News

Concept designs for improved bike routes running parallel to Columbia Pike are now available, aiming to make certain side streets safer and more inviting to bicyclists.

Arlington County is currently seeking feedback — due this Sunday, Oct. 5 — on the possible upgrades to the Columbia Pike Bike Boulevards. The proposal includes a variety of signage, intersection changes and streetscape adjustments on either side of the Pike.


News

The Arlington County Police Department is searching for two suspects accused of carjacking a man in Crystal City early this morning (Tuesday).

Police said the masked suspects were armed with knives when they approached the victim on the 2300 block of S. Eads Street around 2:30 a.m. and demanded the keys to his vehicle.


Sponsored

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 local real estate market performed so far this year?

Answer: After a year where market conditions softened in favor of buyers, the Northern VA real estate market became more favorable for sellers in the first quarter of 2026, while the Washington DC condo market continued to reel.

What is in this article:

  • Northern VA, Arlington, and Washington DC Absorption Trends (demand)
  • Northern VA, Arlington, and Washington DC Inventory Trends (supply)
  • Washington DC List Price Trends (market values)

Northern VA & Arlington Inventory is Being Absorbed Faster

After four straight quarters of double-digit decreases in year-over-year absorption, the Northern VA and Arlington markets saw a ~8% increase in absorption rate.

What this means: Demand increased in Q1

Northern VA & Arlington New Listing Volume is Declining

After a promising trend of six straight quarters of year-over-year increases in the number of homes listed for sale in Northern VA, new listing activity fell by ~1% each of the previous two quarters.

What this means: Sellers have less competition, buyers have fewer choices

Washington DC Condo Absorption is Plummeting

The absorption rate for DC condos has declined year-over-year for 16 quarters straight and 23 out of the past 26 quarters.

What this means: It is difficult to find buyers for DC condos

Washington DC Condo Inventory Declined Slightly

Total inventory declined by 3.4% year-over-year, the first quarterly drop since Q4 2023. Still, there were great than 2x more condos for sale in DC in Q1 2026 than Q1 2020

What this means: Motivated sellers must compete aggressively with each other for buyers

Washington DC Condos Keep Getting Cheaper

The average price of a DC condo listed for sale is 9.4% less than it was in Q1 2025 and ~9% less than it was ten years ago.

What this means: Even lowering the price won’t guarantee a buyer

If you’d like to discuss buying, selling, investing, or renting, don’t hesitate to reach out to me at [email protected].

We have access to the most pre and off-market listings across the DMV of any brokerage and are happy to share what’s available with anybody who asks.

Below are some of our team’s pre/off-market listings, details and additional listings available by request:

  • Westover – 4BR/2BA/2,000sqft – Detached Single Family (2000) – 23rd St N Arlington VA 22205
  • Green Valley – 5BR/4.5BA/3,000sqft – Detached Single Family (2020) – 24th St S Arlington VA 22206
  • Ballston – 4BR/3.5BA/2,400sqft – Townhouse (2008) – N George Mason Dr Arlington VA 22203
  • Ballston – 4BR/3.5BA+office/4,000 sqft – Four Townhouses (2026/2027) – 11th St N Arlington VA 22201
  • Rosslyn – 2BR/2BA/1,800sqft – Condo (2021) – 1781 N Pierce St Arlington VA 22209
  • Rosslyn – 3BR/2.5BA/2,400sqft – Condo (1986) – 1530 Key Blvd Arlington VA 22209
  • Williamsburg – 6BR/5.5BA/5,500 sqft – Detached Single Family (2026) – 27th St N Arlington VA 22207
  • Yorktown – 6BR/6.5BA/6,000+ sqft – Detached Single Family (2026) – N Greencastle St Arlington VA 22207

Eli and his team believe that your real estate needs should be managed by advisors, not salespeople. Their mission is to guide, educate, and advocate for their clients through real advice, hands-on support, and personalized service.


News

The federal government is nearing a partial shutdown, with a range of effects on public services and the broader U.S. economy.

Employee furloughs and potential layoffs would halt some government activities. Other functions — like NASA’s space missions, Trump’s immigration crackdown and certain public health work at FDA and the USDA — would continue.


Schools

Even given the possibility of declining enrollment at Arlington Public Schools over the next decade, school leaders say they’re disinclined to dispose of any facilities.

Jeffrey Chambers, the school system’s director of design and construction, said the school system learned from a decision to do that several decades ago.


News

Arlington Community Federal Credit Union plans to merge with another mid-Atlantic credit union and take on its name.

The 74-year-old credit union — which has nearly 25,000 members in Arlington, Alexandria, Falls Church and Fairfax County — has announced plans to merge with Alexandria-based CommonWealth One Federal Credit Union.


Schools

A community celebration marking the centennial of Washington-Liberty High School brought students past, present and future to the school on Saturday.

In attendance were alumni who attended W-L as long ago as the early 1950s. Those who came said they retained fond memories.


News

Candidates for Falls Church City Council seem to agree it’s time to pause and take stock of a recent spurt of new construction before moving forward on bigger projects.

The city’s skyline has changed dramatically over the past decade with the arrival of several new mixed-use projects. Contenders participating in a Sept. 25 forum said growth has brought both positives and negatives.


News
A few brown leaves among the green on a street tree in Ballston (staff photo)

Shutdown Worries for Fed Contractors — “The PSC, an Arlington-based trade group for government contractors, had already been bracing for staff reductions in contracting offices across the U.S. government amid the Trump administration’s voluntary early retirement plan… the trade group is warning the government shutdown could bring larger setbacks for the contracting world.” [WBJ]

Home With a View for Sale — “The owners of Hard Times Cafe are asking $3.85 million for their 13,000-square-foot home at 1701 S. Arlington Ridge Road. The half-acre property sits on the ridge overlooking RiverHouse, the apartment complex, with Crystal City’s skyline clear as day, Fashion Centre at Pentagon City a 15-minute walk and the District in the distance.” [WBJ]

Design Submissions Open — “Arlington County’s design awards program, DESIGNArlington, is now accepting submissions for architectural, historic preservation, landscape, and public art projects. Submissions will be accepted through November 14, 2025.” [Arlington County]

ACPD Officers Attend Conference — “Last week, members of ACPD proudly attended the 2nd Annual She is Beyond the Badge: Women in Law Enforcement Conference. Women leaders attended to exchange best practices, highlight real-world tools, provide actionable strategies to address challenges and inspire excellence.” [ACPD/X]

Bishop Celebrates Migrant Mass — “Yesterday, Bishop Michael F. Burbidge celebrated a special Mass in honor of World Day of Migrants and Refugees at Holy Martyrs of Vietnam Church in Arlington. Present at the Mass were members of Catholic Charities Migration and Refugee Services (MRS), which turns 50 this year.” [Arlington Catholic Herald/X]

Another Dry Stretch — “Great for outdoor plans, bad for drought: Rain prospects look bleak for the foreseeable future. After the chance of a few showers today into early Tuesday, rain chances in the DC area are slim for almost 2 weeks according to most models.” [CWG/Bluesky]

It’s Tuesday — Expect a cloudy day with highs near 77°F and a northeast wind at 5 to 8 mph. Tuesday night will be mostly cloudy as well, with lows around 59°F and a north wind at 6 to 9 mph. [NWS]


Around Town

Good Monday evening, Arlington. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar.

🕗 News recap

The following articles were published earlier today — Sep 29, 2025.

📅 Upcoming events

Here is what’s going on Tuesday in Arlington, from our event calendar.

🌥️ Tuesday’s forecast

Expect a cloudy day with highs near 77°F and a northeast wind at 5 to 8 mph. Tuesday night will be mostly cloudy as well, with lows around 59°F and a north wind at 6 to 9 mph. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.”
– Walt Disney

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

The MonumentCam screenshot above is used with permission of the Trust for the National Mall and courtesy of EarthCam.

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.