Ellis Properties at Samson Properties | Written by Caitlin Ellis
Living in Dominion Valley: A Local Agent's Guide to Haymarket's Largest Gated Golf Community
Dominion Valley is a Toll Brothers master-planned community in Haymarket, Virginia, along Route 15 about two miles north of downtown and a mile and a half north of I-66. It is the largest neighborhood in Haymarket, with 36 holes of golf, nine pools, 26 miles of roads, and its own shopping center. Homes run from carriage homes to estates over $2 million, and it includes Regency at Dominion Valley, a 55 and over section.
Why trust my read on Dominion Valley?
We lived in Haymarket for four years, and it is one of my strongest markets: 47 listings and 40 buyers across the town. In Dominion Valley specifically I have represented two buyers, and I have spent a great deal of time in this community with clients weighing it against Piedmont and Villages of Piedmont.
What is it really like living in Dominion Valley?
Dominion Valley is Haymarket's largest gated golf community, and its amenity package is the best in town: 36 holes, nine pools, 26 miles of roads, and a shopping center you can reach from inside.
It sits along Route 15, also called James Madison Highway, about two miles north of downtown Haymarket and a mile and a half north of I-66. Toll Brothers started building here in the early to mid 2000s on land originally associated with Waverly Farms, designing the community around the natural topography rather than flattening it. It was one of the first gated communities in Haymarket.
The scale is hard to overstate. There are 26 miles of roads, 30 miles of sidewalks, 12 designated trails, and more than 600 streetlights. Sections sit on both the east and west sides of Route 15.
Most single-family homes were finished by 2018, though the community is big enough that construction continued into 2024. Toll Brothers leaned heavily on brick and stone exteriors here, so you see far less vinyl and Hardie plank than in neighboring communities. The architecture is traditional luxury: two-story foyers, formal living and dining rooms, side-entry garages, and on the larger homes, dual staircases and sunrooms.
The gates
The main road in off Route 15 is not gated. Once you turn into the smaller clusters of streets, each one has its own gate. About half are staffed and half use an automated keypad. Residents get car fobs for automatic access, and guests use the intercom to reach security.
There are no formal village names the way Willowsford has. People refer to sections by their streets, and near the course those names are all golf references: Tournament Drive, Solheim, Ryder Cup, Valhalla, Jupiter Hills.
Golf
Two 18-hole courses, 36 holes total, which means tee times are easier to get than at most private clubs. The Dominion Valley course is the Arnold Palmer design, a par 72 at roughly 6,800 yards. The Regency course is a shorter par 62 executive layout that is more forgiving. Between them there is something for a scratch golfer and something for a beginner.
Rolling hills, plenty of water, and consistently well kept. For private golf in this area, it is about as good as it gets.
Pools and the Waverly Club
Nine pools in total: three outdoor and one indoor for Dominion Valley residents, three at the Country Club Sports Pavilion for club members only, and one outdoor and one indoor at Regency.
The Waverly Club is the everyday amenity, and it is the biggest single draw here. Year-round indoor pool, workout room, outdoor swimming, recreation space, reservable meeting rooms, and trail access. Nearly everyone uses it.
Merchant Square
Off Merchant's View Square sits the community's own shopping center: a Giant, Tony's Pizza, Olde Dominion Tavern, and Durable Fitness. Being able to do a grocery run without getting on Route 15 changes daily life here more than people expect.
What only a Dominion Valley local knows
The middle tier holds value best. Not the carriage homes and not the executive estates. The traditional detached homes in the middle appeal to the widest pool of buyers, and that is what protects value when you go to sell.
Carriage homes have a specific buyer, and they are better than people assume. They work for someone who wants into Dominion Valley without the down payment or monthly cost of a single-family home, and for someone who wants to age in place but is not ready for a 55 and over community. They are also noticeably more spacious than the townhomes you will find in Piedmont or Villages of Piedmont.
This is a cart course, not a walking course. The golf is woven through the neighborhood rather than lined up along it, which is lovely to drive through. It also means the trip from one green to the next tee can be long. Plan on riding.
Condition is the variable. Most of these homes were built in the early 2000s, so the square footage and the lots are impressive. What varies is how much original owners have updated. Against newer construction elsewhere in Haymarket, a home here that has not been touched will feel its age.
It can feel like several neighborhoods, not one. The scale and the separate gated clusters mean the community does not have a single unified feel. Depending on which gate you live behind, your daily experience of Dominion Valley is different from someone three gates over.
The sections of Dominion Valley
There are no official village names. Here is how buyers actually sort it.
Tournament Drive and the main gate
The most popular section, and the one closest to everything. The golf clubhouse, main pool, tennis and pickleball courts, the indoor pool, community center, meeting rooms, basketball courts, and the restaurant and bar are all here. A lot of the estate lots sit in this area along with regular single-family homes, and this is where you find backyards on the golf course.
Best for: buyers who want to walk or drive two minutes to everything. Tradeoff: the busiest gate and the busiest part of the community.
The western Dominion Valley Drive gates
Still on the west side of Route 15 with the same access to all the amenities, just tucked a little further back into the neighborhood.
Best for: buyers who want the amenities without living on top of them. Tradeoff: a slightly longer run to the clubhouse.
East of Route 15
Closer to Battlefield High School, on a less busy street with a quieter gate.
Best for: families who value the school proximity and a calmer entrance. Tradeoff: you cross Route 15 to reach the main amenities.
Waverly Farm Drive
Still on the west side, but this section is homes rather than amenities. No shopping center, golf course, or clubhouse nearby.
Best for: buyers who want a quieter pocket and do not mind driving. Tradeoff: getting to the main amenities means a drive down Route 15 or the back roads. This is the section furthest from everything, and it is worth knowing before you fall for a floor plan.
Regency at Dominion Valley
The 55 and over section, and part of Dominion Valley rather than a separate community. It offers condos, attached villas, and detached homes, many with a first-floor primary bedroom or true single-level living. It has its own outdoor and indoor pools and its own golf course.
There are also smaller pools and clubhouses scattered throughout the community, so depending on your section, the main complex may not be the one you actually use.
Who is Dominion Valley right for?
The range is the point. Dominion Valley has more options than any other neighborhood in Haymarket, and that is why it draws such a wide group.
- Luxury estate homes start around $1.1 million at roughly 4,000 square feet and run past $2 million and 8,000 square feet, with large kitchens, bigger lots up to an acre, and three-car garages
- Traditional detached homes run $800,000 to $1.2 million, usually topping out around 5,500 square feet, with four to five bedrooms, a finished basement, and a two-car garage, on a quarter to half acre
- Carriage homes go up to about 3,500 square feet, with reduced lawn maintenance and some exterior maintenance covered by the HOA
- Regency offers condos, villas, and detached homes built for single-level living
That spread means a family can move up here, and an owner can downsize within the same community without leaving.
Who is Dominion Valley not right for?
Buyers who want a single, cohesive neighborhood feel. It is big, spread out, and divided into gated clusters. Some people love that. Others find it impersonal.
Buyers who want new construction. Most homes date to the early 2000s. If you want something recent, newer communities in Haymarket will serve you better.
Buyers sensitive to Route 15. It is only two miles to I-66, but the traffic is hit or miss depending on the hour. Piedmont and Villages of Piedmont are a mile closer and can be ten minutes faster at the wrong time of day.
Buyers who will not use the amenities. Between the base HOA, the section add-on, and the capital contribution, you are paying for a substantial amenity package. If you do not plan to use it, the value proposition changes.
How does Dominion Valley compare to Piedmont?
Piedmont and Dominion Valley are neighbors off Route 15 in Haymarket, and they are more alike than different. Both are gated golf communities feeding Battlefield High School with similar HOA dues. The real differences are size, schools, and what you get for acreage. This is the question I get asked most about Dominion Valley, so here it is side by side.
The Differences Between Piedmont and Dominion Valley
Size
- Piedmont
- 1,619 homes
- Dominion Valley
- About 2,467 homes, over 2,000 acres
Sections
- Dominion Valley
- Several gated neighborhoods, plus some homes outside the gates
Gates
- Piedmont
- 2 gates. Main gate staffed 24/7, secondary gate staffed 8 am to 8 pm
- Dominion Valley
- 8 gates, 4 staffed and 4 unstaffed
Golf course
- Piedmont
- 18 holes, Tom Fazio, just over 7,000 yards
- Dominion Valley
- 18 holes, Arnold Palmer Signature, about 7,100 yards
Golf membership
- Piedmont
- Separate from the HOA
- Dominion Valley
- Separate from the HOA
Clubs
- Piedmont
- Piedmont golf club and the Piedmont Athletic Club
- Dominion Valley
- The Country Club and the HOA-owned Waverly Club
Pools
- Piedmont
- 1 indoor, 2 outdoor
- Dominion Valley
- 1 indoor, 7 outdoor
Trails
- Piedmont
- Walking trails throughout
- Dominion Valley
- 12 trails, 15+ miles
HOA
- Piedmont
- $199/month, same for every home
- Dominion Valley
- About $204/month for a gated single-family home, varies by home type
Schools
- Piedmont
- Mountain View Elementary, Bull Run Middle, Battlefield High
- Dominion Valley
- Alvey or Gravely Elementary, Reagan Middle, Battlefield High. Four schools inside the community
Shopping
- Piedmont
- None on site. Minutes to Virginia Gateway and Heathcote Marketplace
- Dominion Valley
- Market Square on site, with a grocery store, bank, and restaurants
Builders
- Piedmont
- M/I Homes, Ryan Homes, Pulte, and others
- Dominion Valley
- Master-planned by Toll Brothers
Estate lots and horses
- Piedmont
- Riding Club lots of 5 to 10+ acres, some permitting horses
- Dominion Valley
- No equivalent
Feel
- Piedmont
- Smaller and tucked in. Easier to get to know your neighbors
- Dominion Valley
- Largest community in the area. Functions almost like its own small town
Best for
- Piedmont
- Buyers who want a gated golf community on a smaller scale, or real acreage with amenities
- Dominion Valley
- Buyers who want the biggest amenity package and schools and shopping inside the gates
| Piedmont | Dominion Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 1,619 homes | About 2,467 homes, over 2,000 acres |
| Sections | Three: the gated main community, Old Carolina Estates, and the Piedmont Riding Club | Several gated neighborhoods, plus some homes outside the gates |
| Gates | 2 gates. Main gate staffed 24/7, secondary gate staffed 8 am to 8 pm | 8 gates, 4 staffed and 4 unstaffed |
| Golf course | 18 holes, Tom Fazio, just over 7,000 yards | 18 holes, Arnold Palmer Signature, about 7,100 yards |
| Golf membership | Separate from the HOA | Separate from the HOA |
| Clubs | Piedmont golf club and the Piedmont Athletic Club | The Country Club and the HOA-owned Waverly Club |
| Pools | 1 indoor, 2 outdoor | 1 indoor, 7 outdoor |
| Trails | Walking trails throughout | 12 trails, 15+ miles |
| HOA | $199/month, same for every home | About $204/month for a gated single-family home, varies by home type |
| Schools | Mountain View Elementary, Bull Run Middle, Battlefield High | Alvey or Gravely Elementary, Reagan Middle, Battlefield High. Four schools inside the community |
| Shopping | None on site. Minutes to Virginia Gateway and Heathcote Marketplace | Market Square on site, with a grocery store, bank, and restaurants |
| Builders | M/I Homes, Ryan Homes, Pulte, and others | Master-planned by Toll Brothers |
| Estate lots and horses | Riding Club lots of 5 to 10+ acres, some permitting horses | No equivalent |
| Feel | Smaller and tucked in. Easier to get to know your neighbors | Largest community in the area. Functions almost like its own small town |
| Best for | Buyers who want a gated golf community on a smaller scale, or real acreage with amenities | Buyers who want the biggest amenity package and schools and shopping inside the gates |
The short version: Piedmont is a smaller gated golf community with a strong HOA amenity package. Dominion Valley is a larger country club community with more of everything. Buyers who tour both usually know within a day which one fits.
What does it cost to buy in Dominion Valley right now?
Carriage homes are the entry point, up to roughly 3,500 square feet. Traditional detached homes run $800,000 to $1.2 million. Luxury estate homes start around $1.1 million and run past $2 million.
Over the last 180 days, 89 homes sold in Dominion Valley. The average sale price was $1,038,000 and the median was $1,050,000. The median home went under contract in 9 days, the average was 18 days, and the average sold-to-list ratio was 99.3%. (Bright MLS, trailing 180 days as of September 2026.)
Two notes on those numbers. Eighty-nine sales is a large sample, which makes this the most reliable market picture of any community we cover. And the average sitting just below the median tells you sales here are tightly clustered rather than being pulled around by a handful of outliers.
A 9-day median is fast, especially against a county that has slowed to 7 to 14 days this fall. My read is that Dominion Valley remains the most sought-after neighborhood in Haymarket. It is the biggest and it offers the most options, and I expect it to keep tracking slightly ahead of the other communities here.
The fees
Dominion Valley is $213 a month for the base HOA, plus a section-specific add-on of $75 to $100 a month for the Waverly Club, so most owners pay $288 to $313. There is also a one-time capital contribution of $2,600 due at closing.
Regency at Dominion Valley is $394 a month, which is higher because it covers common grounds and yard maintenance. The capital contribution is $2,880, plus a one-time $1,000 payment into the Regency Owners Association.
Worth comparing: Piedmont down the road is $199 a month with no capital contribution, and Villages of Piedmont is $149. Dominion Valley costs more, and it delivers considerably more.
This section reflects the market as of September 2026 and should be refreshed quarterly.
What are the schools and commute like in Dominion Valley?
Schools. The entire community feeds into the Battlefield High School pyramid, and the high school sits centrally to the neighborhood. Four public schools are located on the community grounds. Confirm the assignment for any specific address with Prince William County Public Schools before you write an offer.
Commute. I-66 is about a mile and a half south, and downtown Haymarket is about two miles. The honest caveat is Route 15 itself, which can be slow depending on when you leave. The I-66 express lanes run from Gainesville to inside the Beltway, with dynamic tolls that can reach $30 to $45 one way at peak. Carpool with two others and you can use them free with an E-ZPass Flex set to HOV.
Life in Dominion Valley: where people actually go
Most of daily life happens inside the community or at Merchant Square, off Merchant's View Square. There is a Giant for the grocery run, Tony's Pizza, which is my personal favorite and takes me straight back to eating at their Manassas location as a kid, Olde Dominion Tavern, and Durable Fitness, one of the more popular gyms in the area.
Inside the gates, the Waverly Club anchors everyday life with the indoor pool, workout room, outdoor swimming, recreation spaces, and reservable meeting rooms. The clubhouse at the main gate has the restaurant and bar, the tennis and pickleball courts, basketball courts, and the community center.
Twelve designated trails and 30 miles of sidewalks run throughout, which is a large part of why the community feels as walkable as it does despite its size.
What is changing in Dominion Valley?
Construction is essentially finished. Most single-family homes were completed by 2018 and the last homes went up in 2024, so everything available now is resale.
The thing to watch is condition rather than development. As the early-2000s homes reach their twenties, the gap between the ones that have been updated and the ones that have not keeps widening, and buyers right now are not looking for projects.
Common questions about Dominion Valley
$213 a month for the base HOA plus a section add-on of $75 to $100 a month for the Waverly Club, so most owners pay $288 to $313. There is also a one-time $2,600 capital contribution at closing. Regency at Dominion Valley is $394 a month with a $2,880 capital contribution and a one-time $1,000 payment to the Regency Owners Association.
Yes, though not in the way people expect. The main road off Route 15 is open. Each cluster of streets inside has its own gate, about half staffed and half on an automated keypad. Residents get car fobs and guests use the intercom.
Two, 36 holes total. The Dominion Valley course is an Arnold Palmer design, par 72 at about 6,800 yards. The Regency course is a shorter par 62 executive course. Having two courses means tee times are easier to come by than at most private clubs.
The 55 and over section of the community, part of Dominion Valley rather than a separate neighborhood. It offers condos, attached villas, and detached homes, many with a first-floor primary or full single-level living, plus its own pools and golf course. Its dues are higher at $394 a month because they include yard maintenance.
The entire community feeds the Battlefield High School pyramid, with four public schools located on the community grounds. Confirm any specific address with Prince William County Public Schools.
It depends on what you want. The Tournament Drive area is closest to the clubhouse, the main pool, the courts, and the golf course. The western Dominion Valley Drive gates have the same access but sit further back. East of Route 15 is quieter and closer to Battlefield High School. Waverly Farm Drive is the most removed from amenities and requires a drive to reach them.
Yes. Merchant Square, off Merchant's View Square, has a Giant along with Tony's Pizza, Olde Dominion Tavern, and Durable Fitness. Being able to shop without getting on Route 15 is one of the real daily advantages here.
Dominion Valley is much larger, with roughly twice the homes, two golf courses instead of one, nine pools, four schools on the grounds, and its own shopping center. Piedmont is smaller and more tucked in, with a single Tom Fazio course and lower dues at $199 a month with no capital contribution. Piedmont also has the Riding Club, which has no Dominion Valley equivalent. Neither is better. Buyers who tour both usually know within a day which one fits.
For the right buyer, very much. They are a way into the community without the cost of a single-family home, and they suit someone who wants limited maintenance but is not ready for a 55 and over community. They are also considerably more spacious than townhomes in Piedmont or Villages of Piedmont.
It has been the most sought-after neighborhood in Haymarket for years. Over the last 180 days, 89 homes sold with a 9-day median on market at 99.3% of list. The middle tier of traditional detached homes tends to hold value best, because it appeals to the widest group of buyers.
A real story from Dominion Valley
A younger couple came to us wanting to sell their condo at Metro Walk at Moorefield Station in Ashburn and move into a single-family home in Prince William County. They had it narrowed to two communities: Dominion Valley and Piedmont.
The problem was the contingency. They needed the condo sold to buy, and the market at that point was brutal for a contingent offer. Homes were listing on a Thursday and going under contract by Sunday, usually above asking. Sellers had no reason to take a home sale contingency when three clean offers were sitting in front of them.
We found them a house off Solheim Cup Drive, toward the end of the neighborhood west of Route 15. The lot backed to the golf course but kept enough trees for privacy. Two-story family room, two-story dining room, and a main-level primary bedroom. They could walk to one of the smaller pools in that section and to the tot lot, which mattered because they had a toddler.
Then we negotiated the home sale contingency and got it accepted.
That happened for one reason. The listing agent believed we would sell the condo, and quickly. We are with Samson Properties, which gives us a network of more than 5,000 agents, and we had the relationship and the track record to back up what we were promising. Without that credibility on the other side of the table, a contingent offer in that market does not get accepted, and those buyers do not end up in Dominion Valley.
We listed the condo and had it under contract in the first week at full asking price with limited contingencies, which kept the purchase on track.
It is one of the clearest examples I have of what we do most: helping people buy and sell at the same time, and finding the path that actually works for their situation.
Read the full story: How a Family Bought in Dominion Valley Before Their Condo Sold
Who wrote this Dominion Valley guide?
Caitlin Ellis is a licensed REALTOR® and co-owner of Ellis Properties at Samson Properties. She and Steven lived in Haymarket for four years, and she has closed 87 transactions across the town.
Related pages: Living in Piedmont · Living in Villages of Piedmont · Living in Willowsford · Living in Hartland · Buying and Selling at the Same Time · Downsizing and Retirement Moves · About Ellis Properties · Contact