Did you know that 14 of the country’s fastest-growing counties are located in Georgia? Texas is the only other state with more land east of the Mississippi River. Georgia has much more going for it than peaches. That all sounds great. However, it is essential to stop to think about mistakes to avoid when buying Georgia land. What mistakes could be made by purchasing land in Georgia? Keep reading to find out.
Know the Chain of Title to Avoid Scammers
Believe it or not, people will list Georgia land that isn’t theirs for sale. These people are called scammers, and they want to get their hands on your money. This kind of scenario is rare, but it has been known to happen.
Something equally as horrible that happens more often is that the previous property owner passed away and didn’t clearly leave the property to someone in their will. This ordeal makes finding the chain of title much more difficult.
What is the chain of title? The chain of title is the history of ownership of a piece of property. To determine if the land you want to purchase has a transparent title chain, ask the seller to send you a copy of the deed. If they don’t have the deed for whatever reason, you can check the county’s website for the deed history. You will need the APN (Assessor’s Parcel Number) to do this.
Find Out What the Property Back Taxes Are
Once you find out who the rightful owner of the land is, you should look into the amount of back taxes or debts owed on the property. You want to ensure you avoid land with high property taxes. You don’t want to be responsible for past taxes that are owed.
Is the Property in an HOA or POA?
Let’s face it. No one likes the HOA (Homeowner’s Association). They have too many rules for you to be able to live in the area, and they will ruthlessly harass you over them. We all know who the HOA is. But what is a POA?
POA stands for Property Owners Association. It sounds similar to the dreaded HOA, but are they the same? It depends on who you ask. Their primary purpose is to support other associations and their members. They also combine their fees with the HOA and COA (Condominium Owners Association). If you don’t want to deal with any of these, avoid properties associated with them.
These points are just the tip of the iceberg of the mistakes you could make when buying Georgia land. Whenever you are considering a property, ask questions! Being smart is what will save you from a bad deal.