How Much Will You Make Selling Your Virginia House?
Published by Cash Flow Deals · Last updated 2026-10-08
You'll walk away with your sale price minus your mortgage payoff and the costs of the sale. Virginia law sets one of those costs: the grantor's tax, 50 cents for each $500, which you pay as the seller unless your buyer agrees to pay all or part of it. If you'd rather plan around a number before you list, Cash Flow Deals makes two offers. Our Cash offer is an as-is number, and we buy the house and close. Our Premium offer is higher, made through novation: during the 15 business days of inspection your home may be listed, and a licensed agent brings each buyer.
| List it and pay the costs | Cash offer | Premium offer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who buys | A buyer your listing brings in | Cash Flow Deals buys the house as-is | A real FHA or conventional buyer, through novation |
| Your number | The price a buyer agrees to, minus your costs at closing | Our as-is number | A higher number than the Cash offer |
| Listing and showings | Listed, with showings, until a buyer signs | No listing. One walk-through by our team | May be listed during the 15 business days of inspection. A licensed agent brings each buyer; showings are scheduled with you ahead of time and take 10 to 15 minutes |
| Inspection period | Whatever your sales contract sets | 15 business days | 15 business days |
| Closing date | Set once a buyer signs a sales contract | 45 days or less, on a date you help pick | 45 days or less, on a date you help pick |
| Fees | Commission and costs your listing agreement and sales contract set | No listing commission to Cash Flow Deals | Cash Flow Deals is paid as a separate line item on the closing statement |
| If financing falls through | The sale may not close, and your contract governs what happens next | Not applicable: we're the buyer | You can still take the Cash offer |
Count From Sold Prices and Your Payoff Statement
Decide which numbers you'll trust before you do any math. Our view: count from what comparable homes in your condition sold for, as-is. An asking price is what a seller hopes for. A sold price is what a buyer paid.
Virginia REALTORS put the statewide median sold price at $449,000 for August 2026, a month with 8,985 closed sales statewide. That's the middle of one month's sales across the whole state. It's not your house.
Then subtract your payoff. That's the amount that pays your mortgage in full as of a set date. Ask your servicer for a payoff statement. In writing. Federal rules require it to be accurate and sent within a reasonable time, and no more than seven business days after your written request, with exceptions such as a loan in bankruptcy or foreclosure.
Pay the Grantor's Tax Yourself, or Ask Your Buyer to Share It
Virginia's grantor's tax is a closing cost the law assigns to you as the seller. It's 50 cents for each $500 of the sale price or the property's value, whichever is greater (Code of Virginia § 58.1-802). For this tax, the Code defines value as your most recent property tax assessment (§ 58.1-801). On a $449,000 sale, with no higher assessment, that's $449.
The statute leaves room to negotiate who pays. It says "the grantor and grantee may arrange for the grantee to pay all or a portion of the tax." So you can ask your buyer to agree to cover part of it, or all of it.
Some areas add regional fees to the same deed, and each statute puts its fee on you as the seller too, with the same option for your buyer to pay all or part. In a county or city that belongs to the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority, the regional WMATA capital fee is $0.10 per $100 (§ 58.1-802.3). In Planning District 8, a regional congestion relief fee adds $0.10 per $100 (§ 58.1-802.4). In a Hampton Roads transportation district, a regional transportation improvement fee adds $0.06 per $100 (§ 58.1-802.5). On a $449,000 sale, each $0.10 fee is another $449. Ask your settlement agent which of these apply to your property.
Learn Your Net at Signing, or at the Closing Table
Our view: a listing buys you a chance at a higher price, and you pay for that chance in time. If a number you can plan around matters more to you than that chance, Cash Flow Deals puts two offers in front of you, and you choose.
1. Cash offer: our as-is number. Cash Flow Deals buys the house and closes, with no listing and one walk-through by our team.
2. Premium offer: a higher number than our Cash offer, paid by a real FHA or conventional buyer through novation. You sign with us at the number you agree to and let us bring that buyer in our place. During the 15 business days of inspection, your home may be listed, and a licensed agent brings each buyer; showings are scheduled with you ahead of time and take 10 to 15 minutes. When the buyer is ready, they sign a new contract directly with you, and their lender funds it. Title transfers once, from you to the buyer, and our fee goes on the closing statement as its own line item.
3. Your number: You get the amount you agree to, and we'll handle any costs on top of that. The one exception: if something structural surfaces that was not visible or disclosed before we signed — foundation issues, hidden moisture, old wiring, cast-iron drain failure — we re-cost it and bring the number back to you. You decide. You can walk away. We disclose what we know at offer time so this almost never happens.
4. Inspection and closing: 15 business days of inspection with either offer, then a closing in 45 days or less, on a date you help pick.
5. If financing falls through: if the Premium buyer's financing falls through, you can still take our Cash offer.
If you sell to us as-is from the start, you skip the listing and our team walks through the house once.
Common questions
Where can I see what nearby Virginia homes sold for?
In recorded deeds. Virginia won't record the deed from a sale unless the amount paid is stated on its first page (Code of Virginia § 58.1-802). Deeds are recorded with the clerk of court, so start with the clerk's office for your county or city.
When does the grantor's tax get paid?
Before the deed is recorded. Virginia won't admit the deed to record until the clerk certifies on it that the tax has been paid (Code of Virginia § 58.1-802).
Do I owe federal tax on the gain from my sale?
Not on gain you can exclude. If it's your main home and you meet the IRS ownership and use tests, generally two of the five years before the sale for each, you may exclude up to $250,000 of gain, or up to $500,000 on a joint return with your spouse. Read IRS Publication 523 for the full rules.
Do I have to commit before I see both offers?
No. Neither offer binds you until you and we both sign a written contract, and you can take it to an attorney first. Everyone on the title is welcome to join the call.
Keep reading
What this means for your options
A value estimate is a starting point, not a guaranteed number. Our process tests your home against the real market -- real buyers, real comps -- before you commit to a price.
Wait and see
Keep the property as-is and hope conditions improve. The mortgage, insurance, and upkeep keep costing money while you wait, with no set date for things to turn around.
List with a traditional agent
Standard MLS listing, typically 5-6% in commission, and a financed buyer whose deal depends on appraisal, inspection, and lender approval — any of which can fall through after weeks on market.
Sell to Cash Flow Deals
No repairs, no showings, no financing contingency on your side — our novation structure connects you with a bank-financed buyer at a price locked at signing. Usually within one business day.
See your selling options before you decide anything.