How Downtown Development Authorities Are Tackling Vacant Storefronts
Empty storefronts have become one of the most visible and challenging issues facing downtowns across Georgia. From retail corridors to restaurant-heavy main streets, vacancies aren’t just an aesthetic problem. Left unaddressed, they can erode tax bases, dampen foot traffic, and shift the financial burden of infrastructure almost entirely onto residential taxpayers. In my work as […]
Fence Over the Line? Smarter Ways to Resolve Encroachment Disputes Before Court
Few things get property owners worked up faster than discovering a fence, retaining wall, or driveway sitting on the wrong side of the property line. I’ve seen it firsthand. Someone gets a survey, realizes a neighbor crossed the boundary, and their first instinct is often: How do I get this off my property? And immediately? […]
New Georgia Anti-Squatting Proposal: What Property Owners Should Watch in 2026
Georgia property owners have spent the last few years dealing with a difficult reality: when someone moves into a property without permission, the law hasn’t always provided a fast, practical path to regain possession. That’s especially true in Metro Atlanta where squatting cases surged after the pandemic. Georgia lawmakers addressed the issue in 2024 with […]
Georgia’s Property Records Under Attack: What the GSCCCA Ransomware Attack Means for Homeowners
The Georgia Superior Court Clerks’ Cooperative Authority (GSCCCA) online system was offline for a full week in late November due to a ransomware attack. Now that the system has been restored, the incident has exposed significant vulnerabilities that Georgia property owners, buyers, and lenders should take seriously. What Is GSCCCA and Why Does It Matter? Established by […]
When Co-Ownership Breaks Down: A Practical Guide to Equitable Partition
In the past year, NPR, Time, the New York Times, and several other major outlets published stories about the “new wave” of friends and unmarried romantic partners buying homes together. The reporting tends to focus on the trendiness of the idea: rising home prices, shifting generational norms, and the increasingly creative strategies people use to […]
Eminent Domain in Georgia: What Property Owners Need to Know
Eminent domain—also called condemnation—is the government’s authority to take private property for public use, provided it offers fair compensation. This power ensures the government can build and maintain the infrastructure and institutions needed to serve the public. Originally, eminent domain supported essential public works—such as transportation systems, water supplies, and defense facilities. Eminent domain has […]
Interstate Land Sales Regulation: What Developers Need to Know Before Marketing Your Project
Taking a new concept to the general public is one of the major milestones in any residential real estate project. Marketing a new subdivision, condominium, or build-to-rent community almost always involves digital outreach—websites, email campaigns, social media ads, even text messages. But what many developers don’t realize is these marketing tools can trigger federal and […]
The Safe at Home Act: A Guide for Georgia Landlords
Recent reports show that nearly 1 in 10 U.S. renters live in substandard conditions. Whether it’s water leaks, unreliable heating or air, pest infestations or other structural deficiencies, these new revelations have captured the attention of lawmakers from coast to coast, many of whom are racing to enact new legislation to beef up tenant protections […]
Understanding Quiet Title Actions
No matter how long you’ve owned your property, your ability to fully use it is only as good as the record of title verifying your sole ownership. An unexpected claim of competing ownership, an error in the title documents, an old tax deed, or a questionable lien can cloud one’s title to property and potentially […]
Before You Renovate: Seven Must-Haves for Your Construction Contract
Many home renovation projects begin as seemingly unattainable fantasies. Years go by, you continue to save where you can, and suddenly, that idea becomes a legitimate possibility. The material samples you’ve secretly been accumulating in your drawers suddenly cannot be stuffed away any further, and it’s time to finally order renderings and bring your project […]
