Arlington itself isn’t exactly wine country, but some of Virginia’s most celebrated vineyards are just a short drive west — close enough for a scenic trip and a pleasant afternoon of tasting and touring.
Renderings of proposed apartment buildings at 1401 Wilson Blvd (via Arlington County/YouTube)
A proposal to replace two vacant office buildings in Rosslyn with about 830 residential units and retail has the support of the Arlington Planning Commission.
Planning Commission members on July 6 unanimously backed a Monday Properties plan for two 27-story mixed-use towers on 1400 Key Blvd and 1401 Wilson Blvd, a 2.1-acre site near Turnberry Tower. The plan comes with 29,000 square feet of retail, likely including a grocery store.
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: How has the Arlington single-family home market performed in the first half of 2026?
Answer: Arlington’s single-family detached (SFD) market got busier and more competitive in the first half of 2026, yet prices increased at their slowest pace since 2023.
More Competition, Modest Appreciation (Resale Market)
Note: this data is for resales of single-family detached (SFD) homes; I have a separate analysis of the new construction market further down.
The average and median price increased 3.5% and 1.9%, respectively
Over the past five years, the average and median price increased 13.9% and 11.1%, respectively
The average and median price of a home increased to $1.44M and $1.299M, respectively
Demand and competition rose to the highest levels since 2022, with 66% of homes selling within the first ten days on market and 68% of homes selling at or above the original asking price
The average buyer paid 1.3% more than the original asking price, compared to 2025 when the average buyer paid 0.3% less than the original asking price
Buyers of homes that went under contract within the first week on market paid an average of 4.7% over the asking price
Dig Deeper: Performance Varied by Size, Price Point
The appreciation gap between the average price (3.5%) and median price (1.9%) matters. The average is more sensitive to expensive sales. In 2026, 15.7% of closed resales sold for $2M or more, up from 12.7% in 2025. At the other end of the market, only 21.7% sold below $1M, down from 24.4%. That shift toward higher-priced homes helped lift the average faster than the median.
Average and median prices are useful, but neither tells us whether gains were shared evenly across the market. To test that, I divided the closed resale market into four sold-price quartiles for each year. Each quartile represents one-fourth of that year’s sales, from the least expensive 25% to the most expensive 25%. (more…)
Can “compostable” products like forks and plates go in Arlington’s green organics bin? As with local recycling do’s and don’ts, the answer is a bit complicated.
Compostable paper food containers can go in, officials tell us. Compostable plastic ones cannot — even when they’re labeled “compostable” and carry a certification.
Clarendon’s Olmsted Building in a puddle (courtesy George Brazier)
Remembering Larry Wright — “The Arlington County Fire Department is deeply saddened to announce the passing of Firefighter Larry Wright, who died on July 9, 2026, following a medical emergency.” Wright joined the department in 2018 and was most recently assigned to Fire Station 9. [ACFD/X]
Rosslyn Robbery Investigation — Arlington County police obtained warrants for robbery and abduction after a man pulled out a firearm, struck the victim with it and demanded his phone passcode during a dispute inside a home in the 1000 block of Arlington Blvd on Tuesday night, according to a crime report. The two men knew each other, and the victim reported minor injuries. [ACPD]
Crash Caught on Video — Traffic camera video captured a crash yesterday afternoon at the intersection of Shirlington Road and S. Arlington Mill Drive near Shirlington. [Dave Statter/X]
NYT’s Arlington Condo Hunt — The New York Times’ The Hunt column followed Don Schroeder, 77, a retired news anchor who moved to N. Va. after his wife’s death and toured about 20 condos in and around Arlington, looking for a single-level place with room for his dog and 45,000 baseball cards. [New York Times]
SNAP Cuts Hit Region — Federal cuts to food assistance under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act are starting to take effect across the region. An Urban Institute analysis estimates more than 230,000 families across D.C., suburban Maryland and N. Va. will lose some or all of their SNAP benefits once the law is fully implemented, with affected households in the Capital Area Food Bank region losing an average of $187 a month. [Washington Informer]
VRE Lands $25M Grant — The Virginia Railway Express won $25 million in federal grant money to add a fourth track at L’Enfant Station, which the commuter rail called “the most significant competitive federal grant” in its 37-year history. The new track will ease congestion where the Fredericksburg and Manassas lines merge as VRE works to boost service more than 63% by 2030. [WBJ]
Cannabis Budget Confusion — New budget language for legal cannabis sales set off days of confusion over whether Virginia’s marijuana penalties still applied, drawing conflicting guidance from prosecutors, lawmakers and State Police. Officials clarified that retail sales won’t begin until July 1, 2027, and that existing criminal laws remain in effect until then, after the Code Commission revised the language to reflect lawmakers’ intent. [Virginia Mercury]
It’s Friday — Expect a mostly sunny start with a high near 90, then scattered showers and thunderstorms after 3 p.m. Winds will be light out of the west around 7 mph. Overnight lows will drop to around 72, with a chance of storms lingering before 4 a.m. [NWS]
There is a 50% chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm, with increasing clouds and a high near 90°F. There will be a west wind at 5 to 7 mph. Overnight, there’s a 40% chance of showers and thunderstorms before 11pm, with isolated showers possible afterward. The night will be mostly cloudy with a low around 71°F and a light west wind. See more from Weather.gov.
💡 Quote of the Day
“An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind.” – Mahatma Gandhi
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A redevelopment project replacing a Clarendon office tower with an eight-story multifamily building is moving toward its next phase.
Developer Carr Properties is still on track to deliver over 300 units of housing at 3033 Wilson Blvd in early 2028, and demolition is expected to finish in August, a spokesperson told ARLnow.
Rosslyn skyline, with Tysons in the background (Flickr pool photo by Kevin Wolf)
Virginia has climbed a spot in CNBC’s annual ranking of the best states for business, a year after federal job cuts helped knock it out of the No. 1 position.
The state placed third in the 2026 rankings released today (Thursday), up from fourth last year. Ohio took the top spot for the first time, followed by North Carolina, with Texas and Minnesota rounding out the top five. CNBC scored all 50 states on 138 metrics across 10 categories in the study, now in its 20th year.
Signage for Ember at Westpost in August 2025 (staff photo by Katie Taranto)
A high-end restaurant and bar with dry-aged meats, an extensive wine list and a series of curated rooms for dining and relaxing is preparing to open in Pentagon City.
Ember is looking toward a soft opening in late August at 1301 S. Joyce Street, followed by a grand opening in September, founder Nicholas Mounts told ARLnow. It brings food and drink inspired by European cuisines and five seating areas, including a VIP room, a banquet hall and a “secret lounge.”
