The first 30 days after closing are treated like an afterthought. You got the keys, the hard part is over, and everything else feels like it can wait until the boxes are unpacked. That instinct costs people money every single year in this market.
Here is the flip. Several of the most valuable moves available to a new homeowner in Georgia are deadline-driven, and the deadlines start running the moment you close. Miss one and you wait a full year for the next chance. The unpacking can wait. Two of these cannot.
Nicole France is a REALTOR® with RE/MAX Center and was the number one Paulding County REALTOR® for 2025, serving buyers and sellers across Cobb, Cherokee, Paulding, and Bartow counties. This list comes from the questions her clients text her the week after closing.
1. Set Up Electricity, Because the Provider Depends on the Address
Northwest Atlanta has no single power company, and this confuses almost every relocating buyer. Your provider is determined by your specific address, not your city or county.
Georgia Power serves much of Cobb County. Cobb EMC, a member-owned cooperative, serves portions of Cobb, Cherokee, Bartow, and Paulding. GreyStone Power covers parts of Paulding, Cobb, Bartow, and several counties to the southwest. Inside the city limits, Acworth Power has run its own municipal electric system since 1906, serving roughly 7,000 customers in Acworth plus portions of Cobb and Bartow. Cartersville has its own city utilities as well.
Two neighbors on the same street can have different providers. Cobb EMC asks for at least one business day of notice, charges a service establishment fee on the first bill, and may require a deposit based on a credit check. Call before closing day, not after.
2. Water and Sewer Follow a Different Map
Your water provider is a separate question with a separate answer, and the boundaries do not line up with the electric boundaries.
Cobb County Water System serves unincorporated Cobb along with Kennesaw, Acworth, and Powder Springs. Cities including Cartersville run their own water systems. Paulding, Cherokee, and Bartow each operate county water systems with their own signup processes and deposits.
If your new home sits on a well and septic system, which is common in rural Paulding and parts of North Paulding and Bartow, none of this applies to you. Instead, your first month should include locating the septic tank lids, finding out when it was last pumped, and testing the well water if you did not test during due diligence. Ask the seller for service records. Nobody else has them.
3. Pick a Natural Gas Marketer
This one catches almost every out-of-state buyer, because most states do not work this way.
Georgia deregulated natural gas. Atlanta Gas Light owns and maintains the pipes across Metro Atlanta, but it does not sell you the gas. You choose from a list of certified retail marketers who compete on rate, plan structure, and fees. Nobody assigns you one.
The practical result is that two identical houses can have very different gas bills depending on which marketer the homeowner picked and whether they are on a fixed or variable rate. Compare rates through the Georgia Public Service Commission’s marketer comparison before you sign up, and put a calendar reminder for when your introductory rate expires. Variable rates in winter are how people end up with a shocking January bill.
4. Arrange Trash Pickup Yourself
In much of Northwest Atlanta, garbage collection is not a government service and it does not start automatically.
Cobb County states plainly that it does not provide residential trash collection. Private companies handle it, the county keeps a list of haulers registered to operate there, and any issue with pricing or service is between you and the company. Several cities, including Acworth and Kennesaw, arrange service through the city instead, so your setup depends on whether your address is inside city limits.
Start with your HOA if you have one, since many neighborhoods have negotiated a group rate or standardized on one hauler. Otherwise call your city hall first to find out whether service is included, then compare a few registered haulers if it is not. Prices vary more than most people expect.
5. File Your Homestead Exemption
This is the deadline that costs Georgia homeowners real money, and it is the one most commonly missed.
To qualify, you must own and occupy the home as your legal residence as of January 1, and your application has to be received or postmarked by April 1. Miss April 1 and the exemption does not apply until the following tax year. There is no grace period and no retroactive fix.
The good news is that it is a one-time task. Once granted, the exemption renews automatically as long as you continue to own and occupy the home. You cannot claim homestead in two places, so if you owned a home elsewhere in Georgia, remove that exemption first. Each county has its own application and its own additional exemptions for seniors and disabled homeowners, so file with the county where the property sits, not the county on your mailing address.
6. Register Your Vehicles Within 30 Days
If you moved to Georgia from another state, this is a hard 30-day clock and the penalties are real.
New residents get a reduced Title Ad Valorem Tax rate of 3 percent of the vehicle’s fair market value, compared with the standard 7 percent that applies to most other transfers. Add a $20 annual registration fee and an $18 title fee. Your out-of-state registration is no longer valid after the 30-day window, and late registration triggers penalties on the tax due.
One local wrinkle worth knowing. Emissions inspections are required in Cherokee, Cobb, and Paulding counties before you can register, but Bartow County is not on the state’s emissions list. Newer model years are generally exempt, so check the requirements for your vehicle. The Georgia Department of Revenue keeps the current new-resident checklist.
7. Update Your License, Insurance, and Voter Registration
You will need a Georgia driver’s license to register a vehicle, so handle these in the right order. License first, then tag office.
Bring proof of identity, proof of Georgia residency, and your out-of-state license. Your closing documents work well as residency proof, which is one more reason to keep the closing package accessible rather than buried in a box.
Call your insurance agent the same week. Homeowners coverage was arranged before closing, but auto insurance rates change when your garaging address changes, and Georgia requires proof of Georgia liability coverage at the tag office. Voter registration can be handled at the same time as the license, and it takes about two minutes if you do it there instead of separately.
8. Change the Locks, Codes, and Openers
Do this in week one. You have no idea how many keys are out there.
Previous owners hand keys to contractors, cleaners, neighbors, dog walkers, and family members, and almost nobody collects them all before closing. Rekeying is inexpensive compared to the alternative and the peace of mind is immediate.
Then go through everything electronic. Reprogram the garage keypad and clear the old remotes from the opener’s memory. Change the alarm system code and transfer or cancel the monitoring account. Reset smart locks, video doorbells, and any smart thermostat still tied to the seller’s account. Also change the lock on any storage building or gate. If your neighborhood has a pool or gate fob system, contact the HOA to have old credentials deactivated and new ones issued.
9. Find the Shutoffs and Panels Before You Need Them
The worst time to learn where your main water shutoff is located is at eleven at night with water coming through the ceiling.
Walk the house with a flashlight and find the main water shutoff, the water heater shutoff, the gas shutoff, the electrical panel, and the HVAC disconnect. Label them. Take photos on your phone so anyone in the household can find them.
While you are down there, note the crawl space or basement access, locate the sump pump if there is one, and check the HVAC filter size so you can order the right ones. Georgia’s humidity is unforgiving about neglected filters and clogged condensate lines. Twenty minutes of exploration in your first week has saved more Northwest Atlanta homeowners money than any home warranty ever will.
10. Transfer the Termite Bond and Build Your Home File
Georgia’s climate makes termite coverage close to standard, and most homes here carry a bond or service contract with a pest control company.
Those bonds are often transferable, but not automatically and not for free. The seller’s disclosure should have identified the company, the coverage type, whether it transfers, and the transfer cost. Call the company within your first month and get the bond put in your name. Letting it lapse means starting over, and a new bond costs far more than a transfer.
Then build one file, physical or digital, holding your closing documents, the survey, the seller’s disclosure, the inspection report, appliance manuals and warranty registrations, the termite bond, HOA documents, and receipts for any improvements you make. That last category matters years from now for capital gains purposes. Ask your CPA how it applies to your situation.
What Buyers Need to Know About the First 30 Days After Closing
Sort this list into two piles. Deadline items and everything else.
The deadline items are homestead exemption by April 1 and vehicle registration within 30 days of establishing residency. Both cost you real money if you miss them, and neither can be fixed later. Do those first even if you are still living out of boxes.
Everything else is sequencing and convenience, but the utility setup deserves attention before closing rather than after. Buyers relocating from single-provider states are routinely surprised that power, water, gas, and trash each involve a different company chosen a different way. Ask your agent for the specific providers at your specific address during due diligence, not the week you move.
One more thing worth doing in the first 30 days after closing: start tracking your home’s value. Northwest Atlanta has shifted meaningfully over the past year, and homeowners who watch their number make better decisions about refinancing, appealing an assessment, and timing a future move. You can start with a home value estimate any time.
Frequently Asked Questions
When do I file for homestead exemption if I just bought a house in Georgia?
You must own and occupy the home as your primary residence as of January 1, and file by April 1 of that year. If you close in July, you will file the following spring for the next tax year. Set a calendar reminder now, because nobody sends you one.
How do I find out which utility company serves my new address?
Ask your agent or check the seller’s most recent bills, which many sellers will share. Cobb EMC and the other providers all have address lookup tools on their sites. Do not assume based on your neighbor, because service boundaries in this area cut through neighborhoods.
Do I need an emissions test before registering my car?
In Cherokee, Cobb, and Paulding counties, yes for most vehicles. Bartow County is not on the state’s emissions inspection list. The newest model years are generally exempt, so verify your specific model year with Georgia Clean Air Force before making the trip to the tag office.
Just Bought or About to Buy in Northwest Atlanta?
Good agents do not disappear at the closing table. Nicole France sends clients the provider list for their specific address, flags the homestead deadline, and stays available long after the transaction closes.
Call or text (404) 867-3869 or reach out at nicolefrance-realestate.com/contact/. You can also see the areas we serve or learn more about Nicole.
Nicole France is a REALTOR® with RE/MAX Center serving buyers and sellers across Acworth, Kennesaw, Dallas, Cartersville, and Woodstock. Client Focused · Results Driven.