Northern Virginia Guide › Fairfax County › Lorton
Lorton, Virginia
Bigger, newer houses at $358 a foot, next door to Fort Belvoir.
At a glance
Six numbers that describe Lorton.
The median single-family home in Lorton sold for $930,000 in 2026 and went under contract in seven days, and the median townhouse sold for $550,000.
Lorton is in the southern tip of Fairfax County, along I-95 where the Occoquan River meets the Potomac, with Fort Belvoir on its eastern side. Almost as many townhouses sold here as houses, and one house buyer in four used a VA loan. This page covers 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.
Lorton is an unincorporated community. All sales here have a Lorton postal address in Fairfax County (zip 22079). 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 = Lorton, County = Fairfax, pulled by Ahmed Makkiyah on October 2, 2026.
Prices
$930,000 for a house or $550,000 for a townhouse, with more space for the money.
The median Lorton house cost about the same as one in Annandale or Burke ($925,000), but at $358 a square foot it bought far more house than Springfield ($470) or Centreville ($379).
Houses. 105 sold, from $465,000 to $3,900,000, at a median of $930,000 and about 3,265 square feet. Many are in communities built in the 2000s, such as Laurel Hill, and the more rural lots are out on Mason Neck. The median sold-to-list was exactly 100%, 42% sold above asking and about half went under contract within a week.
Townhouses. 102 sold, nearly as many as houses, at a median of $550,000, less than Centreville ($565,000) or Springfield ($630,000). They ranged from $350,000 to $997,430, and 36% sold above asking.
The pace. Lorton is busy but not frantic. Fewer houses sold over asking than in Springfield (56%) or Burke (63%), so a well-prepared buyer can often win at or near the list price.
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 | 105 | 102 |
| Median sold price | $930,000 | $550,000 |
| Average sold price | $1,049,031 | $579,668 |
| Median price per square foot | $358 | $389 |
| Median days to contract | 7 | 10 |
| Median sold-to-list | 100.0% | 100.0% |
| Sold above asking | 44 (41.9%) | 37 (36.3%) |
| Under contract within 7 days | 52.4% | 42.2% |
| Lowest sale | $465,000 | $350,000 |
| Highest sale | $3,900,000 | $997,430 |
| Cash sales | 13 (12.4%) | 8 (7.8%) |
| VA loans | 27 (25.7%) | 17 (16.7%) |
One house closed at $1,325,000 on a $1,049,900 list price, 126% of asking, three days after it was listed: a bidding war. It lifts the average sold-to-list to 100.5%; the median, 100.0%, is the better number. The townhouse sales have no such outliers.
What can you afford in Lorton? Start from the monthly payment you can live with, not the price. With a VA loan you may need no down payment at all; the calculator adds the tax, insurance and HOA so you see the real number.
Follow the money
27 of 105 house buyers used a VA loan, twice as many as paid cash.
In 2026, 13 of 105 Lorton house buyers paid cash, 12.4% of sales and 11.7% of the dollars: $12.9 million of $110.1 million. Cash buyers paid a median of $878,000, less than financed buyers at $955,000.
Share of house sales paid in cash, by price
Cash shows up most just below the median: 5 of the 26 houses between $835,000 and $930,000 sold for cash, and only 1 of the 26 between $930,000 and $1.14 million. Overall, Lorton's 12.4% cash share is close to Burke (12.5%) and Fairfax Station (12.0%).
How 105 Lorton house purchases were paid for
One house buyer in four used a VA loan, 27 of 105, more than in Springfield (22.9%) or Fairfax Station (24.7%). Fort Belvoir is next door, and many buyers are active-duty, veteran or Department of Defense families.
What that means if you need a loan: VA and conventional buyers are the market here, so sellers and listing agents here are used to VA buyers. Cash is not the main competition. The offer that wins is a full pre-approval, a clean inspection plan and an appraisal-gap answer you decided before the open house; in a market where 42% of houses sold over asking, that is usually enough.
Townhouses: 66 conventional, 17 VA, 9 FHA, 8 cash, 1 VHDA and 1 other of 102. The median cash townhouse was $483,577 against $550,000 financed, and 4 of the 8 cash buys were under $495,000. Mixed cash-and-loan deals were counted as financed.
The interesting facts
102 townhouses and 105 houses: an even split at $358 a foot.
Four things in the 2026 numbers that set Lorton apart.
Space for the money. The median Lorton house is about 3,265 square feet and sold for $358 a foot, less per foot than Centreville ($379), Fairfax Station ($419) or Springfield ($470). If space matters more to you than a short drive to Tysons, Lorton is where to look first.
A real townhouse market. Almost half the sales were townhouses, at a median of $550,000. Fairfax Station next door had no townhouse sales at all in 2026, so Lorton is the nearby choice for a first purchase or a VA buyer who wants to own rather than rent.
For investors. A median townhouse rents for $2,988 a month against a $550,000 price, a gross yield of 6.5%, higher than Alexandria's county addresses or Centreville (both 6.1%). With Fort Belvoir next door, 118 townhomes were rented here in 2026.
Rent or buy
A Lorton townhouse costs 15.3 years of rent, a house 19.3.
A Lorton house rents for a median of $4,025 a month and sells for $930,000, a price-to-rent ratio of 19.3; a townhome rents for $2,988 and sells for $550,000, a ratio of 15.3.1
| Measure | Houses | Townhomes |
|---|---|---|
| Homes rented | 32 | 118 |
| Median monthly rent | $4,025 | $2,988 |
| Average monthly rent | $4,086 | $3,002 |
| Gross rental yield | 5.2% | 6.5% |
| Rent range | $2,750 to $4,990 | $1,600 to $4,700 |
Gross yield is before the mortgage, tax, HOA, insurance and upkeep. A ratio under 16 means buying a townhouse pays off quickly against renting one, especially for a family staying three years or more or using a VA loan with no down payment. Three leases at $7,000 were furnished corporate housing and are left out of the range; they do not move the median.
Own in Lorton already? 42% of houses sold above asking this year, and VA buyers are waiting for the next listing. Ahmed runs a real comparative analysis against the 207 sales on this page, not a website estimate.
The houses
Laurel Hill's 731 homes, a prison turned neighborhood, and Mason Neck.
Laurel Hill and Liberty were built on the land of the old D.C. prison after it closed in 2001, so many Lorton houses are only about twenty years old.
Laurel Hill. 731 houses and townhouses built by Pulte and Centex in the early to mid 2000s, with a pool, tennis courts and a clubhouse. The county's Laurel Hill Golf Club, a par-71 course that opened in 2005, is next door.
Liberty. The brick dormitories of the former Lorton Reformatory, a D.C. prison from 1910 to 2001, are now a mixed community planned for 165 apartments, 157 townhouses, 24 single-family homes and more than 110,000 square feet of shops and offices, with a pool and the Cross County Trail at the door.
Mason Neck. The peninsula between Pohick Bay, Belmont Bay and the Potomac, with houses on wooded lots, the state park and the wildlife refuge. Expect a longer drive to I-95 and more privacy.
Around the VRE station. Homes near Lorton Station Boulevard put a train to L'Enfant and Union Station a short drive or a walk away.
What to check. The HOA resale package and dues; for a 2000s house, the age of the roof, HVAC and water heater, which are reaching the end of their life; near I-95 and the railroad, the noise at the hour you would be home; and on Mason Neck, whether the house is on a well and septic.
Schools
South County High, Niche #10 in Fairfax County, and Hayfield Secondary.
Most of Lorton feeds South County High School on Silverbrook Road; the Lorton Station Elementary area feeds Hayfield Secondary, and Gunston Elementary is split between the two. An FCPS study of four Lorton elementary schools is still open.3
A
South County High School
Niche #10 in Fairfax County, US News #60 in Virginia, about 2,100 students. Opened in 2005; fed by Laurel Hill, Halley, Silverbrook and Newington Forest elementaries through South County Middle.
B+
Hayfield Secondary School
Grades 7 to 12 on Telegraph Road, Niche #16 in the county, US News #57 in Virginia. Takes the Lorton Station Elementary area and part of Gunston's.
Study
Lorton boundary study
Gunston, Halley, Laurel Hill and Lorton Station elementaries were held over from the January 2026 boundary change. Recommendations go to the School Board by January 2027.
Belvoir
Fort Belvoir
More than 51,000 people work on post, next door to Lorton, and the Alexander T. Augusta Military Medical Center is the hospital.
Masjid
Al Iman Islamic Center
On Richmond Highway in Lorton, founded in 2011, with programs in English and Friday prayer at 12, 1 and 2.
Masjid
Masjid Noor and Baitul Ma'mur
Masjid Noor on Pohick Road toward Springfield, and Baitul Ma'mur on Richmond Highway in 22309, each a short drive from Lorton.
Halal
Kabul Halal Market
On Golansky Boulevard in Woodbridge, across the Occoquan: fresh-cut zabihah meat and Afghan groceries.
Halal
Al-Barakah and Zam Zam
Al-Barakah Supermarket on Jefferson Davis Highway (Route 1) and Zam Zam Market on Build America Drive, both in Woodbridge, with halal meat and desi groceries.
The open study matters if you are buying near Lorton Station, Laurel Hill, Halley or Gunston elementary: earlier scenarios would have moved the Halley attendance island and changed the middle and high school for Lorton Station Elementary. Nothing is decided until the School Board votes. Check any address at the FCPS Boundary Locator, and ask Ahmed to confirm it before you offer.
Commute
I-95 to the Pentagon, a 37-minute VRE ride to L'Enfant, and Fort Belvoir next door.
Lorton sits on I-95 with the 95 Express Lanes, a VRE station on the Fredericksburg Line, and the Auto Train terminal, where you can put your car on a train to Florida.
| To | Drive | Route |
|---|---|---|
| Downtown DC | 40 to 75 min | I-95 and I-395, Express Lanes if you carpool |
| Pentagon | 30 to 55 min | I-95 to I-395, or slug from the Lorton Shell |
| Fort Belvoir | 10 to 20 min | Route 1 or the Fairfax County Parkway |
| Tysons | 35 to 60 min | I-95 to the Beltway, 495 Express Lanes |
| Franconia-Springfield Metro | 15 to 25 min | I-95 north |
VRE's Fredericksburg Line runs from Lorton station to L'Enfant in about 37 minutes; under VRE's July 2024 tariff it is a zone 4 fare, $9 one way or $249.50 a month. There is a slug line at the Lorton Shell, and the 95 Express Lanes are free for carpools of three with an E-ZPass Flex; everyone else pays a toll that moves with traffic, often $15 to $35 at the peak. Amtrak's Auto Train leaves Lorton daily for Sanford, Florida, near Orlando, 855 miles and about 17 hours with your car on board.5 Ahmed will do the 7:30 drive with you before you offer.
Daily life
Bald eagles at a 1,856-acre state park, and art in an old prison.
Outdoors and sights. Mason Neck State Park covers 1,856 acres on the Potomac, with bald eagles, ospreys, trails and kayak rentals, next to a national wildlife refuge, Pohick Bay Regional Park and Gunston Hall, George Mason's home. The Workhouse Arts Center fills 55 acres of the old prison with artists' studios and the Lucy Burns Museum, which tells the story of the suffragists jailed there in 1917. The Cross County Trail runs 40.5 miles from Lorton to Great Falls.
Food and groceries. Liberty Center has a Lidl and Yafa for shawarma, and Lorton Market Street has Dunya for Afghan kabobs. For halal meat, the closest butchers are across the Occoquan in Woodbridge, and Afghan Bistro on Alban Road is about ten minutes north.
Taxes.4 Unincorporated Fairfax County, no town tax: $1.12 per $100 plus about $0.0335 in county fees, about $1.15 all in, roughly $10,700 a year on a $930,000 house and $6,300 on a $550,000 townhouse, before HOA dues. The car tax is $4.57 per $100 of the vehicle's value.
Where to eat
"Ahmed, where do you go to eat?" The Lorton list.
Up to five picks within about fifteen minutes of Lorton in each cuisine, the one doing best at the top, and halal marked. Lorton itself is small, so the list reaches into Springfield, Lake Ridge and Woodbridge.7
Closed, so not listed: Yaffa Grille on Ox Road shows as closed on Yelp (Kabob Station is now at that address), and Shawarma Guys in Kingstowne has closed. Rankings weigh current Yelp ratings by review count; 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
Fort Belvoir families, I-95 commuters and first-time townhouse buyers.
Military and veteran families, 27 of the 105 house buyers and 17 of the 102 townhouse buyers used a VA loan; Pentagon and DC commuters who ride VRE or slug up I-95; first-time buyers in a $550,000 townhouse; and families who want a newer, bigger house for under $1 million.
Buyers choose Lorton over Springfield for more house per dollar, $358 a square foot against $470, and over Fairfax Station for a lower price, $930,000 against $1,245,000, and a townhouse option Fairfax Station does not have. They give up some of the drive north and the Metro. If you are moving for a Fort Belvoir assignment, Lorton puts you 10 to 20 minutes from the gate.
Questions
What people ask about Lorton.
How much does a house cost in Lorton, Virginia in 2026?
The median single-family home in Lorton (3+ bedrooms, 2+ full baths) sold for $930,000 in 2026 through October 2, across 105 sales in Bright MLS, at $358 per square foot for a median of about 3,265 square feet. The median townhouse sold for $550,000 across 102 sales. Condominium-regime homes are not included.
How competitive is the Lorton housing market?
Competitive but not frantic. In 2026 the median house went under contract in 7 days, 42% of houses sold above the asking price and 52% went under contract within a week, while the median sold-to-list was exactly 100%. Townhouses took a median of 10 days and 36% sold above asking.
Do Lorton buyers pay cash or use VA loans?
VA loans are much more common than cash. In 2026, 27 of 105 house buyers (25.7%) used a VA loan and 13 (12.4%) paid cash; 60 used a conventional loan. Among townhouse buyers, 17 of 102 used a VA loan and 8 paid cash. Fort Belvoir is next door.
What is rent in Lorton, Virginia?
In 2026 the median single-family house in Lorton leased for $4,025 a month across 32 leases, and the median townhome for $2,988 across 118 leases. House rents ranged from $2,750 to $4,990.
Is it better to rent or buy in Lorton?
A Lorton townhouse sells for about 15.3 years of its rent ($550,000 against $35,856 a year), a gross yield of 6.5%, so buying a townhouse pays off quickly for a family staying three years or more. A house sells for about 19.3 years of rent ($930,000 against $48,300), a gross yield of 5.2%.
Which high schools serve Lorton?
Most of Lorton feeds South County High School on Silverbrook Road (Niche A, #10 in Fairfax County; US News #60 in Virginia). The Lorton Station Elementary area feeds Hayfield Secondary (Niche B+, #16 in the county), and Gunston Elementary is split between the two. An FCPS boundary study of Gunston, Halley, Laurel Hill and Lorton Station elementaries is due to report by January 2027, so check any address with the FCPS Boundary Locator.
How long is the commute from Lorton to DC?
At 8 am on a weekday, downtown DC is about 40 to 75 minutes by car on I-95 and I-395, the Pentagon 30 to 55, Fort Belvoir 10 to 20, Tysons 35 to 60 and the Franconia-Springfield Metro 15 to 25. These drive times are estimates. VRE's Fredericksburg Line runs from Lorton station to L'Enfant in about 37 minutes, and there is a slug line at the Lorton Shell.
What is the property tax in Lorton, Virginia?
Lorton is unincorporated Fairfax County, so there is no town tax. The 2026 rate is $1.12 per $100 plus about $0.0335 in county fees, about $1.15 all in, which is roughly $10,700 a year on a $930,000 house and $6,300 on a $550,000 townhouse. HOA dues are extra, and the county car tax is $4.57 per $100.
Ask Ahmed
Your Trusted Realtor in NOVA.
Tell me what you are looking for in Lorton.
Buying with a VA loan near Fort Belvoir, choosing your first townhouse, or selling where 42% of 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 Lorton, how Ahmed helps a military family time a purchase around a Fort Belvoir assignment with a VA loan, and the first thing Ahmed checks on a listing (the school boundary study and the HOA package).
دليل شمال فرجينيا
السكن في لورتون، فرجينيا.
تقع لورتون في جنوب مقاطعة فيرفاكس، الرمز البريدي 22079، قرب قاعدة فورت بلفوار. بلغ السعر الوسطي للبيت المستقل 930,000 دولار، وللتاون هاوس 550,000 دولار.
في لورتون تحصل على بيت أكبر وأحدث بالمال نفسه: السعر الوسطي للقدم المربع 358 دولاراً، ومساحة البيت الوسطي نحو 3,265 قدماً مربعاً. عدد وحدات التاون هاوس التي بيعت (102) يقارب عدد البيوت المستقلة (105). مشترٍ واحد من كل أربعة من مشتري البيوت اشترى بقرض VA، لأن فورت بلفوار بجوارها. المدرسة الثانوية: ساوث كاونتي هاي لأغلب لورتون، وهايفيلد لمنطقة لورتون ستيشن. وفيها محطة قطار VRE توصلك إلى لانفانت في نحو 37 دقيقة، ومحطة الأوتو ترين التي تنقل سيارتك إلى فلوريدا. مركز الإيمان الإسلامي على شارع ريتشموند هايوي، ومتاجر اللحم الحلال في وودبريدج عبر نهر أوكوكوان. جميع الأرقام من Bright MLS، مبيعات مغلقة من 1 يناير إلى 2 أكتوبر 2026.
هل أنت قادم إلى فورت بلفوار، أو تريد الشراء بقرض VA؟ أرسل لي تفاصيل وضعك، وسأحسب معك أرقامك الحقيقية، بالعربية أو بالإنجليزية.
وكيلك العقاري الموثوق في شمال فرجينيا.
Springfield
The Blue Line starts here.
$829K
Median house, 2026
Fairfax Station
Houses only, big lots.
$1.245M
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