Fairfax County and the City of Fairfax share one circuit court, the largest trial court in Virginia, at 4110 Chain Bridge Road in Fairfax (Fairfax Circuit Court). Wills, estates and deeds for both go through its Clerk. The other offices split: the City of Fairfax issues its own residential building permits, while the rest of the County works with Fairfax County's Land Development Services and Department of Code Compliance.
Some Fairfax County homes carry another town's name. Deeds for the Alexandria portion of Fairfax County are recorded here rather than in the City of Alexandria, and some Falls Church addresses are in Fairfax County too, outside the City of Falls Church, whose own property is recorded with the Arlington Circuit Court (Fairfax Circuit Court: Land Records; Arlington Circuit Court).
FastIBuyer buys the house as it is: no repairs, cleaning or showings, and a closing date you pick. The closing costs a seller normally pays are still yours, as they would be in any sale.
How the paperwork runs in Fairfax County
| Wills and estates | The Probate Division (Suite 401) sees people by appointment, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays, and an appointment takes about 45 to 60 minutes. When the house was the only asset in the person's name alone and the will does not direct the executor to sell it, the executor need not qualify: once the will is recorded, the house passes to the person the will names, who can sell it as beneficiary. With no will in that case, the heirs record a List of Heirs/Real Estate Affidavit, signed by an heir in front of a notary. |
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| Deeds and land records | The Land Records Division in Suite 317 of the same courthouse accepts documents for property in Fairfax County and the City of Fairfax. |
| Trustee (foreclosure) sales | For an owner-occupied home, mailing the owner notice of the sale at least 60 days before it meets Virginia's notice rule. Unless the deed of trust says otherwise, the trustee may then sell at the house, in front of the circuit court building, at another place in the county or city where the house is, in a city surrounded by or next to that county, or, for annexed land, in the county it was once part of. |
| Code cases | The Department of Code Compliance (12055 Government Center Parkway, Suite 1016) takes complaints about property maintenance, zoning and unpermitted construction, with the Virginia Property Maintenance Code as its minimum standard for maintenance. |
| Permits and fire damage | Land Development Services issues building permits through its online PLUS system. After a fire, a flood or a fallen tree, an owner or contractor can request a Damage Report; the inspection that follows sets out the work needed to rebuild, and some of that work needs permits or plans. In the City of Fairfax, Code Administration issues residential building permits instead. |
| Real estate tax | The Department of Tax Administration assesses each property at its fair market value as of January 1. The tax is due in two equal halves, July 28 and December 5, moving to the next business day on a weekend, and bills go out three to four weeks before each date. |
Where in Fairfax County we buy
We buy across the County, from Annandale, Lincolnia and Springfield to Burke, Fairfax Station and Centreville, and south through Franconia, Kingstowne, Rose Hill, Huntington, Groveton and Lorton, all of which the County's own 2010 census summaries list as places in Fairfax County (Fairfax County). The Mount Vernon District alone covers about 60 square miles between the Capital Beltway, the Potomac River and the Occoquan River (Fairfax County).
Detached houses, townhouses and condos all qualify, in any condition. Our Springfield page covers that part of the County too.
Cash home buyers in Fairfax County: what as-is means here
Selling a Fairfax County house for cash to FastIBuyer means a written offer on the house in its present condition, paid from FastIBuyer's own funds rather than a buyer's mortgage. An open Code Compliance case, a Damage Report not yet requested after a fire, or an unfinished basement stays as it is: the work is priced into the offer, and the permits it needs are FastIBuyer's to get after closing.
Situations in Fairfax County
We buy Fairfax County houses passing through an estate, houses with a trustee sale scheduled, homes damaged by fire and waiting on a Damage Report, houses with an open Code Compliance case, rentals with tenants, and houses that are sitting vacant. All situations →
Fairfax County questions
My home has a Falls Church address. Is it a Fairfax County sale?
It depends on which side of the City line it sits. Property inside the City of Falls Church is recorded with the Arlington Circuit Court; Falls Church addresses outside the City are Fairfax County property, recorded in Fairfax. Our Falls Church page covers the City.
There is an open Department of Code Compliance case on the house. Can I still sell?
Yes. FastIBuyer buys houses with an open case as they are. Mention the case when you ask for an offer, so the offer accounts for the work.
I live in the City of Fairfax. Do the County offices apply to me?
Partly. The Fairfax Circuit Court handles the City's wills, estates and deeds, but residential building permits come from the City of Fairfax's own Code Administration.
Can I sell my house for cash in Fairfax without fixing it first?
Yes. FastIBuyer buys County and City of Fairfax houses as they are, including houses with an open case or fire damage still waiting on permits. The offer is in writing, and the closing date is yours to pick.
Sources
- Fairfax Circuit Court: Administration of Estates (PDF)
- Fairfax Circuit Court: Land Records
- Code of Virginia § 55.1-321
- Code of Virginia § 55.1-320
- Fairfax County Code Compliance: How to Report a Violation
- Fairfax County Code Compliance: Property Maintenance
- Fairfax County Land Development Services: Damage Reports
- City of Fairfax: Residential Building Permit
- Fairfax County Tax Administration: Real Estate FAQ
- Fairfax Circuit Court
- Fairfax County: 2010 Census Places (PDF)
- Fairfax County: Mount Vernon District
- Arlington Circuit Court
