Talk to the Lender
Program and regulatory figures verified October 10, 2026. Details change; confirm your scenario with us.
Four documents answer almost every question on this site. One free phone call may be worth more than all of them.
How to reach us
Call or text Mike at (480) 296-6513. Email mcerto@cfmtg.com. You reach the person who originates the loan, and the conversation is confidential.
★★★ The call to make before you call us
Ring your county tax commissioner and ask two questions:
- ★★ Does this county have a base-year valuation freeze homestead exemption?
- ★★★ If so, does it survive a transfer between spouses in a divorce, for the spouse who stays in the home?
★★★ We do not publish an answer to the second question because we did not read it at a primary source. But on a Georgia home that has appreciated for years, the difference between a frozen and a reset base-year valuation is a recurring annual amount, and it feeds straight into the escrowed property tax, the monthly payment, and whether one income can carry the house. ★★ It is free to ask, and it is far better asked before the transfer. Why this is the highest-value question on the site.
★★ Then the four documents
- ★★ The deed. It gives the date you both went on title, which decides the agency twelve-month condition. Measured to disbursement
- ★★ The current property tax bill. Not an estimate, the real escrow, and whatever the county told you about the freeze.
- ★★★ The draft agreement, while it is still a draft. What the financing needs it to say
- ★★ Any support order, with its end date. Support must be documented to continue at least three years from application to count as income.
★★ And one number for the closing budget
Georgia charges 0.30% of the face amount of the new note as intangible recording tax. ★★ Because it scales with the loan rather than your equity, it grows as the buyout figure grows, so it belongs in the conversation while that figure is being negotiated. The rate, the cap and the exemptions question.
★★ What we will say that a brochure would not
- ★★★ When it does not work. A one-income buyout of a two-income house sometimes does not qualify at any price. We will say so early rather than let a decree be built around a number that cannot be financed.
- ★★ That the figure may not be predictable. Georgia's code states no division formula and a jury may decide. We will model a range rather than pretend to a number. How that works
- ★★ That Atlanta fell. If that is your market, the appraisal is a live risk to an agreed figure. The figures
What we will not quote over email
Rates or payment figures. They depend on your file and on the day. Current terms against your actual position, on a call.
★★ Outside our lane, strictly
We are a lender. We are not a law firm. We do not draft or review decrees or settlement agreements as counsel, do not represent you or your former spouse, give no advice on whether to demand a jury trial, take no position on how property should be divided, and give no tax advice. We make no attorney referrals and receive nothing for introductions. We are not affiliated with any Georgia court, county tax office or government agency.
Useful pages first
- ★★★ The tax on your loan, the cost people miss.
- The base-year freeze question.
- A jury can divide the house.
- Qualifying on one income.
Mike Certo, NMLS #260555. Cornerstone First Mortgage, NMLS #173855. Equal Housing Lender. This is not a commitment to lend. Loans are subject to borrower, property and program qualification.
Frequently asked questions
What should I send a lender for a Georgia divorce buyout?
Four documents: the deed, which establishes the joint-ownership date; the current property tax bill; the draft settlement agreement while it is still a draft; and any support order with its end date. Mike Certo, NMLS #260555, at Cornerstone First Mortgage NMLS #173855, on (480) 296-6513 or mcerto@cfmtg.com.What is the first thing to do in a Georgia divorce buyout?
Call your county tax commissioner and ask whether the county has a base-year valuation freeze homestead exemption and whether it survives a transfer between spouses in a divorce. On an appreciated home the answer affects the escrowed property tax every year for as long as you own it, and it is free to ask.How much should I budget for Georgia taxes on a buyout?
Georgia charges intangible recording tax at $1.50 per $500 of the face amount of the new note, which is 0.30 percent, capped at $25,000, plus real estate transfer tax on the deed at $1 for the first $1,000 and 10 cents per $100 thereafter. The recording tax scales with the loan, so it grows as the buyout figure grows.Will you tell me if the Georgia buyout will not work?
Yes. A one-income buyout of a two-income house sometimes does not qualify at any price on any product. We would rather say so early than let a decree be built around a figure that cannot be financed.Mike Certo · NMLS #260555 · Cornerstone First Mortgage NMLS #173855 · Equal Housing Lender. Educational content about mortgage financing during and after a divorce. Not a loan commitment, and not legal, tax or financial advice. Cornerstone First Mortgage is a lender; it is not a law firm, does not represent any party to a divorce, does not make attorney referrals, takes no position on how property should be divided, and gives no advice on whether to demand a jury trial. Georgia property division is governed by the Official Code of Georgia Annotated and by case law and is applied by the superior courts; the intangible recording tax and the real estate transfer tax are administered by the Georgia Department of Revenue and collected by the clerk of the superior court, and homestead exemptions are administered by county tax officials. Agency requirements described here are Fannie Mae Selling Guide provisions current as of the date shown and are subject to change and to lender overlays. Housing market figures describe the twelve months to August 2026 and are not a forecast. All loans are subject to borrower, property and program qualification.