Where this fits on the exam
| Official syllabus topic | Finance and Closing: Closing Procedures |
|---|---|
| Official PSI group | Finance and Closing |
| Published group count | 15 of the 52 Georgia questions |
| Exam portion | Georgia salesperson supplement |
| Source edition | PSI Georgia Candidate Information Bulletin dated July 1, 2026 |
The Rule
PSI publishes 16, 21, and 15 items for the three Georgia groups. It does not publish a guaranteed subtopic count. The statute, current GREC rule, contract, or other cited primary authority controls each lesson.
The lesson
Execution
The deed must satisfy Georgia signing, attestation, acknowledgment, and recordability requirements applicable to the instrument.
Delivery and acceptance
A signed deed does not transfer an interest while the grantor retains control without delivery. Acceptance may be shown by conduct.
Deed types
A general warranty deed gives broad covenants, a limited warranty narrows the covered period, and a quitclaim conveys whatever interest the grantor has without title warranties.
Recordation
Recording in the clerk's real-property records creates public notice and affects priority under Georgia law. It does not cure a forged or otherwise invalid deed.
Decision rule
Georgia rule and national contrast
Worked Georgia example
Scenario. A grantor signs a warranty deed but locks it in a desk and tells no one, intending to reconsider next month.
Reason it through. Execution alone is not delivery. The grantor retained control and did not manifest a present transfer to the grantee.
Answer. Title has not transferred merely because the deed was signed.
Common exam traps
- Equating signing with delivery
- Equating recording with validity
- Assuming quitclaim guarantees title
- Recording in the wrong county
Original practice questions with detailed explanations
These are original instructional questions mapped to the July 1, 2026 PSI outline. They are not copied from PSI or a live examination. Choose an answer before opening the explanation.
Question 1Maria signs a general warranty deed to her son, locks it in her desk, and tells no one because she may change her mind. Who holds title?
- A. Her son, because the signed deed names him as grantee
- B. Her son, but only once the deed is recorded in the county
- C. Maria, because a signed deed passes nothing until delivery
- D. Maria and her son together until she decides to deliver it
Show answer and explanation →
Answer: C. Maria, because a signed deed passes nothing until delivery
A deed transfers title only when it is delivered and accepted, not when it is signed. Maria kept control of the deed and showed no present intent to transfer, so title stays with her. The plausible mistake is treating the signature as the transfer, when execution and delivery are separate steps.
- A. Incorrect. Naming a grantee in a signed deed does not convey title without delivery and acceptance.
- B. Incorrect. Recording is separate from delivery; the undelivered deed has not conveyed title.
- C. Correct. Maria retained the deed and the right to change her mind, showing no present delivery of title.
- D. Incorrect. An undelivered deed does not create shared ownership between grantor and named grantee.
Question 2A forger signs an owner's name to a deed, and the grantee promptly records it in the correct county. What is the effect of recording?
- A. None on validity, because recording cannot cure a forged deed
- B. It gives the grantee good title once constructive notice attaches
- C. It makes the deed valid unless the owner objects within a year
- D. It validates the deed as long as the grantee paid fair value
Show answer and explanation →
Answer: A. None on validity, because recording cannot cure a forged deed
Recording gives public notice and protects priority, but it cannot turn an invalid deed into a valid one. A forged deed conveys nothing, so putting it on the record does not help the grantee. The constructive-notice answer is plausible because it mixes up notice with validity.
- A. Correct. Recording supplies notice but cannot make a forged deed a valid conveyance.
- B. Incorrect. Constructive notice of an invalid deed does not give its grantee good title.
- C. Incorrect. Recording does not validate this forgery through an invented one-year objection period.
- D. Incorrect. Paying value does not turn the forged instrument into the owner's valid deed.
Question 3A buyer wants the seller's deed promises to cover the entire chain of title, not only the years the seller owned the property. Which deed fits?
- A. A quitclaim deed
- B. A limited warranty deed
- C. A deed of gift
- D. A general warranty deed
Show answer and explanation →
Answer: D. A general warranty deed
A general warranty deed gives the broadest covenants and reaches back through the whole chain of title. A limited warranty deed narrows the promises to the grantor's own period of ownership, and a quitclaim gives no title warranties at all. The limited warranty option looks plausible because it still says warranty, but its coverage is shorter.
- A. Incorrect. A quitclaim deed provides no covenants warranting the chain of title.
- B. Incorrect. A limited warranty generally covers claims arising through the grantor, rather than the entire chain.
- C. Incorrect. A gift describes the transaction consideration, not the requested scope of title covenants.
- D. Correct. A general warranty deed supplies covenants reaching beyond the grantor's ownership period.
Ready to move on?
You are ready for the next lesson when all of these are true.
- Explain why a signed deed still needs delivery and acceptance.
- Distinguish general warranty, limited warranty, and quitclaim deeds by the promises they make.
- Explain what recording does and why it cannot make a forged deed valid.
- Answer the practice questions without looking back, then explain why the other choices fail.
- Explain the worked example in your own words and identify the fact that decides the answer.
- Retest this topic on another day in a mixed question set.
Recommended next lesson
Continue with Title Searches, Title Insurance, and Marketable Title in Georgia. Recording tells the world who owns what, and the next lesson shows how the closing attorney searches that record and why a lender's title policy does not protect the buyer's own equity.
Return to the Finance and Closing hub for the complete official branch and the full lesson list for this Georgia group.