All-in cost first, always. Estimate only — not a loan quote or pre-approval.
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Virginia Housing (the state HFA) pairs a 30-year fixed-rate first mortgage (FHA, VA, RD, or conventional) with a true grant — never repaid — toward down payment, for qualified first-time homebuyers (or repeat buyers in a Federally designated Targeted Area). Requires completion of a Virginia Housing-approved homebuyer education course.
Pairs a Virginia Housing first mortgage with a second, 30-year fixed-rate loan covering 3%-5% of the purchase price to eliminate the need for a separate cash down payment; borrowers with credit scores of 680+ may also finance part of closing costs.
Estimated all-in monthly payment for a home price you have in mind.
Check which down payment assistance programs you likely qualify for.
What actually reaches your account after federal tax, FICA, and your state's own brackets — with local income tax disclosed rather than guessed at.
Fewer listings, fewer buyers, and sellers who have a reason to be on the market in December. Here is what a winter discount is actually worth on a $400,000 house — in monthly payment, in lifetime interest, and in the seller concessions a quiet market makes possible — and the three ways a winter purchase goes wrong.
Virginia's transfer tax is only 0.10% and the seller usually pays it. Here's what a buyer really pays to close on a $453,389 Virginia home, line by line.
The operational guide to buying property with a partner, friend, sibling, or parent — credit and DTI mechanics, title vesting, a clause-by-clause co-ownership agreement, and how the exit actually works.
A month-by-month plan for the year before you buy: what to do in each phase, what never to touch, how to document every dollar, and how to survive closing day.
Virginia guide
Buying a home in Virginia involves the same broad strokes as anywhere else in the country — get your finances in order, find a home, make an offer, close — but the details that actually determine your budget and timeline are specific to this state. Virginia's layered recordation-tax structure (a small state grantor's tax, a separate buyer-side recordation tax, and an extra regional tax in Northern Virginia), its hybrid attorney-supervised-but-title-company-run closing process, and the enormous price gap between Southwest Virginia and the DC suburbs all change the math in ways a generic national guide won't tell you.
This guide walks through the whole process in order, with real Virginia figures at each step. It's written for a first-time buyer with no background in real estate or mortgage jargon — where a term matters, it's explained the first time it comes up.
A note before you start: everything below is general information to help you understand the process, not personalized financial, legal, or tax advice. Virginia's real estate rules vary by city and county, mortgage terms vary by lender and your individual credit profile, and this guide can't account for your specific situation. For an actual loan quote, talk to a licensed lender; for legal questions specific to your purchase, talk to a real estate attorney licensed in Virginia.
It's tempting to start browsing listings first, but the single most useful thing you can do before you fall in love with a house is find out what you can actually afford — and get a lender to confirm it in writing.
Your credit score is one of the biggest levers on your mortgage rate. A higher score typically means a lower interest rate, which compounds into tens of thousands of dollars over a 30-year loan. Before you do anything else:
Read the full Virginia guide →15 min read · Updated 2026-08-20