Northern Virginia townhouse guidePrices, HOA dues and what they cover, county by county

In the 12 months to October 29, 2026, Arlington County had the highest median townhouse price ($1,042,500), followed by the City of Fairfax and the City of Alexandria; at the other end, the City of Manassas came in at a $465,000 median. Across Northern Virginia the median was $649,000. Areas with fewer than 30 sales are in the chart, marked by their count.★

1. Northern Virginia7,292 sales$649,000
2. City of Falls Church27 sales$1,215,000
3. Arlington County164 sales$1,042,500
4. City of Fairfax59 sales$930,000
5. City of Alexandria524 sales$918,750
6. Loudoun County1,566 sales$700,000
7. Fairfax County3,076 sales$650,000
8. Prince William County1,676 sales$525,000
9. City of Manassas Park26 sales$490,000
10. City of Manassas174 sales$465,000

1. Northern Virginia7,292 sales$124/month
2. City of Falls Church27 sales$167/month
3. Arlington County164 sales$157/month
4. City of Alexandria524 sales$153/month
5. Loudoun County1,566 sales$132/month
6. City of Fairfax59 sales$127/month
7. Prince William County1,676 sales$121/month
8. Fairfax County3,076 sales$120/month
9. City of Manassas174 sales$90/month
10. City of Manassas Park26 sales$66/month

Medians, closed townhouse sales from October 29, 2025 to October 29, 2026 (Bright MLS). The HOA median counts only townhouses that have an HOA fee. The gold bar is all of Northern Virginia.

An end unit shares one wall with a neighbor; an interior unit shares two. Across Northern Virginia, end units sold for a median $675,000 and interior units for $635,000: end units sold for 6.3% more, in the 12 months from October 29, 2025 to October 29, 2026.★

Medians, closed townhouse sales from October 29, 2025 to October 29, 2026 (Bright MLS). Areas with fewer than 20 sales of either kind are left out.

Most townhouse HOA fees pay for the shared parts of a community: trash, snow removal and the common areas. Fewer than half include a pool or a management company, and very few cover anything on the townhouse itself.★

• Trash84%
• Snow removal82%
• Common areas74%
• Management company47%
• Pool45%
• Savings for big repairs (reserves)35%
• Roads34%
• Clubhouse or rec center19%
• Lawn care16%
• Front lawn11%
• Insurance (common areas)8%
• Back lawn5%

Share of townhouse sales with an HOA fee that list each item, October 29, 2025 to October 29, 2026; 5,024 fees listed what they cover. Bright MLS, "HOA Fee Includes". The resale certificate shows exactly what one community's fee covers.

Price and HOA by the year it was built

Townhouses built in 2010 or later sold for the highest median, $766,817; townhouses built from 1970 to 1989 for the lowest, $579,900. HOA dues follow the age of the community: a median $170 a month for townhouses built in 2010 or later, against $100 for those built before 1970.

604 of the 7,292 townhouses sold in the last 12 months were new construction (8%). New townhouses sold for a median $766,817, resales for $638,000. Most new townhouses sold in Prince William County (283), Loudoun County (155), Fairfax County (102).★

Closed sales from October 29, 2025 to October 29, 2026 marked New Construction in Bright MLS. A builder's price often leaves out the upgrades, the lot premium and the HOA's first-year fees; ask for them in writing.

The surprises new owners tell me about are rarely the price. They are the everyday parts of owning a townhouse.

1. Your roof is usually yours

   A fee-simple townhouse is yours, outside walls and roof included. Only 1% of the townhouse HOA fees that list what they cover include the outside of the home, so budget for the roof, windows and deck yourself. In a townhouse-style condo the association usually owns those, which is why its fee is higher (a $393/month median).

2. The HOA decides the outside look

   Doors, decks, fences, paint colors and sheds usually need the HOA's approval first. The rules and the architectural guidelines come with the resale certificate, so read them before you plan changes.

3. Neighbors on one or two sides

   An end unit shares one wall, an interior unit two. Visit at a busy hour, and ask the seller or the HOA about noise or water issues with the neighbors.

4. Parking has rules

   Many communities assign spaces, limit guest parking or ban boats and work trucks. The HOA documents say what is allowed; check before you bring a second car or a trailer.

5. Rooms are stacked

   Townhouses stack their rooms on several floors, often with the bedrooms upstairs. If stairs matter to you now or later, look for a main-level bedroom or a floor plan built for an elevator.

The Northern Virginia median townhouse price was $640,000 from October 29, 2024 to October 28, 2025, and $649,000 from October 29, 2025 to October 29, 2026, a change of +1.4%.★ Pick an area to see its line; a step with fewer than 10 sales is left out.

Median price of closed townhouse sales in each three-month step: October 29 to January 28, January 29 to April 28, April 29 to July 28 and July 29 to October 28 (the last step ends October 29, 2026). Bright MLS. Across Northern Virginia the steps ran from $625,000 to $653,000.

These communities had the most townhouses sold from October 29, 2025 to October 29, 2026.★ Tap a name to open its prices and HOA in the lookup at the top. Every town and community with 10 or more sales is in the lookup: 38 towns and 386 communities.

Communities as named in Bright MLS (Subdivision/Neighborhood); towns are the mailing city. A dash means no HOA fee, or fewer than 10 listed. Built (on wider screens) is the median year built of the townhouses sold. A community uses the latest 12 months when it had 10 or more sales then, otherwise the full two years, October 29, 2024 to October 29, 2026; the lookup says which.

These are the steps I walk every townhouse buyer through.

1. Know the whole monthly cost first

   Price, property tax, insurance and the HOA fee together decide what you can afford, and lenders count the HOA fee too. The budget tool starts at the median townhouse ($649,000); the qualify page checks eight loan types.

2. Read the resale certificate

   When a home is in an HOA, the seller orders a resale certificate from the association and gives it to you. It holds the rules, the fee and any special assessments, the budget and reserves, and pending lawsuits. Virginia's Resale Disclosure Act covers HOAs as well as condos (Va. Code § 55.1-2307).

3. Watch the cancel clock

   You can cancel within 3 days of ratification if you had the certificate before, or within 3 days of getting it if it comes after, unless the contract sets another period; if it never comes, any time before settlement. Many Loudoun and Prince William homes have two associations: the clock then runs from the last certificate (Va. Code § 55.1-2312).

4. Do your own checks

   Virginia's residential property disclosure statement says the seller makes no promises about the condition, and points buyers to a home inspection, a survey and the county's zoning rules (Va. Code § 55.1-703). Put the inspection in the offer.

5. Compare like with like

   Use the lookup at the top for the community's median, then ask your agent for the actual recent sales of the same model and the same position, end or interior.

Va. Code § 55.1-2307, § 55.1-2309, § 55.1-2312 and § 55.1-703, read at law.lis.virginia.gov on October 30, 2026. The contract can set a different cancel period; your contract and a real estate attorney have the final word.

Book a buyer call with Ahmed

Selling a townhouse comes down to a fair price for your community, clean paperwork and knowing your take-home number.

1. Order the resale certificate before you list

   If your townhouse is in an HOA, you or your agent ask the association for the resale certificate in writing. It must arrive within 14 days (Va. Code § 55.1-2309), and the buyer's cancel clock runs from when they get it, so ordering early keeps the contract on track.

2. Price against your own community

   Buyers compare your townhouse with the last sales in the same community. The home value tool gives a range from the closed sales nearest you, and the lookup at the top shows your community's median.

3. Know your net

   The seller net sheet lists every line: payoff, commission, Virginia's grantor tax, the HOA's resale fees and the dues split at settlement.

4. Pick your month

   Some months sell faster and closer to the asking price. Best month to list shows them from Bright MLS.

What is my townhouse worth?