Springtime in Crystal City (Flickr pool photo by Jason Gooljar)
Mob Assault Near Columbia Pike — A man was assaulted by a group of juveniles outside a residential building in the 1200 block of S. Courthouse Road around 10:26 p.m. on Saturday, police say. Three of the approximately six juveniles attacked the victim before fleeing. The victim sustained minor injuries and did not require medical attention. [ACPD]
Close Calls Preceded DCA Crash — Internal safety reports obtained by 60 Minutes show that the day before the January 2025 midair collision at Reagan National that killed 67 people, there were two close calls between passenger jets and military helicopters, both triggering cockpit collision alarms. A former DCA air traffic controller told the program there had been warning signs for years. [CBS News]
Pike’s Deep Roots — FCNP columnist Bill Fogarty traces the history of Columbia Pike, which served as a trail for Indigenous people centuries before the Columbia Turnpike Co. was chartered in 1808 to build a toll road. Fogarty spotlights the Columbia Pike Partnership’s documentary project, which chronicles the corridor’s diverse community. [FCNP]
It’s Tuesday — Expect mostly sunny skies with a high near 82 degrees and southwest winds of 10–15 mph, gusting up to 25 mph. Overnight lows settle around 64. [NWS]
Want more local news from around the region? Check out our newest sister site, WSHnow.
Expect mostly sunny skies with temperatures reaching a high of 82°F and a southwest wind blowing at 11 to 14 mph, with gusts up to 25 mph. On Tuesday night, the weather will be partly cloudy with a low of around 64°F. The southwest wind will continue at 11 to 14 mph, with gusts up to 23 mph. See more from Weather.gov.
💡 Quote of the Day
“I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have.” – Thomas Jefferson
Thanks for reading! If you have something to say about an issue of local note not covered today, feel free to post it as a letter to the editor on our new forum.
This regularly scheduled column is written by Eli Tucker, Arlington-based Realtor and Arlington resident. If you would like to work with Eli and his team in Northern Virginia and the greater D.C. Metro area, you can reach him directly at[email protected].
Question: It seems like listings lingered on the market longer than usual this summer. Is that reflected in the market data?
Answer: The summer real estate market is usually slower than spring, but since late June, this summer has felt unusually slow compared with past summer markets. I analyzed Arlington homes listed for sale in July and August, going back to 2016, and found that we did indeed experience a historically slow summer market.
5-Bullet Cliff Notes
Summer 2026 was slowest summer market since 2016
Showing activity is down significantly
Listing supply (homes for sale) is up significantly
It is still a seller’s market, just more balanced
Too early to accurately observe impact on prices
Slowest Summer Since 2016
Fewer homes listed in July and August went under contract within the first ten days on market (my preferred measure of market pace) than any summer since 2016.
The condo market experienced the brunt of that slowness, with the percentage of condos under contract within ten days falling 17.9 points below the trailing ten-year average. Arlington’s detached/townhouse/duplex market, one of the most robust sub-markets in the country, was not spared either; falling 6.7 points below the trailing ten-year average.
Lingering Inventory
The clearest sign of a summer slowdown is the amount of inventory that remained unresolved at the end of August. 53% of the listings entered in July and August were still active, compared with about 31% in 2025 and 27% from 2023-2025.
Even among July listings, which had at least a full month to attract a buyer, 36% remained active: more than twice the recent three-year rate. As of Aug 30, ~25% of all active summer listings had accumulated at least 30 days on market, and 9% accumulated at least 60 days.
Showings Down, Active Inventory Up
Showing data shows that we have fewer buyers in the market, not simply more indecisive/deliberate buyers. In the week ending August 23, showings in Arlington were down 7.9% from the prior week and 26.4% from the same week last year.
There are also a lot more homes for buyers to choose from, with active listings (homes listed for sale) up 2% from the week prior and 21.5% from the same week last year. Buyers will take longer to make decisions when they have more choices.
The Arlington trends are consistent with other Northern VA/DC Metro markets as well. In the DC Metro, weekly showings dropped to five-year lows in late June and remained there during most weeks of the summer. At the same time, the week ending August 23 delivered the most new listings to the market of any year since 2021, for the same week.
Total active listings in the DC Metro have been above the same week in the prior year since the second week of January 2025.
O'Connell's Annie Van Dyck struck out 28 batters in 11 innings against St. Paul VI Catholic (photo courtesy of O'Connell softball)
The Bishop O’Connell Knights girls softball team has had dozens of talented pitchers in its storied past. Yet none achieved what right-hander Annie Van Dyck accomplished during a recent extra-inning game.
In that 11-inning high-school contest against host St. Paul VI Catholic, the junior struck out 28 batters in 10 1/3 innings of work in a 4-3 walkoff loss.
There’s something a little bit magical about picking up a foil for the first time — or drawing back a bow and watching your arrow fly true. It’s why fencing and archery have such a hold on kids and adults alike: real focus, real skill, and a thrill you don’t get from the usual sports lineup.
This fall, Nova Fencing & Archery Club in Bailey’s Crossroads is opening registration for both, with beginner classes for every age starting the week of September 12th. Fencing welcomes ages 7 to 12 and teens and adults 13 and up. Explore Archery, coached by USA Archery certified instructors, welcomes ages 8 to 12 and meets Tuesdays or Saturdays. And for our youngest fencers, ages 4 to 6, ABC’s of Fencing meets on Saturdays. All classes run eight sessions for $195, equipment provided, no experience needed — yes, even for grown-ups who’ve never held a sword or a bow before.
Crews clear snowbanks in Ballston on Jan. 28, 2026 (staff photo)
Clearing operations after this January’s snow and ice storm cost Arlington County upwards of $4.5 million.
The county’s response to the Jan. 25 winter storm — including hauling over 2 million pounds of snow from commercial corridors, clearing over 900 bus stops and running emergency operations for 165 hours straight — far exceeded the Department of Environmental Services’ base budget for snow operations.
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Meet representatives from AmaWaterways, Collette, Oceania Cruises and Premier World Discovery. Hear informative presentations, ask questions, explore exciting vacation possibilities and discover which travel experience may be the perfect fit for you.
A vehicle after driving through a residence in Arlington's Buckingham neighborhood (photo via Arlington Fire & EMS/X)
No injuries were reported this afternoon (Monday) after a vehicle drove straight through a residence in the Buckingham neighborhood.
The Arlington County Fire Department responded to the 400 block of N. George Mason Drive just before 12:30 p.m. after a vehicle accelerated through at least one wall, coming to a rest with its front end in an exterior garden.
The DEA's two buildings in Pentagon City (photo via Google Maps)
A bomb threat — later determined to be unfounded — led to a temporary disruption at the Pentagon City headquarters of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration this morning (Monday).
The building, located at 600 Army Navy Drive, underwent a “comprehensive sweep” shortly after the threat was reported, a DEA spokesperson told ARLnow. It is unclear when or how the threat was made.
School Board member Kathleen Clark (screenshot via Arlington Public Schools)
Arlington Public Schools students will have off during a statewide redistricting referendum following a divided School Board vote last week.
In a 3-2 vote last Thursday, School Board members voted to give students the day off on Tuesday, April 21. The decision represented a split between a majority who saw logistical and safety concerns in keeping students in class, and those who did not wish to lose another instructional day and force parents to scramble for daycare options.
Starbucks' former space at the Ballston Metro station (staff photo by Katie Taranto)
A locally owned cafe and bubble tea shop is coming to the Ballston Metro station.
Java Loco is planning to replace the former Starbucks at 901 N. Stuart Street, co-founder Nam Tran told ARLnow. The family-owned cafe, led by Tran and his wife, Nga Ho, serves espresso drinks, Vietnamese coffee, smoothies, pastries and a variety of sandwiches and salads.
We love fall at Art House 7 and can’t wait for you to explore all our offerings. Painting, drawing, ceramics, and sewing/crocheting are our perennials, along with less traditional mediums. Kawaii Style Drawing and Digital Art are among our new classes for kids. We offer an excellent 6-week program for high schoolers preparing their college portfolios. Want something shorter? We have 3-week classes, including linocut notecards. Love ceramics? We have a dedicated studio that comfortably accommodates wheel and hand-building classes.
