Selling a home in Alexandria comes down to a short list: what the city's market is doing, the price for your particular house, the paperwork Virginia requires, the order the steps run in, and the taxes due at settlement. This guide takes each in turn for the City of Alexandria, and ends with what changes when an Alexandria mailing address is in Fairfax County.
What the city's market is doing
Bright MLS's figures for August 2026 cover the City of Alexandria as a whole, across every price point. 130 homes sold, 28.6% fewer than a year earlier, at a median sold price of $752,500, up 9.1%, and a median of 19 days on market. 149 new listings came on, 12.9% fewer than a year earlier, and 132 homes went under contract.
Based on information from Bright MLS for August 1, 2026 through August 31, 2026; data is reliable but not guaranteed.
The Alexandria market report follows these figures month by month.
Pricing your home when selling a home in Alexandria VA
A citywide median says little about one house. Artur prepares every valuation personally, from recent nearby sales and a walkthrough of your home: request a valuation. If you are also weighing whether to renovate before listing, see Renovate or Rebuild in Mount Vernon, VA: How to Decide for a framework that applies across the area.
The paperwork Virginia requires
- The disclosure statement. The owner gives the buyer the residential property disclosure statement that the Real Estate Board publishes on its website (Va. Code § 55.1-703).
- Lead-based paint, for homes built before 1978. For most such homes, federal rules require the seller to give the buyer the EPA pamphlet Protect Your Family From Lead in Your Home and to disclose any known lead-based paint or lead-based paint hazards before the buyer signs the contract (EPA).
- An association's resale certificate. For a condominium or a home in a homeowners association, the seller obtains the resale certificate from the association and gives it to the buyer. The association has 14 days from a written request to deliver it, and the seller pays the fees for preparing and delivering it (§ 55.1-2309, § 55.1-2316). The buyer may then cancel within the period the contract sets, or within three days if it sets none (§ 55.1-2312). Ordered before the home is listed, it is ready when a contract is ratified.
Exterior work in Old Town and Parker-Gray
Inside the city's locally regulated historic districts, which include the Old and Historic Alexandria District and the Parker-Gray district, new construction and exterior alterations visible from a public right of way need a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Board of Architectural Review or its staff; interior work does not (City of Alexandria). Pre-listing work on a facade, windows or a roof there needs time for that approval. The Old Town guide covers the district in more detail.
The order a sale runs in
The taxes a seller pays at settlement
In the City of Alexandria, as across Northern Virginia, three charges on the deed fall to the seller unless the parties arrange otherwise: Virginia's grantor tax of $0.50 per $500 of the price, the regional congestion relief fee of $0.10 per $100, and the regional WMATA capital fee of $0.10 per $100 (Va. Code § 58.1-802, § 58.1-802.4 and § 58.1-802.3). On a $1,000,000 sale, that is $3,000. The state and city recordation taxes on the deed are paid by the buyer (City of Alexandria).
The rest of a seller's settlement statement depends on the sale: the mortgage payoff, agent compensation under the listing agreement, any credit agreed with the buyer, the property-tax adjustment the contract provides for and, for an association home, the resale-certificate fees.
An Alexandria address in Fairfax County
Belle Haven, Fort Hunt and Mount Vernon addresses carry an Alexandria mailing address but are in Fairfax County, not the City. A sale there is recorded with the Fairfax Circuit Court rather than the City's clerk (City of Alexandria), and the court's schedule of taxes and fees lists the same three seller charges. For current values in those communities, see Belle Haven, Hollin Hall & Fort Hunt Home Values. The Belle Haven and Mount Vernon guides cover those areas.
Next steps
The seller hub sets out the same steps for Washington, DC and Maryland, with each jurisdiction's transfer taxes. To start with your own home, ask what it's worth or call (703) 402-7500.