Northern Virginia Guide › Selling a house
Selling a house in Northern VirginiaCosts, timing and pricing in 2026
What you pay at settlement, how fast homes go under contract, and how to set the price.
Updated October 7, 2026Code of Virginia, Fairfax and Prince William circuit court clerks, Bright MLSAbout a 6-minute read
Quick answer
Besides the commission you negotiate with your agent, a Northern Virginia seller pays a state grantor tax and two regional fees that together come to 0.3% of the price, plus settlement charges and any repairs agreed with the buyer. A well-priced house goes under contract fast: in 2026 the median took 4 days in Broadlands, 6 in Vienna and 12 in Dumfries. Price it from the closed sales nearest to it, and list once it is ready to show.
What it costs to sell
Three transfer charges come to 0.3% of the price.
Virginia charges the seller a grantor tax on every sale, and Northern Virginia adds two regional fees on the same deed. The clerk of the circuit court collects all three when the deed is recorded, and they come out of your proceeds at settlement unless the contract has the buyer pay part of them.1,4
Rates checked October 7, 2026, in the Code of Virginia and the land records fee schedules of the Fairfax and Prince William circuit court clerks. The two regional fees apply in Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William counties and the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas and Manassas Park. Each is figured on the sale price, rounded up to the next $500 for the grantor tax and the next $100 for the fees.4,5,6
| Cost | How it is set |
|---|---|
| Real estate commission | Negotiable. You and your listing brokerage agree on it in writing in the listing agreement before the home goes on the market. Whether you pay any part of the buyer's agent's fee is a separate decision, also negotiated and put in writing. |
| Settlement charges | Set by the settlement company you or the buyer chooses: its closing fee, preparing the deed, and recording the release of your mortgage. Ask for a written estimate early. |
| Mortgage payoff | The balance of any loan on the house, paid from your proceeds at settlement. |
| Real estate tax and HOA dues | Divided between you and the buyer up to the settlement date. |
| HOA resale certificate | If the home is in an owners' association, you get a resale certificate from the association and give it to the buyer.8 |
| Repairs | Whatever you fix before listing, plus any repairs or credits you agree to after the buyer's home inspection. |
How long it takes
In most of these towns, the typical house was under contract within a week.
These are the medians from the guide's own town pages: half the homes in each place went under contract faster, half slower. After the contract, settlement takes place on the date written into it.
| Place | Houses | Townhouses |
|---|---|---|
| Broadlands | 4 | 5 |
| City of Falls Church | 5 | 10 |
| Reston | 5 | 6 |
| Vienna | 6 | 6 |
| Ashburn | 6 | 7 |
| Gainesville | 6 | 6 |
| McLean | 7 | 7 |
| Great Falls | 10 | None sold |
| Woodbridge | 10 | 11 |
| Dumfries | 12 | 13.5 |
Houses are detached homes with at least three bedrooms and two full baths; townhouses are end-of-row and interior-row homes. Every other place in the guide has its own figure on its town page.7
Best time to list
List when the house is ready, and price for the market you are in.
A listing that goes live with half-finished repairs or poor photos wastes its first days on the market, when buyers decide whether to see it. A few more weeks of preparation usually cost less than a price cut later.
Buyers have more choice than a year ago. In the NVAR area, active listings rose 18.5% and closed sales fell 8.0% from August 2025 to August 2026, and across the Washington metro one listing in five had a price cut in September 2026.9,10 In that market, the right price matters more than the month. Will Northern Virginia home prices drop? has the full picture.
Pricing
The price comes from closed sales near you, not from a town median.
Start with closed sales. The best evidence is homes like yours that sold recently in your subdivision or on your street: same type, similar size, similar condition. Active listings show the competition; closed sales show what buyers actually paid.
Adjust for what a buyer sees. Updated kitchen and baths, the roof and HVAC, a finished basement, the lot and what it backs onto, and the high school the address feeds all move the number.
Price for the first week. With medians this short, buyers and their agents judge a new listing within days. A price above the evidence tends to sit, and a home that sits invites lower offers.
Agree on a plan for offers. Decide before you list how you will handle several offers, escalation clauses and appraisal gaps, so you are not deciding under a deadline.
Want the number for your house? A written valuation built from the closed sales nearest your home, sent within 24 hours.
Get a home valuationGetting ready
Fix what an inspector would flag, and gather the paperwork early.
- Repairs first
Leaks, worn roofs, old water heaters and electrical problems come back as inspection requests. Fixing them before listing keeps the negotiation on price.
- Clean, clear and light
Declutter, paint scuffed walls in neutral colors, and replace dead bulbs. Photos and showings reward simple rooms.
- First impression
Trim the yard, wash the front door and walkway, and make the house number easy to read from the street.
- Disclosure statement
Virginia requires the owner to give the buyer a residential property disclosure statement.11
- Permits and receipts
Collect permits and invoices for big work such as a new roof, HVAC, an addition or a finished basement. Buyers and appraisers ask.
- HOA resale certificate
Order it from the association as soon as you decide to sell. The buyer can cancel within the period the contract sets after receiving it.8
How I market a listing
Priced on evidence, listed in Bright MLS, and answered by me.
The price. I build it from Bright MLS closed sales in your subdivision, check each comparable sale by hand, and show you every one, so you can see why the number is what it is.
The details. I check what buyers check: the town line, the high school the address feeds and the tax rate, so the listing states them correctly.
The listing. Your home goes into Bright MLS, the listing service agents across the region search, and onto my free home search.
Two languages. I work in English and Arabic with buyers and their agents.
One person. Calls and texts about your home come to my own phone, not a call center.
Questions
What sellers ask about Northern Virginia.
How much does it cost to sell a house in Northern Virginia?
Besides the real estate commission, which is negotiable and set in writing in your listing agreement, the seller pays the Virginia grantor tax ($0.50 for each $500 of the price) and two Northern Virginia fees, the regional congestion relief fee and the regional WMATA capital fee ($0.10 for each $100 each). Together they come to 0.3%, or $3,000 on a $1,000,000 sale. Add settlement charges, the mortgage payoff, prorated taxes and HOA dues, and any repairs agreed after the inspection.
Who pays the grantor tax in Virginia?
The seller. The Code of Virginia puts the grantor tax on the grantor, the person selling, and the two Northern Virginia fees work the same way. The law lets the seller and buyer agree in the contract that the buyer pays all or part of them.
How long does it take to sell a house in Northern Virginia?
A well-priced house goes under contract quickly. In Bright MLS closed sales from January 1 to October 2, 2026, the median house went under contract in 4 days in Broadlands, 6 in Vienna, 7 in McLean, 10 in Great Falls and 12 in Dumfries. Settlement then takes place on the date set in the contract.
When is the best time to sell a home in Northern Virginia?
When the house is ready to show and priced against current closed sales. Buyers have more choice than a year ago: in the NVAR area, active listings rose 18.5% from August 2025 to August 2026. In that market the price matters more than the month.
Are real estate commissions negotiable in Virginia?
Yes. The commission and how it is paid are agreed between you and your listing brokerage and set in writing in the listing agreement. Whether you pay any part of the buyer's agent's fee is a separate decision, also negotiated and put in writing.
How is the list price of a house set?
From recent closed sales of similar homes nearby, ideally in the same subdivision, adjusted for what a buyer sees: condition and updates, the lot, and the high school the address feeds. Active listings show the competition, but closed sales show what buyers actually paid.
Your next step
Thinking of selling? Start with the number.
Send your address and get real numbers back, in English or Arabic, not a pitch.
دليل شمال فرجينيا · بيع البيت
بيع بيت في شمال فرجينيا: التكاليف والمدة والتسعير
يدفع البائع في شمال فرجينيا ضريبة نقل الملكية المفروضة على البائع في ولاية فرجينيا ورسمين إقليميين، ومجموعها 0.3% من سعر البيع، أي 3,000 دولار على بيت يُباع بمليون دولار. أما عمولة الوسيط العقاري فقابلة للتفاوض، وتُحدَّد كتابةً في عقد الإدراج قبل عرض البيت للبيع.
في عام 2026، بلغت المدة الوسطية حتى توقيع العقد للبيت المستقل 4 أيام في برودلاندز، و6 أيام في فيينا، و12 يوماً في دمفريز (مبيعات مغلقة من 1 يناير إلى 2 أكتوبر 2026). سعّر بيتك على أساس المبيعات المغلقة القريبة منه، لا على السعر الوسطي للمنطقة وحده، وأصلح قبل العرض ما سيلاحظه فاحص المشتري. أرسل لي عنوان بيتك، وسأرسل لك تقييماً مكتوباً بالعربية أو بالإنجليزية.
وكيلك العقاري الموثوق في شمال فرجينيا.
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