every legal rule. The comparisons use GREC’s current rules, BRRETA statutory text reproduced by Justia, and Georgia DOR guidance on transfer tax and intangible recording tax. The linked lessons explain the relevant conditions and sources in more detail.
Related: BRRETA in depth · how to prepare for the state portion · Georgia exam math formulas
Facts checked against the current PSI Candidate Information Bulletin and GREC sources.
52 questions covering Georgia license law and GREC powers, BRRETA and brokerage relationships, trust accounts, Georgia contracts and the due diligence period, security deeds and closings, and Georgia-specific taxes and disclosures.
Georgia uses title theory for a security deed: legal title passes to the grantee as security while the borrower retains equitable rights and ordinarily possession. Georgia also recognizes mortgages, which create liens. Read which instrument the facts identify.
Yes. When taxable consideration exceeds $100, it is $1 for the first $1,000 or fraction, plus 10 cents for each additional $100 or fraction. A qualifying preexisting lien not removed by the sale is excluded. Intangible recording tax is separate and applies to qualifying secured debt, subject to exemptions.
A licensed Georgia attorney. Georgia is an attorney-closing state, which also constrains what a licensee may say about legal effect without engaging in the unauthorized practice of law.