An empty bench near the Netherlands Carillon in Rosslyn overlooks the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
As the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency continues to make cuts, we’re wondering how Arlingtonians are feeling about the implications for our area.
On the other side of the Potomac, Virginia as a whole gets 3.4% of its employment from the federal government. More than 10% of Arlington’s workers, meanwhile, are employed as civilians in the federal government.
Given some of the early warning signs in D.C., and our reliance on the federal government for the local economy here in Arlington, how are you currently feeling about the implications of DOGE cuts?
Construction on a bus stop along Wilson Blvd in the Courthouse area (courtesy George Brazier)
Flyover Planned Today — From AlertDC: “The U.S. Military will conduct an aircraft flyover in the National Capital Region (NCR) over Arlington National Cemetery on Monday, March 3, 2025, at 1:15PM.”
Beyer Again Takes on Robert E. Lee — Rep. Don Beyer last week reintroduced legislation calling for the removal of Robert E. Lee’s name from the National Park Service’s Arlington House property. Beyer and Sen. Tim Kaine several times before patroned similar legislation, only to see it languish and die each time in committee. –Scott McCaffrey
Reagan National Sets Annual Record — Reagan National Airport’s 2024 passenger count of 26.29 million was up 3.3% from 2023 and set another record at the 83-year-old facility. Dulles Airport’s 2024 passenger total of 27.25 million passengers also a single-year best, topping a record that had stood since 2005. —Scott McCaffrey
Business License Tax Due Today — “Annually, businesses must file and pay their business license online via CAPP by 11:59 p.m. on March 1 (or the next business day).” [Arlington County]
Office Owner Planning for Future — “Beacon Capital Partners LLC is beginning to formulate plans for a seven-building Rosslyn office portfolio it now controls, with an eye toward maintaining and improving most of it as office… The new owner, in the process of selecting an architect, is noodling amenity and retail upgrades for most of the buildings, especially The Towers on Wilson Boulevard bearing the signs of Raytheon (now RTX) and Grant Thornton.” [WBJ]
Va. Delegation Worried About USPS — “From delivering prescription medications and household goods, to election ballots, paychecks, and critical bills, USPS continues to be an essential part of Americans’ everyday lives. However, press reports indicate you are planning to upend over 50 years of Congressionally-mandated independence at USPS with no clear strategy for continuing essential mail delivery services or achieving financial sustainability.” [Press Release]
Post Covers Locker Room Incidents — “The case, which is winding its way through court and has a hearing scheduled for Monday, has elicited outrage from Arlington County to Richmond, with families incensed over the lack of strong screening processes and the state’s top law enforcement officer publicly criticizing a local prosecutor for not pursuing an earlier allegation against Cox.” [Washington Post]
Call for More Lighting in F.C. — “The physical area may be small, but in terms of density, we can bet there were few places that offered more for entertainment-seekers anywhere in the region that night. On top of that, there was, and is, an abundance of very good food. We strongly urge City officials to put more outside lighting in and around that intersection to encourage the attendees at all these offerings to move around and make the most of their visits here.” [FCNP]
It’s Monday — Expect sunny skies and a high of around 45 today, with light and variable wind becoming northwest around 6 mph in the morning. Tonight, the skies will be mostly clear and the temperature will drop to a low of around 31, accompanied by a south wind of 3 to 6 mph. [NWS]
Today’s Morning Notes are brought to you by Industrious. ARLnow has been in an Industrious office for years and we love the convenience — you get to focus on your work rather than worrying about brewing your own coffee or keeping the copy machine stocked. Industrious has several Metro-accessible coworking locations in Arlington.
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…)
The above establishment is applying to the VIRGINIA ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL (ABC) AUTHORITY for a Liquor license to sell or manufacture alcoholic beverages.
NOTE: Objections to Posting issuance of this license must be submitted to ABC no longer than 30 days from the publishing date of the first of two required newspaper legal notices. Objections should be registered at www.abc.virginia.gov or (800) 552-3200
Families will also have the opportunity to tour the Dojo, meet our team, learn about our coding programs and camps, and take advantage of special Open House enrollment offers.
Admission is free, but registration is encouraged.
The champion Washington-Liberty team (courtesy of W-L track & field)
With district and region girls indoor track-and-field championships already won this winter, the Washington-Liberty Generals now go after the biggest prize in the sport.
On Monday and Tuesday, March 3 and 4, in Virginia Beach, the Generals will attempt to win the Virginia High School League Class 6 state championship.
Join DC Road Runners and Potomac Valley Track Club for our annual Family Night at the Track and Meet of Miles. The event is open to runners of all ages and paces as well as nonmembers.
This event hosts 400 meter and 800 meter races for kids ages 1-8, as well as multiple 1-mile heats for participants of all ages. There is also a 3K race that is open to participants of all ages.
The Bishop O’Connell Knights had short-lived, one-game stays in the girls and boys Washington Catholic Athletic Conference basketball tournaments, each finishing 0-1.
The fourth-seeded boys high-school team (22-9) lost to the visiting and No. 5 seed St. John’s, 65-57, in a first-round game. The sixth-seed O’Connell girls (17-15) fell on the road, 80-41, to the No. 3 seed Bishop Ireton Cardinals.
Yorktown is as favorite to win the state (staff photo by Dave Facinoli)
It has been postponed a couple of times due to weather. But yes, the Virginia High School League Class 6 state-championship swimming-and-diving meet is still scheduled.
And one Arlington team is preparing to defend its state crown.
Yorktown's Eleanor Mahshie (photo by Becky Cullinan)
A number of players from Arlington were selections to all-6D North Region girls and boys basketball teams for their performances during the 2024-25 high-school season.
Boys players chosen to the first team from Yorktown High School were junior guard Jake Coulam and senior guard/forward Brennan Pilot. Yorktown senior forward Jack Rubin made the second team.
Wakefield shells row on the Anacostia River (courtesy of Wakefield crew boosters)
High-school crew teams from Arlington began practice in recent days for the upcoming spring season, which starts in April with area regattas.
As shown in the photo with this coverage, a couple of Wakefield High School girls eight shells practice in the early morning on the Anacostia River. The Wakefield boys and girls teams alternate morning practices on the Anacostia.
