For years, cooperative units in the District of Columbia have been exempt from the transfer and recordation tax charges which are paid by condominium and single family home or rowhome purchasers and sellers. Currently, at settlement, a buyer of a non-coop property pays 1.1% of the sales price in recordation tax, and the seller pays 1.1% of the sales price in transfer tax. If the property is sold for more than $400,000, the percentage for each party increases to 1.45%.

Coops used to be exempt from paying this tax. Cooperative buildings are technically and the units are bought and sold as shares of stock in the corporation, rather than as property in the traditional sense. Since the *building* itself was not changing ownership, purchasers of units merely paid a small stock transfer fee and avoided the tax.
If you need any additional information on cooperatives please contact Silvana Dias a WC AN Miller agent who specializes on coop's.