What are buyer closing costs in Virginia, and who actually pays them?

Buyer closing costs in Virginia are the fees on top of your down payment: lender charges, title and settlement work, recording costs and a set of prepaid items. Most of them show up on a form you’ll receive within days of applying for a loan.

The number that surprises people is rarely one big fee. It’s the pile of smaller ones, and knowing what’s in it lets you plan, compare lenders and decide whether to ask for help.

What’s in a buyer’s closing costs?

Closing costs fall into four groups, and your Loan Estimate lists them in roughly this order.

Group	What it covers
Lender charges	Origination or underwriting fees, appraisal, credit report, flood certification
Title and settlement	Settlement agent fee, title search, lender’s title insurance, owner’s title insurance if you buy it
Government charges	Recording fees and Virginia recordation taxes when your deed and loan are recorded
Prepaids and reserves	First-year homeowner’s insurance, property tax and insurance reserves, interest from closing to month end

Prepaids aren’t fees in the usual sense. They’re your own future bills paid early, which is why two buyers with the same price can bring different amounts to closing.

If you have an HOA or condo association, expect transfer or capital-contribution charges too. Our guide to what title insurance covers in Virginia explains the largest title item.

Who pays what in a Virginia sale?

Both sides pay something, and the split follows custom and the contract. Buyers generally carry the costs of their own loan and the costs of recording it. Sellers generally pay Virginia’s grantor tax and the commission they agreed to in their listing agreement.

Our FAQ on the Virginia grantor tax covers the seller’s side. For the full day-of picture, see what happens at a Virginia closing.

Nothing here is fixed by law, though. Who pays what can be negotiated, and your contract controls. For questions about your particular contract, talk with a Virginia real estate attorney or your lender.

Can the seller help with my closing costs?

Sometimes, yes. A seller concession is an agreement in the contract that the seller will credit part of the buyer’s costs at closing. It isn’t a discount on the price, and it isn’t automatic.

Your lender decides how much of a seller credit the loan allows, and the limit varies by loan type and down payment. Get that number before you write an offer, so your offer doesn’t promise something the loan can’t deliver.

For context, 44.7% of Richmond-metro sales in September 2026 closed with seller concessions (n=1,024). That’s a share of all sales that month, not a prediction for your deal. Our guide to seller concessions in Virginia covers when asking makes sense.

How do you keep closing costs from surprising you?

Read the paperwork twice. Your Loan Estimate arrives shortly after you apply, and your Closing Disclosure with the final numbers must reach you at least three business days before closing. Put them side by side and ask about every line that moved.

Get Loan Estimates from more than one lender. Lender charges are the part you can shop, and a lower rate sometimes comes with higher fees, so compare the cash to close as well as the rate.

What I tell my own clients: ask for your estimated cash to close before you start touring, not after you’ve fallen for a house. Then decide your offer budget from that number. It’s a little less exciting than the tour, and it saves the most heartache.

What should I do next?

Tell us your price range and your lender’s estimate, and we’ll help you work out what an offer can realistically include, and what similar homes closed with. Start on our buying page, or reach the team at our Glen Allen office. See Daniel Keeton.

Source: Keeton & Co analysis of CVR MLS data for the Richmond metro, September 2026 (data through October 3, 2026). The concession share describes closed sales that month. Full figures are on the Richmond metro market page. This article is general information, not legal or lending advice.