The Juliet at The Ellipse at Westfields is a four-level end unit with three bedrooms, two and a half baths, 2,066 square feet, and a one-car garage. Ryan Homes has advertised a move-in-ready Juliet for $599,990 and describes the community as offering "the lowest-priced 4-level garage condos in Westfields." On Fairfax County's affordable-homeownership page, the same floor plan carries the label "Townhome Style Condo."
That label describes how the home is owned. In Chantilly's new-construction attached market, the legal form now does more than the floor plan to set a home's financing, its insurance, its upkeep, and how it resells. A buyer touring a new townhouse-style home near Westfields this fall is often buying a condominium unit. And because builders keep choosing that structure, the condo column of the market statistics is growing much faster than anything else.
The deed describes the home differently than the facade does
The Ellipse has company nearby. K. Hovnanian's Gallery Park at Westfields sells two-story "townhome-style condominiums" with up to three bedrooms and 2,479 square feet, advertised from the upper $500,000s. Toll Brothers' Cedar Terrace, on the Loudoun side of the 20152 Chantilly ZIP code, markets a Lofts Collection of condo homes and listed one quick move-in home at $525,000 when we reviewed it. Builder prices and availability change often, so treat these as snapshots.
Under the Virginia Condominium Act, a condominium unit is the individually owned unit together with an undivided interest in the common elements. The recorded declaration describes the land submitted to the condominium and draws each unit's boundaries. Fannie Mae describes a planned unit development, the structure behind most traditional townhouse communities, differently. There, the owner holds title to the residential lot and the structure, plus an interest in the association's common property.
Two homes can share a floor plan, a garage, and a front stoop. In one, the buyer owns the ground under the house. In the other, the buyer owns a defined unit and shares the land with everyone else in the association. The next three sections trace that one difference through the transaction.
The loan is where buyers usually feel it first
Lenders review a condominium project as well as the buyer.
- FHA: A buyer can use FHA financing for a unit in an FHA-approved condominium project. In an unapproved project, the unit may qualify through Single-Unit Approval, but only if the project is complete and ready for occupancy, has at least five dwelling units, and meets other project-level criteria, according to HUD's condominium guidance.
- VA: The condominium must be VA-approved before VA will guarantee the loan. The agency keeps a searchable approval report for lenders.
- Conventional: Under the Fannie Mae Selling Guide, an attached unit in a new or newly converted condo project generally needs a Full Review or a PERS project review. The method depends on the project's type, size, and status.
None of the sources we reviewed confirm whether Gallery Park, The Ellipse, or Cedar Terrace currently has FHA or VA approval. That makes it one of the first questions to ask a lender, before an earnest money deposit is on the table. A fee-simple resale townhouse at the same price raises no project-approval question at all. For a buyer planning to use FHA or VA financing, that difference can matter as much as the price.
Who owns the roof is a document question
Virginia's default rule assigns maintenance, repair, and replacement of common elements to the association and work on a unit to its owner. The statute also lets the condominium instruments set different terms. So the answer to "who fixes the roof?" is in a specific community's declaration and bylaws, not in the sales brochure.
Insurance follows the same split. A State Farm explainer on HO-6 coverage describes a typical arrangement. The association's master policy covers exteriors, roofing, and shared spaces, and the owner's HO-6 policy covers belongings, liability, loss assessments, and the interior elements the owner is responsible for. The scope of master policies varies, though, so the actual policy matters.
The monthly dues pay for that arrangement. The one published figure we found is from Fairfax County's affordable-unit listing for the Juliet at The Ellipse. It showed $218.50 a month in condo/HOA dues covering water, trash, snow removal, and common-area maintenance. That listing is marked "Drawing Closed," and dues on market-rate homes may differ. It still shows what to look for when comparing homes. A condo fee that includes water belongs in a different budget line than a townhouse HOA fee that covers only common grounds. Comparing the two dollar amounts directly gives the wrong answer.
Why these homes land in the condo column
Builders have business reasons for choosing this format. In 2025, a developer's representative at an Oakton redevelopment discussion pointed to tighter equity for multifamily projects, rising construction costs, strong buyer demand for two-over-two townhouses, and easier financing. The representative described the townhouse element as a safer bet.
The market statistics count these homes by their legal form. The definitions used by MarketStats by ShowingTime, which publishes Fairfax County's monthly figures, place "Attached/Condo-Coop" listings by whether the home is part of a condo or co-op. The townhouse category excludes listings marked Condo/Coop. A townhome-style condo entered in the MLS as a condo is counted as a condo, however much it looks like a row of townhouses from the street.
That helps explain this year's inventory numbers. The Northern Virginia Association of Realtors' August 2026 report, the latest monthly release available, shows attached inventory up 39.7% from August 2025. Condo listings rose 44.8%, townhouse listings rose 29.9%, and detached listings fell 8.5%. Months of supply rose to 2.08, which NVAR notes is still short of a fully balanced market. The sources don't say how much of that condo growth comes from townhome-style product. They do show that a growing share of what counts as a "condo" in Northern Virginia looks like a townhouse from the curb.
Fairfax County's own August 2026 figures point the same way. At month-end, the county had 716 active condo/co-op listings, 465 attached townhouse listings, and 804 detached listings. FFXnow reported that the average sales price for attached homes, townhouses and condominiums combined, was $577,988 in August 2026, up 4.5% from a year earlier. The new Westfields condos advertised in the upper $500,000s are in that same price range. In practice, that means a Chantilly buyer with about $600,000 for an attached home is comparing new condo units against resale townhouses, even if every listing photo shows a front door and a garage.
| What to compare | Townhome-style condo | Fee-simple townhouse |
|---|---|---|
| What the deed conveys | A unit plus an undivided share of common elements | The lot and the structure, plus an interest in HOA common property |
| Roof and exterior | Set by the declaration; association by default for common elements | Generally the owner's, subject to HOA rules |
| Insurance | Master policy plus owner's HO-6 | Owner's homeowners policy |
| FHA and VA | Project approval or FHA Single-Unit Approval | No condo project approval step |
| Market statistics | Counted as condo if listed that way | Counted as townhouse |
The difference shows up again when you sell
When a condo owner in Virginia resells, the seller or the seller's agent must obtain a resale certificate and give it to the buyer. The association generally has 14 days after a written request to deliver it. According to the DPOR resale certificate form, the package includes governing documents, assessments and arrears, approved special assessments, reserves, financial statements, the budget, the reserve study, litigation, and insurance.
Virginia Code § 55.1-2312 gives the buyer a cancellation window. Unless the contract sets a different period, the purchaser can cancel within three days after ratification if the certificate arrived before ratification, or within three days after receiving it if it arrived later. If the buyer never receives it, cancellation is allowed up to settlement, with no penalty and a prompt return of the deposit. For a future seller, the association's reserve study and budget become part of the sales pitch. A well-funded association gives the next buyer one less reason to use that window.
More of these homes are coming to Westfields. Fairfax County approved a rezoning amendment on December 9, 2025, for up to 67 attached homes and a community arts building. FFXnow reported in September 2026 that residential completion and the site transfer are expected by 2029. Someone who buys a Westfields condo today will likely resell against newer attached homes nearby. The governing documents are one of the few things that will set their home apart in that competition.
Questions to settle before writing an offer
- Is the home legally a condominium unit or a fee-simple lot? The recorded declaration answers this.
- Does the project have FHA or VA approval, or has the lender confirmed the review path for conventional financing?
- Under the declaration and bylaws, who maintains and replaces the roof, siding, and decks?
- What does the master policy cover, and what is left for an HO-6 policy?
- What do the monthly dues include, and what do the association's budget and reserve plan look like?
Frequently Asked Questions
Do townhome-style condos in Chantilly cost less than resale townhouses? Advertised prices at Gallery Park, The Ellipse, and Cedar Terrace start in the mid-$500,000s to about $600,000. The August 2026 Fairfax County average for attached homes, townhouses and condos combined, was $577,988. A fair comparison also counts the dues, what those dues cover, and the insurance structure.
When will September 2026 market figures be available? MarketStats lists October 12 as the publication date for September 2026 statistics, so August 2026 is the latest month available as of this writing.
Is a two-over-two the same thing as a townhome-style condo? Not always. The format describes how the building is stacked. Ownership depends on the recorded instruments. Reston's Sunset Station, for example, mixes two-over-two units with traditional townhouses, and the public reporting does not say how they are owned.
If you are weighing a new townhome-style condo near Westfields against a resale townhouse in Chantilly, Sison Homes and Associates can help you read the declaration, compare dues and insurance line by line, and line up financing before you commit. Schedule a Consultation to talk it through, or browse more on our Chantilly neighborhood page.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
