real-estate

How Much Does It Cost to Sell a House in Virginia? A Line-by-Line Look at the Settlement Statement

Selling a house in Virginia costs 7 to 9 percent of the price. Commission, grantor's tax, regional fees, settlement charges, HOA packets, and sample net sheets.

How Much Does It Cost to Sell a House in Virginia? A Line-by-Line Look at the Settlement Statement

Selling a $450,000 house in Virginia costs the seller about $32,000 to $40,000 before paying off the mortgage. That is 7 to 9 percent of the price, and most of it is commission. The rest is a stack of smaller lines that show up on the settlement statement: the grantor's tax, a regional fee if you are in Northern Virginia or Hampton Roads, settlement agent charges, HOA packet fees, prorated taxes, and whatever repairs or credits the buyer's inspection produced.

The easiest way to understand the cost is to read a Virginia settlement statement from top to bottom, which is what this article does. Each section below is a line the seller pays, in roughly the order it appears, with current numbers for Fairfax, Richmond, Virginia Beach, and the rest of the state.

Commission Is Most of It

Real estate commission in Virginia now averages 5 to 5.5 percent total, down from the 6 percent standard of a few years ago. On a $450,000 house that is $22,500 to $24,750. The listing side runs 2.5 to 3 percent, and the buyer agent side, which sellers still usually cover as a concession, runs 2 to 2.5 percent.

Northern Virginia sellers have the most room to negotiate. Median prices in Fairfax, Arlington, and Loudoun counties are high enough that agents accept 2 to 2.5 percent on the listing side.

Richmond, Charlottesville, and Hampton Roads sit closer to 2.5 to 3 percent. Roanoke, Lynchburg, and the Shenandoah Valley are usually at 3 percent because prices are lower.

Buyer agent compensation is no longer advertised on Virginia MLSs, and buyers write their request into the offer. Sellers who refuse to contribute anything find their buyer pool shrinks, especially below $400,000, but 2 percent is now a common landing point instead of 3.

Flat-fee and discount listing options exist across the state at $300 to $1,500 or 1 to 1.5 percent. They work best for a well-priced home in a busy Northern Virginia or Richmond suburb and poorly for a rural property that needs marketing.

The Grantor's Tax and Regional Fees

Virginia charges the seller a grantor's tax of $0.50 per $500 of the sale price, or 0.1 percent. On a $450,000 home that is $450. It is small, but it is the seller's by law and appears on every settlement statement in the state.

Northern Virginia adds a regional congestion relief fee of $0.10 per $100, which is another 0.1 percent, on sales in Planning District 8. That covers Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William counties plus Alexandria, Fairfax City, Falls Church, Manassas, and Manassas Park. A $650,000 sale in Reston pays $650 in grantor's tax and $650 in regional fee.

Hampton Roads has its own regional transportation fee of $0.06 per $100, or 0.06 percent, covering Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Newport News, Hampton, and the surrounding cities and counties. A $380,000 sale in Chesapeake pays $380 in grantor's tax and $228 in the regional fee.

The rest of the state pays only the grantor's tax. The state and local recordation taxes on the deed, which are larger, are paid by the buyer by custom in Virginia.

Settlement Agent and Title Charges

Virginia allows either an attorney or a licensed title company to conduct closings, and most residential sales use a title company. Sellers pay a settlement fee of $300 to $700 for the seller side of the closing, plus $100 to $250 for deed preparation and $50 to $150 in courier, wire, and release-tracking fees.

Owner's title insurance is paid by the buyer in Virginia, which saves sellers $1,000 to $2,500 compared with states where the seller buys the policy. Sellers do sometimes pay for a title search or a lien release fee if there is an old mortgage that was never properly released, and that runs $100 to $400.

If you have a mortgage, the payoff statement will include interest through the closing date plus a reconveyance or release fee of $25 to $100. A home equity line has to be paid off and formally closed, and lenders charge $50 to $150 for that.

Sellers who use their own attorney to review the contract pay another $400 to $1,000. That is more common on high-value sales in Northern Virginia and on estate sales anywhere in the state.

HOA and Condo Disclosure Packets

Virginia law requires sellers in HOA communities to provide a resale disclosure packet, and condo sellers to provide a resale certificate. The association or its management company charges for it, and state law caps the fee. The cap is adjusted periodically and currently allows around $400 for the packet itself, with additional charges for rush delivery, hard copies, and inspection of the exterior.

In practice, sellers in large Loudoun and Prince William communities pay $250 to $450 for the packet. Condo resale certificates in Arlington and Alexandria run about the same, and a rush order adds $50 to $100.

Some associations also charge a transfer or capital contribution fee at closing, which is usually paid by the buyer but sometimes negotiated. Read the governing documents, because the packet fee and any transfer fee are separate lines.

The packet has a shelf life under Virginia law. If the sale falls through and the home goes under contract again more than 60 days later, you may need to buy a fresh one.

Prorated Taxes, Utilities, and Repairs

Virginia localities bill property taxes on different schedules, and the seller owes the buyer a credit for the portion of the current period they occupied the home. Fairfax County bills twice a year, and a seller closing in September has paid through June and owes July through the closing date. On a $450,000 home with a $4,800 annual bill, that credit is around $1,000 to $1,200.

Some Virginia localities charge a separate personal property or vehicle tax, but that does not attach to the home sale. Water and sewer bills in cities like Richmond and Norfolk do need to be settled through closing, and the settlement agent will hold a small escrow if the final bill is not in.

Inspection repairs and credits are the least predictable line. Virginia buyers routinely ask for $1,500 to $5,000 in credits or repairs after inspection, and VA loan buyers, who are common around Norfolk, Fort Belvoir, and Quantico, often require a termite inspection and a clear wood-destroying insect report. The inspection runs $50 to $125, and treatment if needed runs $800 to $2,000.

Pre-listing repairs and prep are separate from closing but part of the real cost. Paint, carpet, and a deep clean on a $450,000 colonial in Chesterfield County commonly run $3,000 to $8,000, and staging adds $1,500 to $4,000 if you use it.

A Sample Net Sheet for Three Virginia Sales

On a $650,000 townhouse in Reston, a seller paying 4.5 percent commission, the grantor's tax, the Northern Virginia regional fee, a $600 settlement fee, a $350 HOA packet, and $1,500 in prorated taxes pays about $32,850, or 5.1 percent. Add $3,000 in inspection credits and the total is $35,850.

On a $380,000 house in Chesapeake, a seller paying 5.5 percent commission, the grantor's tax, the Hampton Roads fee, a $500 settlement fee, a $100 termite inspection, and $900 in prorated taxes pays about $23,010, or 6.1 percent.

On a $285,000 house in Roanoke, a seller paying 6 percent commission, the grantor's tax, a $450 settlement fee, and $700 in prorated taxes pays about $18,530, or 6.5 percent. The percentage climbs as the price falls because commission floors and fixed fees take a bigger bite.

Sellers who want a tighter number should ask their agent for a written net sheet before listing, and compare it against the real estate agents and settlement services in their part of Virginia before committing. For more on pricing, prep, and timing a sale in the state, our other Virginia real estate articles go deeper on each step.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who pays the transfer tax when selling a house in Virginia?

The seller pays the grantor's tax of $0.50 per $500, plus the regional fee in Northern Virginia or Hampton Roads. The buyer pays the state and local recordation taxes on the deed and the mortgage, which are larger.

How much are closing costs for a seller in Virginia without commission?

Excluding commission, seller closing costs run $1,500 to $4,000 on a typical sale. That covers the grantor's tax, any regional fee, settlement and deed preparation fees, an HOA packet, and prorated property taxes.

Do I need an attorney to sell a house in Virginia?

No. Virginia permits licensed title companies to conduct closings, and most sales use one. Sellers with unusual title issues, estate sales, or high-value properties often hire an attorney for contract review at $400 to $1,000.

Is the HOA resale packet fee negotiable?

The fee is set by the association within limits established by state law, so it is not negotiable with the association. Whether the buyer reimburses any of it is a contract term you can negotiate.

What is the cheapest way to sell a house in Virginia?

A flat-fee MLS listing at $300 to $1,500 with a 2 percent buyer agent concession keeps total commission near 2 percent on a house that sells fast. It works in busy suburbs like Ashburn or Short Pump and is a poor fit for rural or unusual properties.