Key takeaway
Lawrence Jackson is a licensed Georgia real estate agent who works with first-time home buyers in Acworth and Cobb County. This page explains how he works with a buyer from the first conversation to the homestead filing, and how buyer agent pay is set under the rules in place since August 17, 2024.
How Lawrence helps first-time buyers
The work follows the order a first purchase happens in. Each stage has its own decisions, and the site has a full guide for each one, so you can read ahead and come to each conversation with your own questions.
Your numbers come first
Before looking at homes, we work out a price range from your income, debts and savings. The Acworth affordability calculator uses Cobb County tax and the current Freddie Mac rate, so the range reflects local costs rather than a national average. Zillow's typical Acworth home value was $406,860 in August 2026, which is a useful reference point for where your range sits.
Preapproval and programs
You choose the lender, not your agent. We go through what to ask lenders and which first-time buyer programs might fit, using the Georgia first-time home buyer programs guide. If Georgia Dream is a fit, you will also need a homebuyer education course, covered in the homebuyer education guide.
Touring with a written buyer agreement
Once you want to tour homes, we sign a written buyer agreement. It is required before touring with an agent, and it spells out what you are paying for and how compensation works, explained in full below.
Offer and due diligence
When you find a home, we write the offer together, including the price, the closing date and the length of the due diligence period. During that period you inspect the home, check the numbers and decide whether to go ahead. The Georgia due diligence guide and the home inspection guide explain how that time is used.
Closing and homestead
Georgia closings are handled by a closing attorney, covered in the closing attorney and title insurance guide, and the Georgia closing costs guide breaks down what you pay. After you move in, the last step is the Georgia homestead exemption: Georgia.gov says you must own the home on January 1 and file with the county by April 1.
Where Lawrence works: Acworth and Cobb County
The focus is Acworth and the surrounding parts of Cobb County. Acworth has two ZIP codes with different price levels: Zillow's typical home value in August 2026 was $432,126 in 30101 and $378,558 in 30102, against $406,860 for Acworth as a whole and $421,599 for Cobb County.
One mailing city, more than one county
An Acworth address is not always a Cobb County address. Bentwater is in Paulding County and Centennial Lakes is in Cherokee County, so property tax and school districts change with the address. We confirm the county and tax district for every home before you make an offer, and the Acworth ZIP codes guide explains how the two ZIPs differ.
Guides to each part of Acworth
Start with Acworth neighborhoods for a side-by-side view of areas and values, then the Acworth housing market page for the 10-year trend. If you are deciding whether to buy here at all, is Acworth a good place to live covers costs, commuting and official crime data. For the homes themselves, see starter homes, townhomes and condos and new construction.
How buyer agent compensation works now
Since August 17, 2024, the way buyers and their agents agree on pay has changed. The short version: you sign a written agreement before touring homes with an agent, the agreement states a specific amount or method of pay, and that amount is negotiable.
What changed in August 2024
Under the practice changes from the National Association of REALTORS settlement, effective August 17, 2024, a buyer must sign a written agreement before touring a home with an agent, in person or virtually. NAR's consumer guide says you do not need one to visit an open house on your own or to ask an agent about their services.
What the agreement must say about pay
The agreement must state compensation clearly, for example $0, a flat fee, a percentage or an hourly rate. It cannot be open-ended or a range. NAR states that compensation is negotiable and not set by law, so read this part closely and ask questions before you sign.
Who pays: you, the seller or both
NAR's guide says buyers can still ask for, negotiate for and receive payment for their agent from the seller or the seller's agent. In practice that means your offer can ask the seller to cover some or all of the amount in your agreement. Whatever the seller does not cover is settled under the terms you signed.
Client or customer under Georgia law
Georgia's Brokerage Relationships in Real Estate Transactions Act defines a brokerage engagement as a written contract under which a buyer becomes the client of the broker (O.C.G.A. 10-6A-3). A client is represented by the broker. A customer is not represented and may receive only ministerial help, such as paperwork and information.
What a buyer's broker owes you
O.C.G.A. 10-6A-7 lists the duties of a broker engaged by a buyer: perform the terms of the engagement, promote your interests by looking for an acceptable property, present all offers to and from you on time, disclose adverse material facts the broker actually knows about the property, advise you to get expert help where needed and account for your funds. The broker must also use ordinary skill and care and keep your information confidential.
Common questions
Do I pay you as a buyer?+
It depends on what we agree in writing. Since August 17, 2024, a written buyer agreement signed before touring states the compensation as a set amount, flat fee, percentage or hourly rate, and NAR says that amount is negotiable and not set by law. Your offer can ask the seller to pay some or all of it. You see the exact terms before you sign anything, and you can ask questions first.
Can you recommend a lender?+
No single lender is recommended here, because comparing is how you find the best terms. The CFPB tells buyers to contact multiple lenders, and says mortgage credit checks within 45 days count as one inquiry on your credit report. Each lender must send a standard Loan Estimate within three business days of your application, so offers line up side by side. For Georgia Dream, use the DCA list of participating lenders.
Do I need to sign an agreement before we talk?+
No. NAR's consumer guide says a written buyer agreement is needed before you tour a home with an agent, in person or virtually, but not for asking an agent about their services. A first conversation about your budget, programs or areas of Acworth does not require a signed agreement. The agreement comes when you are ready to start touring homes.
Can I go to open houses on my own?+
Yes. NAR's guide says visiting an open house on your own does not require a written buyer agreement. If you plan to buy with representation, tell the listing agent at the open house that you are working with a buyer's agent, and check how your own agreement handles homes you first saw by yourself.
What does a buyer's agent have to do for me in Georgia?+
Georgia law (O.C.G.A. 10-6A-7) requires a broker engaged by a buyer to perform the terms of the agreement, promote the buyer's interests, present all offers to and from the buyer on time, disclose known adverse material facts about the property, advise the buyer to get expert advice where needed, account for funds, use ordinary skill and care and keep the buyer's information confidential.
Sources
- Zillow: Lawrence Jackson, agent profile
- National Association of REALTORS: Consumer Guide to Written Buyer Agreements
- FindLaw: Georgia Code Title 10 § 10-6A-3 (Definitions)
- FindLaw: Georgia Code Title 10 § 10-6A-7 (Duties of broker engaged by buyer)
- CFPB: Explore your loan choices (Buying a House)
- CFPB: What exactly happens when a mortgage lender checks my credit?
- CFPB: What is a Loan Estimate?
- Georgia DCA: Georgia Dream participating lenders
- Georgia.gov: Apply for a Homestead Exemption
- Zillow Research: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), August 2026