Question 1

Who handles the CDC side of a 504 in Georgia?

Accepted Answer

Georgia Certified Development Corporation is an Atlanta-based CDC that does 504 loans, and on a 504 you deal with a CDC alongside the bank. The structure it publishes is the standard one: a 50% private first mortgage amortizing over 10 to 30 years, a 40% CDC and SBA second that is fixed and fully amortizing over 25 years, and 10% to 20% borrower equity depending on the business type. The maximum debenture on that second is $5,000,000, or $5,500,000 for manufacturers and qualifying energy projects. Eligible uses run to land and building acquisition, new construction, renovation, refinancing, build-to-suit, and long-lived machinery with a useful life over 10 years. See the SBA program page for terms.

Question 2

How much of the building does my business have to occupy?

Accepted Answer

51% of an existing building, both at closing and on an ongoing basis. New construction is stricter: 60% owner occupancy initially, rising to 80% within 10 years. That is the line between an SBA deal and an investment-property deal, and it is worth checking against your actual square footage before you get attached to a building. If the numbers don't work out, the same purchase may still pencil on a commercial loan that doesn't carry an occupancy test.

Question 3

Who closes an SBA real estate loan in Georgia?

Accepted Answer

A licensed Georgia attorney, with no title-company alternative. The Supreme Court of Georgia treats preparing or facilitating execution of a deed as the practice of law (In re UPL Advisory Opinion 2003-2), the attorney has to be physically present rather than supervising by phone, and closing in violation of that is a misdemeanor on top of civil liability for damages. The attorney also holds and disburses the escrow. Georgia secures the loan with a security deed, which conveys legal title to the lender, rather than a mortgage. SBA files carry more documentation than a conventional purchase, so pick a closing attorney who has done them.

Question 4

What Georgia closing costs should I budget on a long-term SBA note?

Accepted Answer

Intangible recording tax is the line people miss. Georgia charges $1.50 per $500 of the face amount of the note, roughly 0.30% of the loan, capped at $25,000 per note and due within 90 days of execution. Legally the note holder owes it; in practice the borrower pays it at closing. Short-term notes may be exempt, which is why a 12-month or 24-month bridge loan can fall outside it, but a 25-year SBA note is not short-term and does pay. Confirm the current short-term threshold with your closing attorney, since it moved recently. There is also a state transfer tax of $1.00 per $1,000 of price, about 0.10%, customarily paid by the seller under the Georgia REALTORS form but negotiable. One thing to take seriously: unpaid intangibles tax bars collection, foreclosure, or any exercise of the power of sale until the tax, interest, and a 50% penalty are paid.

Question 5

How will Georgia property taxes hit a building my business occupies?

Accepted Answer

Georgia assesses at 40% of fair market value, so your effective rate is the millage times 0.40. Watch which millage you are being quoted. Fulton County held its general fund levy at 8.87 mills for 2025, a fourth straight year at that rate, but the general fund is only part of the bill: school district and municipal levies are separate and usually the larger share. Don't underwrite off the seller's current tax bill either, because the property gets reassessed to market after you buy. HB 581's floating homestead exemption, which caps annual growth in taxable value at CPI, never applied to non-homesteaded commercial property, and Fulton, Gwinnett, Cobb, DeKalb, their school districts, and the City of Atlanta all opted out of it anyway. Talk to your CPA about your own numbers.

Question 6

Is buying better than leasing in the Atlanta commercial market right now?

Accepted Answer

It depends on the product type, and Atlanta's sectors are not moving together. As of Q1 2026, office vacancy was 26.5% with asking rent at $33.09 per square foot, and 13 office properties traded that quarter at an average of $84.55 per square foot, down 9.3% year over year. Volume up and price per foot down is a buyer's setup, though a soft office market also means a tenant has room to negotiate a lease instead. Industrial is the other way: 9.0% vacancy in Q2 2026 at $7.43 per square foot asking, with rents rising and 12.3M square feet under construction. Run the buy-versus-lease math with your broker on the specific building rather than on the metro average.

SBA Financing in Atlanta

How it works

Run your SBA Financing numbers.

SBA Financing in Atlanta: local questions

Guides for SBA Financing

SBA Financing vs. other options

Other programs in Atlanta

Funding Atlanta deals fast.