Northern Virginia Guide › Fairfax County › Herndon
Herndon, Virginia
Half the houses sold over asking, with two Silver Line stations in town.
At a glance
Six numbers that describe Herndon.
The median single-family home in Herndon sold for $879,000 in 2026 and went under contract in six days, and half sold above the asking price.
A "Herndon, VA" address covers two things: the Town of Herndon, an incorporated town with its own council and its own real estate tax, and the Herndon-address parts of unincorporated Fairfax County around it, in zips 20170 and 20171. This page covers both: what a house or townhouse costs, how buyers pay, what it rents for, which high school it feeds, and the commute. Every number is from Bright MLS closed sales, pulled on October 2, 2026, not from a listing site's estimate.
The figures combine the Town of Herndon and the Herndon-address parts of Fairfax County; Bright MLS does not split them. Of the houses, 183 sold in zip 20170 and 158 in 20171; of the townhouses, 79 and 99. Oak Hill, which shares zip 20171 but is its own postal city, is not included. Single-family means a detached house with at least three bedrooms and two full baths; townhouse means end-of-row and interior-row homes; condominium-regime homes are left out of both. Source: Bright MLS, closed sales January 1 to October 2, 2026, Postal City = Herndon, County = Fairfax, pulled by Ahmed Makkiyah on October 2, 2026.
Prices
$879,000 for a house and $652,500 for a townhouse, $241,000 under Reston.
The median Herndon house cost less than in Centreville ($904,500) or the Fairfax side of Chantilly ($923,650), more than in Springfield ($828,857), and $241,000 less than next door in Reston ($1,120,000).
Houses. 341 sold, from $419,379 to $2,050,000, and 240 of them at $1 million or less. Half sold above asking and 63% went under contract within a week. The median sold-to-list was exactly 100%, so the typical buyer paid the asking price and about one in two paid more.
Townhouses. 178 sold at a median of $652,500, less than in Reston ($676,500) and a little more than in Springfield ($630,000). They took longer, 12 days at the median, and about one in three sold over asking, so a townhouse buyer has more room to negotiate than a house buyer.
Town or county. The numbers mix homes inside the Town of Herndon with Herndon-address homes in the county. The price does not change at the town line, but the tax does: town owners pay a town real estate tax on top of the county's.
Median single-family sale price, 20262
Bright MLS closed sales, 2026 year to date, except the Fairfax County row (September 2026 alone). The town rows are filtered to 3+ bedrooms and 2+ full baths and leave out condominium-regime homes; the Fairfax County row has no size filter. Fairfax, Alexandria and Falls Church mean the Fairfax County addresses, not the independent cities, and Chantilly means its Fairfax County side. Arlington County, the neighbor to the east, is one row for the whole county (pulled October 3, same filters). The Cities of Fairfax, Falls Church and Alexandria are independent cities next to the county, shown under their own names. Oak Hill (20 sales) and Dunn Loring (12) are too small to chart.
| Measure | Houses | Townhouses |
|---|---|---|
| Homes sold | 341 | 178 |
| Median sold price | $879,000 | $652,500 |
| Average sold price | $934,328 | $638,018 |
| Median price per square foot | $416 | $353 |
| Median days to contract | 6 | 12 |
| Median sold-to-list | 100.0% | 100.0% |
| Sold above asking | 175 (51.3%) | 62 (34.8%) |
| Under contract within 7 days | 62.8% | 39.9% |
| Lowest sale | $419,379 | $332,000 |
| Highest sale | $2,050,000 | $925,000 |
| Cash sales | 28 (8.2%) | 19 (10.7%) |
| Sales in 20170 / 20171 | 183 / 158 | 79 / 99 |
The lowest house sale, $419,379, was a cash purchase on a $275,000 list price, 153% of list, which looks like an auction, estate or as-is sale. It lifts the average sold-to-list to 101.3%; the median, 100.0%, is the better number.
What can you afford in Herndon? Start from the monthly payment you can live with, not the price. Inside the town you pay the town tax on top of the county's, and most townhouses pay an HOA; the calculator adds them for you.
Follow the money
Only 28 of 341 house buyers paid cash, and the top sale was one of them.
In 2026, cash buyers spent $25.0 million of the $318.6 million paid for Herndon houses, 7.8% of the dollars. Their median house was $848,500 against $885,000 financed, and the dearest sale, $2,050,000, was paid in cash.
Share of house sales paid in cash, by price
Cash is spread thin at every price, less than in Centreville (9.3% of houses), Burke (12.5%) or Reston (18.4%). Townhouses are the exception at the entry level: 10 of the 42 townhouses under $500,000 sold for cash, and the cash median townhouse was $490,000 against $661,000 financed.
How 341 Herndon house purchases were paid for
About one house buyer in ten used a VA loan, 36 of 341. The rest of the small loans were 9 FHA, 6 other, 2 assumptions and 1 mixed cash-and-loan deal.
What that means if you need a loan: you are competing with other financed buyers, not with cash, but half the houses sold over asking and 63% went under contract within a week. The offer that wins is a full pre-approval, a short inspection window and an appraisal-gap plan you decided before the open house. If you are buying a townhouse under $500,000, expect to meet a cash offer now and then.
Townhouses: 140 conventional, 19 cash, 9 FHA, 6 VA and 4 other of 178. Mixed cash-and-loan deals were counted as financed.
The interesting facts
More townhomes were rented than sold: 277 leases against 178 sales.
Four things in the 2026 numbers that set Herndon apart.
A renters' town too. 396 homes were rented in Herndon in 2026, 119 houses and 277 townhomes. A landlord with a townhouse here finds a tenant in about 20 days at a median of $3,100.
Check the town line. A Herndon address can be inside the Town of Herndon or out in the county. Inside the town you pay the town's $0.27 per $100 on top of the county rate, about $2,400 a year on a median house, and get town services such as trash pickup. The tax record tells you which side you are on.
Cash at the bottom, loans everywhere else. Only 8% of house buyers paid cash, but one in four townhouses under $500,000 did. That is where investors and downsizers compete with first-time buyers.
Rent or buy
A townhouse at a ratio of 17.5 pays off sooner than a house at 19.3.
A Herndon house rents for a median of $3,800 a month and sells for $879,000, a price-to-rent ratio of 19.3; a townhome rents for $3,100 and sells for $652,500, a ratio of 17.5.1
| Measure | Houses | Townhomes |
|---|---|---|
| Homes rented | 119 | 277 |
| Median monthly rent | $3,800 | $3,100 |
| Average monthly rent | $3,891 | $3,143 |
| Median rent per square foot | $1.90 | $1.80 |
| Median days to lease | 17 | 20 |
| Median rent vs asking | 100.0% | 100.0% |
| Gross rental yield | 5.2% | 5.7% |
| Rent range | $2,695 to $6,000 | $1,931 to $4,900 |
Gross yield is before the mortgage, tax, HOA, insurance and upkeep. Both ratios are below 20, against 21.2 for a Fairfax-side house in Chantilly, and the lower the ratio, the sooner owning beats renting. A family that plans to stay several years, especially in a townhouse, usually does better buying. A house rents for the same median as in Springfield ($3,800) and less than in Reston ($4,400).
Own in Herndon already? Half the houses sold above asking this year. Ahmed runs a real comparative analysis against the 519 sales on this page, on your street and your side of the town line, not a website estimate.
The houses
The Town of Herndon, Franklin Farm and Fox Mill, with Oak Hill next door.
The town is the old railroad center, incorporated in 1879; the county side to the south grew in the 1970s and 1980s as planned subdivisions of colonials on cul-de-sacs.
The Town of Herndon. About 4.3 square miles and 24,655 people in the 2020 census, the largest of Fairfax County's three towns. Historic downtown sits around Elden and Lynn Streets, where the W&OD Trail passes the old Herndon Depot. Streets around it mix older houses, newer infill and townhouse communities.
Franklin Farm. A planned community of 1,777 homes in 20171, south of the town. Its addresses feed Oakton High or Chantilly High depending on the street.
Fox Mill Estates. 1,120 single-family colonials, traditionals and contemporaries built from 1972 to 1985 on quarter- to half-acre lots, with two swim-and-tennis clubs. Its homeowners' association describes it as part of Oak Hill.
Oak Hill, next door. Oak Hill shares zip 20171 but is its own postal city, and its sales are not in Herndon's numbers. In 2026 it had 20 house sales at a median of $1,427,500, more than Oakton ($1,420,000), with a median of about 4,475 square feet. No townhouses sold there, 4 of the 20 buyers paid cash, and no qualifying house or townhome was rented.
What to check. Whether the tax record says Town of Herndon; the HOA resale package with dues and any special assessment; the age of the roof, windows and HVAC on a 1970s or 1980s house; and, west toward Route 28 and Dulles, the flight paths at the hour you would be home.
Schools
Herndon High in town, and Oakton, Chantilly, Westfield or South Lakes elsewhere.
All of Herndon is Fairfax County Public Schools. Herndon High serves the town; parts of 20171 feed Oakton, Chantilly or Westfield depending on the street, and some addresses toward Reston feed South Lakes.3
B
Herndon High School
Niche #19 in Fairfax County, US News #122 in Virginia, about 2,260 students. The pyramid school for the Town of Herndon.
A+
Oakton High School
Niche #4 in Fairfax County, US News #8 in Virginia. Takes parts of 20171, including some of Franklin Farm.
A
Westfield and Chantilly
Westfield (Niche #14 in the county) takes 20171 addresses west of the Fairfax County Parkway; Chantilly (A+, #7) takes others. Both lose students to Skyview in 2027-28.
A
South Lakes High School
In Reston, Niche #12 in Fairfax County, US News #62 in Virginia, with the IB program. 384 of its students move to Skyview in 2027-28.
New
Skyview High School
FCPS's 25th high school, on Education Drive in the Floris area. Opened in fall 2026 for 9th and 10th graders who opted in; boundaries approved July 16, 2026, take effect in 2027-28 and move 1,062 Westfield, 384 South Lakes and 333 Chantilly students.
Program
Fox Mill Elementary
One of two FCPS elementary schools with Japanese immersion, entered by lottery in kindergarten or first grade.
Masjid
Near Herndon
The ADAMS Center headquarters on Sugarland Road in Sterling, the Reston Islamic Center (Masjid Al-Istiqamah) on Bowman Green Drive, and ADAMS Sully on Brookfield Corporate Drive in Chantilly.
Halal
Elden Street and Grant Street
Madina Market on Elden Street, a halal butcher and bakery since 1989; Fair Price Halal Meat on Grant Street, hand-slaughtered meat only; Fresh World on Elden Street with a halal meat section.
If you are buying in 20171, the high school on the listing today may not be the one your child finishes at: Skyview takes students from Westfield, Chantilly and South Lakes in 2027-28. Check any address at the FCPS Boundary Locator, and ask Ahmed to confirm it before you offer.
Commute
Two Silver Line stations, the Dulles Toll Road, and about ten minutes to Dulles.
Herndon has two Metro stations on the Silver Line, Herndon and Innovation Center, both opened in November 2022. The Dulles Toll Road runs along the town's south side, and Route 28 and Dulles Airport are just to the west.
| To | Drive | Route |
|---|---|---|
| Downtown DC | 50 to 85 min | Dulles Toll Road to I-66, or the Silver Line |
| Pentagon | 45 to 70 min | Dulles Toll Road, I-66 and the Beltway |
| Tysons | 25 to 40 min | Dulles Toll Road east, or the Silver Line |
| Reston Town Center | 10 to 15 min | Sunrise Valley Drive or Baron Cameron Avenue |
| Dulles Airport | 10 to 15 min | Dulles Toll Road west or Route 28 |
Herndon station on Sunrise Valley Drive has about 3,500 parking spaces, and Innovation Center, at Route 28 and the Dulles Toll Road, has a county garage of about 2,100. A weekday Metro fare tops out at $6.75. The Dulles Toll Road charges about $4 at the main plaza plus ramp tolls with E-ZPass.5 In town, the distance to the station matters more than the miles to DC; Ahmed will do the 7:45 drive or the train ride with you before you offer.
Daily life
The W&OD Trail through downtown, and halal butchers on Elden Street.
Outdoors and sights. The W&OD Trail, a paved 45-mile path from Arlington to Purcellville, runs through the center of town past the Herndon Depot Museum. Frying Pan Farm Park, a county park with a working farm, is in the Floris area to the south, and the Smithsonian's Udvar-Hazy Center, with the Space Shuttle Discovery, is a short drive down Route 28.
Food and groceries. Elden Street is the spine: halal butchers at Madina Market and Fresh World, Afghan kabob at Charcoal Kabob, and Salvadoran pupuserias. Worldgate Drive by the Toll Road has Turkish and Indian kitchens, and Centreville Road has Pakistani breakfast and Hyderabadi biryani.
Taxes, Town of Herndon.4 The county's $1.12 per $100 plus about $0.0335 in county fees, plus the town's $0.27, about $1.42 all in: roughly $12,500 a year on an $879,000 house, plus a $30 quarterly town trash fee.
Taxes, county side. Herndon addresses outside the town pay only the county: about $1.15 all in, roughly $10,100 a year on an $879,000 house, before HOA dues. Fairfax County's car tax is $4.57 per $100.
Where to eat
"Ahmed, where do you go to eat?" The Herndon list.
Up to five picks within about fifteen minutes of Herndon in each cuisine, the one doing best at the top, and halal marked. Most are on Elden Street, Worldgate Drive and Centreville Road.7
Closed, so not listed: the Ice House Cafe & Oyster Bar and Pollos Inka, both on Elden Street, show as closed on Yelp. Rankings weigh current Yelp ratings by review count, critics' lists and whether the place is busy; the halal note comes from Zabihah, Yelp or the restaurant itself, and "ask about halal" means it could not be confirmed. Know one that belongs here? Tell Ahmed.
Who buys here
Dulles corridor workers, first-time townhouse buyers and VA families.
People who work along the Dulles Toll Road and Route 28 and want the Silver Line; first-time buyers in a townhouse at $652,500; military and veteran families, 36 of the 341 house buyers used a VA loan; and South Asian, Arab, Afghan and Latino families who shop on Elden Street.
Buyers choose Herndon over Reston for about $241,000 less at the median house and no Reston Association fee, and over Chantilly for the Metro. They choose the Town of Herndon for a walkable downtown and the W&OD Trail, and pay the town tax for it; they choose Franklin Farm or Fox Mill for a bigger lot and a different high school. If you are torn, decide on the school and the train first; the price follows.
Questions
What people ask about Herndon.
How much does a house cost in Herndon, Virginia in 2026?
The median single-family home (3+ bedrooms, 2+ full baths) in Herndon sold for $879,000 in 2026 through October 2, across 341 sales in Bright MLS, at $416 per square foot. The median townhouse sold for $652,500 across 178 sales. That is less than Centreville ($904,500) or Reston ($1,120,000) and more than Springfield ($828,857). Condominium-regime homes are not included.
How competitive is the Herndon housing market?
Competitive for houses: in 2026, 51% of single-family homes sold above the asking price, 63% went under contract within a week, and the median house took 6 days. Townhouses were calmer: 35% sold over asking and the median took 12 days.
Do Herndon buyers pay cash or use VA loans?
Few pay cash. In 2026, 28 of 341 house buyers paid cash (8.2%), 259 used a conventional loan and 36 a VA loan. The exception is cheaper townhouses: 10 of the 42 townhouses under $500,000 sold for cash.
What is rent in Herndon, Virginia?
In 2026 the median single-family house leased for $3,800 a month across 119 leases, and the median townhome for $3,100 across 277 leases. More townhomes were rented than sold, 277 against 178.
Is it better to rent or buy in Herndon?
A median house sells for 19.3 times its yearly rent and a townhouse for 17.5 times, gross yields of 5.2% and 5.7%. Both ratios are below Chantilly's 21.2 for a Fairfax-side house, and the lower the ratio, the sooner owning beats renting, so a family that plans to stay several years, especially in a townhouse, usually does better buying.
Which high schools serve Herndon?
All of Herndon is Fairfax County Public Schools. Herndon High (Niche B, US News #122 in Virginia) serves the town. Parts of 20171 feed Oakton High (Niche A+), Chantilly High or Westfield High, and some addresses toward Reston feed South Lakes. The new Skyview High in the Floris area takes students from Westfield, Chantilly and South Lakes from 2027-28, so check any address with the FCPS Boundary Locator.
How long is the commute from Herndon to DC?
At 8 am on a weekday, downtown DC is about 50 to 85 minutes by car on the Dulles Toll Road and I-66, the Pentagon 45 to 70, Tysons 25 to 40, Reston Town Center 10 to 15 and Dulles Airport 10 to 15. Herndon has two Silver Line Metro stations, Herndon and Innovation Center. These drive times are estimates.
What is the property tax in Herndon, Virginia?
It depends on the town line. Inside the Town of Herndon you pay the Fairfax County rate of $1.12 per $100 plus about $0.0335 in county fees, plus the town's $0.27, roughly $12,500 a year on an $879,000 house, plus a $30 quarterly trash fee. Herndon addresses outside the town pay only the county, roughly $10,100 a year on the same house.
Ask Ahmed
Your Trusted Realtor in NOVA.
Tell me what you are looking for in Herndon.
Buying your first townhouse near the Silver Line, choosing between the town and the county side, or selling where half the houses went over asking. Send the situation and get the numbers back, in English or Arabic, not a pitch.
REALTOR®, Douglas Realty of Virginia · VA License #0225242357
Direct 703.957.0060 · Mobile 734.383.6945 · English and Arabic
Ahmed's take
Two or three sentences in Ahmed's own voice go here: who Ahmed sees buying in Herndon, how Ahmed helps a family choose between the town and the county side, and the first thing Ahmed checks on a listing (the town line on the tax record, the high school, and the HOA package).
دليل شمال فرجينيا
السكن في هيرندن، فرجينيا.
تضم هيرندن بلدة رسمية هي بلدة هيرندن، وتحيط بها مناطق تابعة لمقاطعة فيرفاكس تحمل العنوان نفسه، ضمن الرمزين البريديين 20170 و20171. بلغ السعر الوسطي للبيت المستقل 879,000 دولار، وللتاون هاوس 652,500 دولار.
السوق سريع: بيع نصف البيوت بأكثر من السعر المطلوب، وبلغت المدة الوسطية حتى توقيع العقد ستة أيام. الشراء النقدي قليل، إذ دفع 28 مشترياً فقط من أصل 341 نقداً. إذا كان البيت داخل البلدة، فستدفع ضريبة البلدة 0.27 دولار لكل 100 فوق ضريبة المقاطعة. وفيها محطتا مترو على الخط الفضي، هيرندن وإنوفيشن سنتر، والمطار على بعد عشر دقائق. المدارس: هيرندن هاي للبلدة، وأوكتون أو شانتيلي أو وستفيلد أو ساوث ليكس لبعض المناطق. متجر مدينة ماركت للحم الحلال على شارع إلدن منذ عام 1989، وفير برايس للحم المذبوح يدوياً على شارع غرانت. جميع الأرقام من Bright MLS، مبيعات مغلقة من 1 يناير إلى 2 أكتوبر 2026.
قبل أن تقدّم عرضاً، تأكد مما إذا كان البيت داخل البلدة أم في المقاطعة، وتحقق من المدرسة الثانوية التي يتبعها. هل تحتار بين البلدة والمقاطعة؟ أرسل لي تفاصيل وضعك، وسأحسب معك أرقامك الحقيقية، بالعربية أو بالإنجليزية.
وكيلك العقاري الموثوق في شمال فرجينيا.
Reston
Trails, lakes and the Silver Line.
$1.12M
Median house, 2026
Chantilly
Two in three sold over asking.
$923.7K
Median house, 2026
Buying power
Start from the payment.
Tax, insurance and HOA included
Home valuation
Priced on evidence.
A real comparative analysis, not a website estimate
Fairfax County
Fifty-one years of prices.
$950K
Median house, September 2026
بالعربية
Every step, in Arabic.
بالعربية أو بالإنجليزية، كما تفضّل