Most Kennesaw and Marietta buyers assume they need a failed inspection to walk away from a contract. In Georgia, you don't. The due diligence period gives you a negotiated window, often just 7 to 10 days, to terminate for any reason and keep your earnest money. Miss the deadline, though, and that protection disappears fast, along with your deposit.

Most Georgia buyers don't realize they're making two very different deposits when they go under contract — one goes straight to the seller and you never get it back, the other sits in escrow and is fully refundable if you act in time. Here's how the due diligence fee and earnest money actually work under the GAR contract, and what's at stake if you miss the deadline.