Arlington County police cars (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
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.
A partisan standoff over health care and spending is threatening to trigger the first U.S. government shutdown in almost seven years, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
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.
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: Do you expect the housing market to continue at its current pace through the summer?
Answer: Buyers throughout Northern VA have faced stiff competition so far in 2026, especially for detached homes and townhomes. Some relief is coming to buyers still searching for a home, although it will come at the cost of seeing fewer homes hit the market.
The data below is based on homes sold in Arlington VA that went under contract in 2023-2025, but the seasonal trends apply across most Northern VA markets.
Second Half Market is Slower, Less Competitive
When you buy a home affects the way you experience the housing market. Buyers who are active in the first half of the year experience a constant flow of new listings, homes going under contract quickly, frequent competition, and rising prices. Buyers who are active in the second half of the year see fewer listings, homes take longer to sell, less competition, and more stable prices.
Slower market: Homes sell about 30% slower in the second half of the year
More negotiations: Buyers negotiate ~2% more off the original asking price in the second half of the year
Harder to find what you want: 25-30% fewer homes come to market during the second half of the year
Prices stabilize: Prices tend to appreciate during the first half of the year and stabilize in the second half of the year
Caution on misreading the data: The 3% and 7% drop in average sold price in the second half of 2024 and 2025 does not necessarily mean home values were 3% and 7% lower during that time, the drop is more correlated to less expensive homes being listed for sale in the second half of the year than the first half
2025 construction work at the Grace Hopper Center, located next to the current Arlington Career Center (staff photo by Dan Egitto)
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.
An Arlington Community Federal Credit Union location in Glebewood (staff photo by Dan Egitto)
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.
Residents worried about our urban forest, their neighbor’s tree, or the declining oak in their own yard can apply now for a seven-week course to learn about trees and become a volunteer Tree Steward with Tree Stewards of Arlington and Alexandria.
City Council candidate Arthur Agin and Council member Laura Downs at 2025 forum (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)
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.
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]
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
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Arlington’s swarms of spotted lanternflies will finally go away over the winter, but residents should expect to see even more next year, experts say.
The invasive insects, which have appeared en masse in Arlington this year after sporadic sightings for the last few years, will die with the first frost, Alonso Abugattas, natural resources program manager for Arlington County, told ARLnow. This typically takes place around Oct. 25.