Updated November 2026
Maybe a neighbor already asked whether you'd ever sell. Maybe you've watched a few homes on your street go under contract in a weekend and thought, How hard can it be?
It's a fair question. And it deserves a straight answer, not a sales pitch.
Selling "for sale by owner" (FSBO) in Virginia is legal, and some owners do it well. But when you sell without a listing agent, you're not just skipping a fee. You're taking on every job that agent would have done: pricing, legal disclosures, marketing, showings, negotiating with a buyer's agent who works for the other side, and running the contract all the way to settlement.
Here's what each of those jobs actually looks like in Alexandria.
The short answer
In our experience, FSBO tends to work when four things are already true:
- You have a price you can defend with genuinely comparable nearby sales, not a citywide number.
- You have a buyer in hand, or a realistic plan for marketing and showings.
- You have the time to answer inquiries, run showings, and negotiate on someone else's schedule.
- You have a Virginia real estate attorney and a settlement agent lined up before an offer arrives.
If one or more of those is missing, hiring help is usually the better trade. That's our read, not a rule. We cover how to interview a listing agent at the end.
First, confirm your home is actually in the City of Alexandria
This sounds basic. It isn't.
Plenty of homes with an Alexandria mailing address sit in Fairfax County, not the independent City of Alexandria. Which side of the line you're on decides which assessment office has your records and which local figures describe your market. Before you use any city statistic, including the ones below, look up your address in the city's real estate assessment search. If it isn't there, check Fairfax County's records instead.
Pricing: the job a citywide median can't do
Pricing means choosing comparable sales, accounting for differences, and setting a list price you can explain to a buyer.
Start with the context. By our analysis of Bright MLS closed-sale records for the City of Alexandria, the median sale price was $962,500 across the 16 sales in this October 2026 data set. That small group included 5 condos, 8 townhouses, and 3 detached homes. Prices ran from $200,000 to $2,045,000, and the median price per square foot of above-grade finished area was $601.
Chart 1. Alexandria City closed sales by property type, October 2026. Source: Bright MLS closed-sale data, Alexandria City, covering October 2026; file received November 10, 2026. No export date is stated in the file.
Those October 2026 sales split three ways by property type. That mix is the point. A median that blends condos, townhouses, and detached homes from five ZIP codes tells you about the city. It tells you almost nothing about your house.
Your price comes from block-level comparables: homes like yours in type, size, age, condition, and location that sold recently, adjusted for what's different. In our experience, the adjustments are where owners pricing their own homes struggle most. A finished basement doesn't count in above-grade square footage. A renovated kitchen three doors down isn't the same as yours. We walk through how that works in how Alexandria homes get priced.
What about your tax assessment? According to the City of Alexandria's Office of Real Estate Assessments, your assessed value is the office's "estimate of the 100% fair market value of your property as of January 1," and "your 2026 assessment is supported by sales that occurred during 2025." It's a useful reference point. It isn't a list price, because it looks back at last year's sales.
If you want a starting number for your own home, our guide to what your Alexandria home is worth explains what goes into one.
Virginia's disclosure duties stay with you
Selling without an agent doesn't shrink your legal obligations. It just means nobody else is tracking them.
Under Virginia Code § 55.1-703, "the owner of the residential real property shall furnish to a purchaser a residential property disclosure statement" on the form the Real Estate Board posts on its website. The duty sits with the owner, agent or no agent. The Act exempts some transfers, such as foreclosures, court-ordered sales, and certain transfers between family members or co-owners. An ordinary sale to an unrelated buyer generally isn't one of them.
Timing matters. Virginia Code § 55.1-709 says the statement goes to the buyer "prior to the ratification of a real estate purchase contract." If it's delivered after ratification, the buyer's remedy is to terminate within "three days after delivery of the disclosure statement in person or by electronic delivery" or "five days after the postmark if the disclosure statement is deposited in the United States mail." The right ends at the earliest applicable cutoff, which can be settlement, buyer occupancy, a mortgage application containing the required termination-right disclosure, or a separate written waiver signed after receipt of the statement. Termination requires timely written notice; a qualifying termination is without penalty, and the deposit must be promptly returned. Have your Virginia real estate attorney review the deadline and notice requirements. Deliver it before anyone signs.
One change to watch: the statute shows an amended version of § 55.1-703 marked "Effective January 1, 2027," which adds an item on use-value assessment and rollback taxes. If you're listing around the turn of the year, make sure you're using the current form.
Older homes carry a separate, federal duty. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says lead-based paint disclosure "applies to most pre-1978 private housing." Sellers must disclose known lead information and provide available records, give buyers the EPA's lead pamphlet, include a Lead Warning Statement in the contract, "provide homebuyers a 10-day period to conduct a paint inspection or risk assessment," and keep signed copies of the disclosures for three years after the sale. In our experience, it comes up often with Alexandria's historic housing stock.
Alexandria also has local disclosure topics, such as flood zones and aircraft noise. Those have their own sections in our guide to selling a home in Alexandria.
Condo or HOA? Add the resale certificate
If your home is in a condominium or property owners' association, Virginia's Resale Disclosure Act adds a step you'll handle personally.
The association must deliver the resale certificate "within 14 days after a written request by a seller or seller's agent," per Virginia Code § 55.1-2309. As a FSBO seller, that request comes from you, so order it early.
Under Virginia Code § 55.1-2312, cancellation timing depends on whether the buyer receives the resale certificate or notice that it is unavailable before or after ratification. If received after ratification, the contract's agreed cancellation period controls; if none is specified, the buyer has three days from receipt of the certificate or notice of unavailability to cancel. If neither has been delivered, the buyer may cancel at any time before settlement. Have your Virginia real estate attorney confirm the deadline for receipt before ratification and review the final timing and written-notice requirements. A qualifying cancellation requires prompt return of the deposit.
Marketing and showings are now your calendar
Without a listing agent, every inquiry, text, and showing request comes to you. A workable plan usually covers:
- Professional photos and a plain, accurate description of the home
- A log of every inquiry and how you answered it
- A showing schedule you can actually keep, including weekday evenings
- Lockboxes or in-person access, and a plan for valuables, medications, and documents
- A consistent policy on asking for a lender preapproval before private showings
Fair housing advertising rules apply to owner-sellers too. Have your Virginia real estate attorney review any claimed exemption before relying on it. Describe the house, not the buyer you imagine for it, and treat every inquiry the same way.
Negotiating with a buyer's agent who isn't yours
Many buyers arrive with their own agent. That agent represents the buyer. When you sell FSBO, you're an unrepresented party in that conversation, and the person across the table is negotiating for the other side.
Compensation is part of that negotiation. The National Association of REALTORS® says "compensation between you and your real estate professional is negotiable and not set by law," and its rule requiring written buyer agreements before touring took effect August 17, 2024. That's an association practice rule, not a Virginia statute. Whether you agree to pay anything toward the buyer's agent is a contract term you decide.
Concessions are another lever. In the same October 2026 data set, by our analysis of Bright MLS closed-sale records, 25.0% of sales carried seller concessions. Even among sales that closed above original list price, 2 still included concessions. That's a small sample, and it doesn't tell you what any concession paid for. It does show that headline price and net price aren't the same number.
When offers come in, compare more than price: financing type and preapproval, earnest money, inspection and appraisal contingencies, the settlement date, and when you hand over the keys. In our experience, the cleanest offer isn't always the highest one.
From signed contract to settlement
A handshake doesn't sell a house in Virginia. Virginia Code § 11-2 bars enforcing a contract "for the sale of real estate" unless it's in writing and signed by the party to be charged. The statute doesn't supply the rest of the terms. A Virginia real estate attorney should draft or review your contract.
After ratification, someone has to keep track of:
- Earnest money deposit and who holds it
- Inspection, financing, and appraisal deadlines
- Appraiser and inspector access
- Title work, liens, and your mortgage payoff
- The final walkthrough and possession date
- Settlement scheduling with a Virginia settlement agent or attorney
Protect your proceeds, too. Confirm any wiring instructions by calling a phone number you already have for your settlement agent, never one from an email.
Compare two net sheets, one for FSBO and one for an agent-assisted sale. For each, fill in actual quotes or leave inputs blank: expected sale price $___; negotiated listing compensation $___; any agreed buyer-agent payment $___; owner-paid photography and marketing $___; attorney and settlement charges $___; concessions $___; transfer taxes and other seller charges $___; mortgage payoff and liens $___; estimated net proceeds $___ after subtracting those costs. Check what's included in each service quote so you don't count it twice. Separately record your estimated time: ___ hours at a value you choose of $___ per hour. Compare both cash proceeds and that time commitment; a fee avoided isn't a guaranteed net saving.
For what sellers typically pay at the table, see closing costs in Alexandria: what buyers and sellers pay. Deed preparation and transfer taxes are covered in our selling guide.
When selling it yourself can work
Go back to the four conditions at the top. Having a buyer already, perhaps a neighbor, relative, or tenant, is one situation where FSBO may be workable, provided you also have a defensible price and professionals lined up for the legal steps.
Speed is the other thing to weigh honestly. Median days on market was 4.5 in the October 2026 data set, by our analysis of Bright MLS closed-sale records, and 75.0% of those sales closed at or above original list price. Days on market counts from listing, not from the weeks of prep before it. In our experience, a fast market rewards the seller who's ready the day the home goes live.
FSBO and an off-market sale aren't the same thing, either. An off-market sale can still involve an agent; it just skips public marketing. If that's closer to what you have in mind, read selling off-market in Alexandria and when a private sale makes sense.
If you'd rather hire help: how to interview a listing agent
Interview more than one. Ask each agent for:
- A comparable-sale analysis for your home, with the adjustments explained
- The marketing and showing plan, start to finish
- How and how often they'll communicate with you
- Who handles negotiation and transaction support after ratification
- Exactly which services are included
- Their proposed compensation, in writing
- The agreement's term and how you can end it
- An estimated net sheet showing what you'd walk away with
Then verify their license with the Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation using its license lookup. Judge the agent on the written agreement and the plan in front of you.
Elizabeth Lucchesi founded The LizLuke Team in 2003. Elizabeth and The LizLuke Team at LONG & FOSTER REAL ESTATE INC work the whole market, small condos through the high end, and most of our business comes from referrals and repeat clients. Whether you sell on your own or with us, we're glad to talk through your numbers. You can meet the team here. It all starts with a conversation.
The LizLuke Team at LONG & FOSTER REAL ESTATE INC. 110 N Royal St, Ste 300,
Alexandria, VA 22314. Office 703.683.0400. The LizLuke Team (703) 868-5676. Virginia License #0225069250.
Equal Housing Opportunity.
All information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
This is general information and is not legal or tax advice.
Sources
- Code of Virginia § 55.1-703, Residential Property Disclosure Act, disclosure statement. https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title55.1/chapter7/section55.1-703/
- Code of Virginia § 55.1-709, time for disclosure; termination of contract. https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title55.1/chapter7/section55.1-709/
- Code of Virginia § 55.1-2309, resale certificate delivery. https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title55.1/chapter23.1/section55.1-2309/
- Code of Virginia § 55.1-2312, cancellation of contract by purchaser. https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title55.1/chapter23.1/section55.1-2312/
- Code of Virginia § 36-96.2, Virginia Fair Housing Law exemptions. https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title36/chapter5.1/section36-96.2/
- Code of Virginia § 11-2, statute of frauds. https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title11/chapter1/section11-2/
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "Real Estate Disclosures about Potential Lead Hazards." https://www.epa.gov/lead/real-estate-disclosures-about-potential-lead-hazards
- City of Alexandria, Office of Real Estate Assessments, "Frequently Asked Questions About Real Estate Assessments." https://www.alexandriava.gov/real-estate/frequently-asked-questions-about-real-estate-assessments
- National Association of REALTORS®, "Consumer Guide: Written Buyer Agreements." https://www.nar.realtor/the-facts/consumer-guide-written-buyer-agreements
- Bright MLS closed-sale data, Alexandria City, October 2026, pulled no export date stated in the file; received 2026-11-10. This is not the data period.
