Committee advances SB 485 with new disclosure rules for real-estate wholesalers and licensing changes for home inspectors and other professions

A Georgia Senate committee on regulated industries voted to advance Senate Bill 485 after extended debate over multiple provisions, including a new disclosure requirement aimed at so-called real‑estate “wholesalers” and several professional licensing changes.

The bill’s wholesale real‑estate provision would require anyone selling or marketing a property under an assignable contract to disclose in writing to the seller that the contract may be assigned or that the purchaser intends to market the property to others. Proponents said the change is designed to stop predatory one‑page contracts and postcard solicitations that leave owners—often elderly people—uninformed about downstream sales.

“Wholesalers are individuals who are not licensed in the state of Georgia to sell real estate,” said Jeff Ledford, with the Georgia Realtors, explaining the practice to the committee. “They approach someone offering to purchase that property … and then they go out and find someone else to buy the property.” Ledford said the bill’s disclosure requirement is intended to keep owners from being “left in the dark” when someone obtains an assignable interest and then markets the property without the owner’s knowledge.

Senator Goodman, who sponsored sections of the bill addressing home‑inspector standards and related consumer protections, described cases he said illustrate the harm the measure aims to prevent. “There was an elderly lady… she sold 200 acres for $38,000,” Goodman said as an example of alleged predatory outcomes lawmakers told the committee they have seen.

The measure does not ban assignable contracts or routine resale after closing, sponsors said. Instead, it draws a line where a purchaser uses a minimal, nonstandard contract to obtain an equitable interest and then markets or advertises the property as if they were the owner without disclosing that they intend to resell. The bill also adds an enforcement mechanism: the Real Estate Commission could offer a consent cease‑and‑desist order that notifies suspected unlicensed practitioners and can be signed to stop the behavior quickly without a full administrative hearing.

“This is really about disclosure to make sure folks are aware of what they’re getting themselves into and they’re not being preyed upon,” Chairman Crow said in committee discussion, summarizing sponsors’ intent.

SB 485 also includes non‑real‑estate provisions the committee debated. Senator Payne described a licensing change that would allow students in the final semester of a Master of Social Work program to sit for their professional licensure exam before graduation, bringing them in line with other counseling professions that already have that allowance. “It would allow them just to go ahead and take their licensure exam so that way as soon as they graduate, they can hit the ground running,” Payne said.

Another section would create core‑competency requirements for home inspectors, placing the occupation under the residential division of the General Contractors board rather than creating a new board. The proposal would require passing an exam, a background check, liability insurance, and a renewal cycle every four years by birth month, sponsors said. Committee members discussed training pathways — formal courses, apprenticeships and trade‑association instruction — and whether applicants without diplomas could qualify via a ten‑year experience pathway; sponsors said the exam would remain the primary measure of minimal competency.

The bill also includes a narrower provision to require photographic ID on licenses for nail technicians and shop owners by July 1, 2028; committee members asked how that change advances public safety and proponents said the photographic credential aids identification during inspections and complaint investigations.

After more than two hours of back‑and‑forth testimony, questions and examples, the committee took voice votes to advance the bill. A motion to pass was made and seconded; the chair announced, “ayes have it.” The committee did not record a roll‑call tally in the transcript.

The committee chair said the panel will reconvene the next day at 2:30 p.m. to consider additional bills. SB 485 will next proceed to the full committee process required by the Senate.