Which seller lists sell in Georgia? 125 counties, counted
By Josh MillerUpdated 4 min readAcross the Georgia counties we could measure, the list that sold best was expired and cancelled listings: about 14 of every 100 sold off-market within 12 months, against about 1.6 for a house picked at random. Free and clear owners, the most-mailed list, sold at about 1.6 per 100.
Across 125 Georgia counties with records we could trust, about 1.6 of every 100 single-family homes sold off-market in an arm's-length sale over 12 months, about 50,752 homes, and about 39 of every 100 sales went without an MLS listing. Which of those sellers could you have found on a list first? We counted every list in every Georgia county with enough records to measure.
The count, list by list
| List | Of every 100, sold | Any house, at random | Counties | Owners on it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Listing expired or cancelled | 13.7 | 1.6 | 34 | 22,275 |
| Lien filed against the property | 4.5 | 1.8 | 33 | 55,320 |
| Behind on taxes, 5 or more years | 3.8 | 1.8 | 6 | 10,059 |
| Sitting vacant | 3.6 | 1.8 | 16 | 22,641 |
| Behind on taxes, 2 to 4 years | 3.4 | 1.8 | 43 | 92,824 |
| Owns it free and clear | 1.6 | 1.7 | 125 | 1,217,692 |
| High equity, living elsewhere | 0.9 | 1.7 | 47 | 368,076 |
| Owner 65+, living elsewhere | 0.7 | 1.6 | 5 | 21,752 |
Source: GoForClose count of off-market, arm's-length deeds in county records. A county is counted for a list only where the list was big enough to measure; lists measurable in fewer than 3 Georgia counties are left out. Counties whose records don't mark MLS sales are left out entirely.
What stands out
Expired listings lead. About 14 of every 100 owners whose listing expired or was cancelled sold off-market within a year, across 34 counties. In Henry County, south of Atlanta, about 18.
Georgia sells off-market more than most. About 1.6 of every 100 homes sold off-market in a year across 125 counties, among the highest of the big states. Foreclosure filings were measurable in only one Georgia county, because Georgia's process puts the notice in the newspaper rather than a filed record most data sources track.
The biggest counties
| County | Listing expired or cancelled | Foreclosure filed | Lien filed against the property | Sitting vacant | Owns it free and clear | Any house |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gwinnett County | 12.5 | 3.5 | 1.6 | 1.5 | 1.5 | |
| Fulton County | 14.8 | 12.3 | 4.8 | 4.2 | 1.9 | 1.5 |
| Cobb County | 13.9 | 4.5 | 2.7 | 1.4 | 1.2 | |
| DeKalb County | 12.1 | 4.1 | 2.7 | 1.4 | 1.2 | |
| Cherokee County | 12.7 | 3.9 | 2.2 | 1.8 |
Source: GoForClose count of off-market, arm's-length deeds in county records.
How Georgia forecloses
Georgia forecloses outside the courts. The sale notice runs in the county's legal newspaper once a week for four weeks, and sales happen on the courthouse steps on the first Tuesday of the month. That sets how long a pre-foreclosure owner has, and how long you should keep writing. What the filing is called, state by state. This is general information, not legal advice.
Check your county
The state number hides real differences between counties. Or see when each list sells in any Georgia county.
Questions investors ask
What is the best motivated seller list in Georgia?
Across the Georgia counties we could measure, expired and cancelled listings: about 14 of every 100 sold off-market within 12 months, across 34 counties. A house picked at random sold at about 1.6 per 100.
How many homes sell off-market in Georgia?
About 50,752 single-family homes sold off-market in an arm's-length sale over 12 months across 125 Georgia counties we could measure, about 1.6 of every 100 homes and 39 of every 100 sales.
Should I mail free and clear owners in Georgia?
Not first. Free and clear owners sold off-market at about 1.6 per 100 within a year across 125 Georgia counties, about the rate of a random house. Lists that start with a filing sold far better.
Does Georgia foreclose through the courts?
Georgia forecloses outside the courts. The sale notice runs in the county's legal newspaper once a week for four weeks, and sales happen on the courthouse steps on the first Tuesday of the month.