Closing on a home in Virginia
The taxes, the closing rules, and the programs Virginia buyers and sellers are entitled to — whether anyone at the table mentions them or not.
The Virginia basics
Layered recordation taxes: the buyer typically pays state deed recordation tax ($0.25 per $100) plus a local third; the seller pays the grantor tax ($0.50 per $500), with additional regional taxes in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads.
Attorneys or licensed settlement agents may close (CRESPA). You have the legal right to select your own settlement agent — Virginia says so explicitly.
Virginia Housing offers statewide down payment assistance grants (not loans — grants) for eligible first-time buyers, plus DPA second mortgages.
What to watch for in Virginia
Virginia law gives the buyer the explicit right to choose the settlement agent. If anyone tells you the closing 'has to' go through a particular company, they are wrong on the law.
Virginia's Wet Settlement Act requires funds to be disbursed within two business days of settlement — a seller waiting longer than that for proceeds should ask why.
Recordation taxes stack (state + local + regional in some metros): get the full recording-cost picture on your Loan Estimate, because it varies meaningfully by locality.
Questions Virginia buyers ask
Is there a transfer tax when buying a home in Virginia?
Layered recordation taxes: the buyer typically pays state deed recordation tax ($0.25 per $100) plus a local third; the seller pays the grantor tax ($0.50 per $500), with additional regional taxes in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads.
Do I need an attorney to close on a house in Virginia?
Attorneys or licensed settlement agents may close (CRESPA). You have the legal right to select your own settlement agent — Virginia says so explicitly.
What down payment assistance is available in Virginia?
Virginia Housing offers statewide down payment assistance grants (not loans — grants) for eligible first-time buyers, plus DPA second mortgages.
Worth reading before any closing
- Wire Fraud Is Hitting 1 in 20 Home Closings. Most Buyers Have No Idea They Are the Target.
Criminals now steal $70,000 or more per incident using AI and spoofed emails. Here is the one rule that stops almost every scheme.
- The Rate Lock Math Nobody Walks You Through at Your Closing Table
Before you lock or float down, run these three numbers against your actual loan scenario
- THDA Just Raised Its Price Cap by $100,000. Here's What That Means for Your First Home in Tennessee.
If you earn under $160,720 and have been priced out of single-family homes in Nashville or Middle Tennessee, this May 2026 change may reopen the door.
- Your $72,000 Down Payment Can Vanish in One Email. Here's the Three-Step Wire Verification Protocol That Stops It.
Wire fraud hit $275.1 million in real estate losses last year. The good news: the fix is a phone call and a face-to-face confirmation.
- Wire Fraud Stole Their Life Savings Three Days Before Closing. Here's How to Protect Yours.
Two buyers lost a combined $274,000 to criminals spoofing their closing attorneys' emails. The scam is growing, your title company has an incentive to keep quiet, and the banks will not help you get it back.
- Criminals Are Forging Your Deed Right Now. Here's How to Catch It Before They Sell Your House.
Title fraud can steal your home while you sleep. The tools to catch it are free and take 20 minutes to set up.