Question: What do I have to pay for when buying a home?

Answer: If you are considering purchasing your first home, you will likely be obtaining a mortgage to pay for it. This means that you are not going to be paying the full amount of the sales price at the time of closing. Instead, it will be financed over time. How much do you actually have to pay at closing though? And what other fees will you have to pay for?


Neighborhood Spotlight is a recurring column covering both the City of Alexandria and Alexandria in Fairfax County. This monthly column is sponsored and written by the Seward Group of TTR Sotheby’s International Realty.

This month we spotlight all the neighborhoods in Alexandria as we celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa.


This week’s Q&A column, sponsored and written by McEnearney Associates Realtors®, the leading real estate firm in Alexandria, is a bit of a departure from our usual format. To learn more about this article and relevant Alexandria market news, contact us at 703-549-9292. You may also submit your questions to McEnearney Associates via email for response in future columns.


Question: What terms are negotiable in a real estate sales contract?

Answer: I often write articles about current market conditions, because let’s face it, it’s been fun to write those articles for the past couple of years. My last article was about how the market is changing. That continues to be true. The market certainly changed — interest rates have more than doubled, and buyers are largely hibernating.


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