Transaction coordination in Virginia.

Virginia real estate is overseen by the Virginia Real Estate Board (VREB), housed under the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation. VREB operates under Virginia Code Title 54.1, Chapter 21, and the rules in 18 VAC 135-20. Every Virginia file Quill handles is coordinated with VREB's current rules in mind: broker supervision of unlicensed assistants and the documentation a broker's file needs to pass audit.

The VAR Form 600 Residential Contract of Purchase is the statewide default, published by Virginia Realtors. The current form was last revised in June 2024, with a significant rewrite scheduled for May 2026 that condenses the contract to 8 pages with clearer party duties and contingency language.

Northern Virginia agents often use NVAR standard forms instead. Quill confirms which form was used at intake because the contingency deadlines and cure language differ between VAR 600 and NVAR forms.

Key contract deadlines Quill tracks on every Virginia file:

• Earnest money delivery to settlement agent or attorney escrow
• Home inspection contingency window and resolution period
• Financing and appraisal contingency expirations
• Settlement date and buyer walkthrough window
• Buyer broker agreement execution and compensation confirmation

Virginia earnest money is held by the settlement agent, which can be a title company, a closing attorney, or (less commonly) a broker trust account. The contract specifies the holder. Northern Virginia files often route earnest money to the buyer's attorney by custom. Richmond and Hampton Roads files more commonly route to the title company.

Typical deposits are 1 to 3 percent of purchase price, due at contract acceptance. We confirm delivery to the named holder, verify receipt, and reconcile the deposit on the final settlement statement.

Virginia is a settlement agent state. Under VREB rules, a licensed settlement agent conducts the closing. The settlement agent can be an attorney or a title company. Virginia State Bar guidance requires an attorney to prepare or supervise preparation of the deed and deed of trust, but the attorney's role is often back-office document prep rather than sitting at the closing table.

Quill coordinates with the settlement agent throughout the file: confirming escrow receipt, tracking the title commitment, reviewing the HUD/CD against the commission demand, and confirming recording with the circuit court clerk before we call the file closed.

Virginia's NoVA-versus-rest-of-state split and the NVAR-vs-VAR form divergence create recurring errors we watch for:

• Confusing VAR Form 600 deadlines with NVAR form deadlines. The contingency structures are not identical. A deadline calculated under the wrong form frame is how a Virginia file loses a contingency window without realizing it.
• Sending earnest money to the wrong escrow holder. NoVA buyer's attorney custom doesn't apply in Richmond. Richmond title-company custom doesn't apply in Fairfax. The contract names the holder. We follow the contract.
• Missing condo and HOA document deadlines. Virginia requires condo and HOA disclosure packages with a buyer right-of-review period. Missing the delivery deadline opens a termination right. We order the package at contract execution, not at week 3.
• Treating the settlement agent as the deed preparer. If the settlement agent is a title company, a Virginia attorney still needs to prepare the deed. We confirm the deed-prep pathway at intake to avoid a last-week scramble.
• Underestimating NoVA lender timelines in peak season. NoVA's federal-employee buyer pool runs heavy VA and jumbo loan volume. Lender turn times stretch in spring and summer. We pull weekly lender updates rather than assume the standard 30-day close.

From executed contract through post-close broker file, we run the deal end-to-end. For more on the settlement agent model and how it differs from attorney or title-only states, see our attorney state vs. title state closing guide.

• Contract and form confirmed at intake: VAR 600, NVAR, or custom, with the deadline framework that matches
• Settlement agent identified; attorney deed-prep pathway confirmed if settlement agent is a title company
• Buyer broker agreement verified as executed and compensation confirmed
• Earnest money verified with the named escrow holder, with a receipt-chasing cadence that stops only when it's in escrow
• Condo or HOA documents ordered at contract execution with review-period deadline tracked
• Inspection coordination, repair addenda, and contingency removal tracked by the calendar the contract sets
• Title commitment reviewed for exceptions that need cure or waiver
• Closing disclosure and commission demand reviewed before signing; final broker-file package assembled to VREB audit standards

Virginia runs at least four distinct markets at once. Northern Virginia pairs federal-agency buyers with NVAR forms and attorney-heavy closings. Richmond moves on VAR Form 600 with title-company closings and a steadier pace. Hampton Roads runs on military and civilian-contractor demand with coastal-property disclosures. Southwest Virginia rural files run longer with title complexity from mineral rights and old family deeds. We adjust timelines and coordination style to the region you're working in, not a generic statewide template.

For more detail on how real estate transactions work here, see our in-depth guides: Virginia real estate Closing Guide.