After the Inspection: How Georgia's Amendment to Address Concerns Works
After the Inspection: How Georgia's Amendment to Address Concerns Works
What is the Georgia Amendment to Address Concerns, and how does it work?
The Amendment to Address Concerns (GAR Form F107) is the official document Georgia buyers use to request repairs or credits after a home inspection. It must be signed by both parties and delivered before the Due Diligence Period expires — or it becomes null and void. Sellers are not required to agree to any requests; they can accept, counter, or reject.
TL;DR
- The Amendment to Address Concerns (GAR F107) is the only proper way to formalize repair or credit requests in Georgia — not a verbal agreement, not an email.
- It must be fully executed and delivered before your Due Diligence Period ends, or it's null and void.
- Sellers can accept, counter, or reject your requests. They are not required to fix anything.
- Georgia contracts default to "As-Is" — your leverage is the right to walk away, not the right to demand repairs.
- Credits at closing are often better than repairs: you control the contractor, the timeline, and the quality.
Your inspection report just landed. It's 47 pages long, the inspector flagged 22 items, and you have 5 days left in your Due Diligence Period. Now what?
In Georgia, the answer is the Amendment to Address Concerns — GAR Form F107. It's the formal mechanism for turning inspection findings into a negotiated agreement. If you handle it wrong, you either lose your leverage or you miss the deadline entirely and the amendment disappears.
Here's how it works, what to ask for, and how to protect yourself if the seller says no.
The Georgia Due Diligence Period: Your Window to Act
Before diving into the amendment, a quick reset on timing. In Georgia, the standard Purchase and Sale Agreement gives buyers a negotiated Due Diligence Period — typically 7–14 days in the current Kennesaw and Cobb County market, though it can be shorter in competitive situations. During this window, you can inspect the property, review disclosures, and terminate the contract for any reason without losing your earnest money.
The Amendment to Address Concerns must be fully executed — signed by both buyer and seller — and delivered to both parties before this period expires. If it's not done in time, it's automatically null and void, and your only remaining option is to either accept the property as-is or terminate.
This deadline is hard. There's no grace period, no extension by default. Your agent should be tracking this date from day one.
For a full breakdown of how the Due Diligence Period works in Georgia, see Georgia's due diligence period: a Kennesaw buyer's guide.
GAR Form F107: What It Does and What It Doesn't
The Amendment to Address Concerns (F107) is the official GAR form for documenting what the seller agrees to address before closing. When it's fully executed, it typically ends the remaining Due Diligence Period — because once both parties have agreed on what's being fixed or credited, the buyer has waived the right to terminate based on inspection findings.
What F107 covers:
- Specific repairs the seller agrees to complete before closing
- A closing cost credit in lieu of repairs
- A combination of both
- A price reduction (handled through an amendment to the purchase price, sometimes paired with F107)
What F107 doesn't do:
- It doesn't obligate the seller to respond to your requests — they can ignore them or say no
- It doesn't extend your Due Diligence Period if negotiations run long
- It doesn't protect you if the seller's repairs are done poorly — you'd need a re-inspection clause
Key point: Georgia's GAR contract defaults to "As-Is." The seller is not legally required to repair anything simply because an inspector found it. Your leverage isn't the law — it's your right to walk away with your earnest money intact if you're still in the Due Diligence Period.
Kennesaw and Cobb County: What the Amendment to Address Concerns Looks Like in Practice
What Buyers Typically Request
Not everything on an inspection report is worth negotiating. The items that actually move the needle in Kennesaw and Marietta transactions are the ones that are either expensive, safety-related, or would be flagged again on the buyer's lender's appraisal.
High-priority items worth requesting:
- HVAC systems — age, condition, and whether they're functional. A 20-year-old HVAC in a Kennesaw home is a $6,000–$10,000 replacement ticket. Sellers will often credit rather than replace.
- Roof condition — if the inspector flags age or missing shingles, ask for a licensed roofing contractor's assessment. Lenders often require this anyway.
- Moisture intrusion and crawlspace issues — West Cobb and North Atlanta homes with crawlspaces frequently have moisture, vapor barrier failures, or wood rot. These can run $2,000–$8,000+ to remediate.
- Electrical safety issues — double-tapped breakers, aluminum wiring, missing GFCI protection. These are lender red flags on conventional loans.
- Structural concerns — foundation cracks, framing issues, significant settlement. Always get a structural engineer's opinion before asking for a credit amount.
- Water heater age and condition — tanks over 10–12 years old are near end of life. Easy credit ask: $800–$1,500.
Items typically not worth requesting:
- Cosmetic issues (paint, minor scuffs, landscaping)
- Items noted as "deferred maintenance" that were visible at showing
- Small-dollar items you can handle yourself post-closing
Credit vs. Repair: Which to Ask For
In most Kennesaw and Cobb County transactions right now, requesting a credit at closing is often the better move — for you as the buyer.
When you ask the seller to make the repair:
- You don't control which contractor they use
- You can't verify quality until a re-inspection, which costs additional time
- Repairs done under time pressure before closing are often done at minimum-acceptable level
When you take a credit:
- You choose your own contractor post-closing
- No risk of last-minute delays if the contractor cancels
- You can address it on your timeline, not the seller's
The downside: some lenders will reduce the amount of closing cost credits they allow based on loan type. Your lender should confirm the cap before you negotiate. On conventional loans, seller credits are typically capped at 3%–6% of the purchase price depending on down payment. On an FHA loan, the cap is 6%.
What Sellers Can Do
Sellers in Acworth and across Cobb County have four practical options when they receive an Amendment to Address Concerns:
- Accept — agree to all requests as written
- Counter — agree to some items, reject others, or offer a smaller credit amount
- Reject — decline to address anything
- Ignore — technically the same as a rejection if the Due Diligence Period expires
If the seller rejects or counters in a way that doesn't satisfy you, and you're still inside your Due Diligence Period, you can terminate the contract and your earnest money is returned.
If your Due Diligence Period has already ended, you're under contract with no inspection contingency. At that point, your options shrink significantly — which is why the timing matters so much.
Step-by-Step: How to Use the Amendment to Address Concerns
Step 1: Get your inspection done in the first 1–2 days.
Don't wait. Book your general inspector, termite inspector, and any specialty inspectors (HVAC, structural, roofing) as soon as the contract is ratified. In a busy Kennesaw market, inspectors book out fast and same-week availability isn't guaranteed.
Step 2: Review the report with your agent before making requests.
Your agent has seen hundreds of these reports. They know which issues are deal-breakers, which are negotiating chips, and which aren't worth raising. Resist the urge to send a 22-item request list — it signals inexperience and puts sellers on the defensive.
Step 3: Get contractor estimates for high-dollar items.
Don't guess at repair costs. For anything over $2,000, have a licensed contractor take a look so your credit request is grounded in a real number. This also protects you if the seller counters with a lower figure.
Step 4: Submit the amendment with enough time to negotiate.
If your Due Diligence Period ends on Friday, don't send the amendment on Thursday afternoon. Build in at least 2–3 days for the seller to respond, for counter-offers, and for signatures to be exchanged.
Step 5: Confirm execution before the deadline.
The amendment is only effective when it's signed by both parties AND delivered. Your agent should confirm receipt and execution in writing before the Due Diligence Period expires.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if the seller ignores my Amendment to Address Concerns?
If the seller doesn't respond and your Due Diligence Period expires, the amendment becomes null and void. At that point, you either accept the property as-is or you terminate the contract and recover your earnest money — but only if you act before the deadline. For more on how the Due Diligence Period works, see Georgia's due diligence period: Kennesaw buyer guide.
Can I ask for repairs and a credit at the same time in Georgia?
Yes. GAR Form F107 allows you to request a combination of specific repairs and a closing cost credit. A common approach is to ask the seller to address safety issues directly (electrical, structural) while taking a credit for deferred maintenance items like the HVAC or roof.
Does the seller have to disclose inspection findings to future buyers if we don't close?
Yes — in Georgia, sellers have a duty to disclose known material defects. Once a seller has received an inspection report or a written amendment detailing concerns, those defects are likely considered "known." Learn more about Kennesaw's market on the Kennesaw community page.
Is a verbal agreement with the seller about repairs legally binding in Georgia?
No. Under Georgia's Statute of Frauds, real estate agreements must be in writing to be enforceable. Any repair agreement must be captured in a signed, delivered amendment before your Due Diligence Period ends. Learn more at masoudpour.com.
What if repairs agreed to in the amendment aren't completed before closing?
You have the right to a pre-closing walkthrough. If agreed-upon repairs aren't done, you can delay closing or invoke your remedies under the contract. This is another reason to request credits instead of repairs when possible — it eliminates the risk entirely. Explore the full Marietta community page for more local market context.
The inspection negotiation is one of the highest-leverage moments in any transaction — and one of the easiest to fumble if the timing is off or the requests aren't framed correctly. In Kennesaw and across Cobb County, I've walked dozens of buyers through this exact process. I know what sellers respond to, what they push back on, and when it's smarter to walk away.
If you're in a Due Diligence Period right now and need help structuring your amendment, let's talk.
