Arlington County police are investigating gunshots fired in the Shirlington neighborhood this morning.
Several shots were fired around 2:30 a.m. Friday inside one of the neighborhood’s parking garages, on S. Randolph Street. Police searched the area but could not find anyone injured or anything damaged, nor did they find the shooter.
A cozy cafe serving Japanese matcha and French pastries opened its doors last month in Falls Church.
Offerings at Midori Tea House include sparkling fruit drinks, hot tea, petite desserts — and of course, the cafe’s specialty, matcha.
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: Does the cost of renting a home in Arlington increase at a similar rate as the cost of buying a home in Arlington?
Answer: The cost of renting and buying a detached home increases at a similar rate, but the cost of renting a condo has outpaced the cost of buying a condo.
Condo Rents Rising Faster than Condo Prices
Since 2020, the cost of renting a detached home in Arlington increased at a similar rate as the cost of buying a detached home; 26% and 28%, respectively.
However, the cost of renting a condo increased significantly faster than the cost of buying a condo; 21% and 6%, respectively.
Sale Price to Rental Rate Multiple Shifts with Interest Rates
The table below shows the average price and $/SF of buying a detached home or condo relative to the average annual rent for a detached home or condo, in Arlington. Higher multiples show that buying is becoming more expensive relative to renting.
Takeaway: Condo buyers are more rate sensitive than detached home buyers and are more likely to rent (higher rental demand = strong condo rent appreciation) than buy (weakened purchase demand = low condo value appreciation) when interest rates increase. Notice how quickly the sale price to rental rate multiple drops from 2020/2021 to 2022/2023 (rates skyrocketed spring/summer 2022). (more…)
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AGAIN BOUTIQUES LUXURY RESALE IN MCLEAN
The official start of winter is around the corner — Saturday, Dec. 21, to be exact — and it brings snow lovers hope that mother nature may soon bestow upon us a blanket of the white, fluffy kind.
With snow, of course, comes outdoor activities including sledding. Here in Arlington, there are plenty of sloping hills to choose from.
Here are the top picks for “Best Hill to go Sledding on in Arlington” as part of our ARLnow Readers’ Choice awards. Have we missed a great spot for sledding? Write it in! Voting will close in two weeks.
Voting for Best Place to Get a Massage in Arlington is still taking place. Be sure to cast your vote before voting closes next Friday at 9 a.m.
Two weeks ago, we voted on Arlington’s best bakery. The results are now official:
Join us for a delightful Sunday afternoon at the BlackRock Center for the Arts as Cruise Planners Beth & Rod present a special travel-inspired matinee featuring the beloved film Under the Tuscan Sun.
Date & Time: Sunday, May 31 | 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Arlington School Board members Thursday night (Dec. 12) voted unanimously to implement a bell-to-bell ban on student use of phones in county schools starting Jan. 6.
“Our schools are places of learning,” Superintendent Francisco Durán said just before the vote, saying his recommendation was “a policy that will protect that instructional space.”
Donald Trump did slightly better in Arlington in 2024 than 2020 and 2016. But the difference was slight, the chair of the Arlington County Democratic Committee told his party’s rank-and-file.
“Arlington did its job” in turning out the vote for presidential candidate Kamala Harris, Democratic chair Steve Baker said at the committee’s Dec. 4 monthly meeting.
FDIC on Chopping Block? — “The Trump transition team has started to explore pathways to dramatically shrink, consolidate or even eliminate the top bank watchdogs in Washington. In recent interviews with potential nominees to lead bank regulatory agencies, Trump advisers and officials from his newfound Department of Government Efficiency have, for example, asked whether the president-elect could abolish the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., people familiar with the matter said.” [WSJ]
Reminder: Wreath Weekend — “About 75 tractor-trailers loaded with handmade balsam wreaths will arrive in the county starting on Friday in preparation for the event expected to draw several thousand volunteers. Large crowds and heavy traffic are expected during the annual Wreaths Across America event on Saturday, which is one of two events bringing road closures to Arlington this weekend.” [ARLnow]
Summer Camp Registration Dates — “We’re excited to announce the registration dates for 2025 Summer Camps in Arlington County! Feb. 3: Early registration for those who are enrolled in DPR’s fee reduction program. Feb. 12: Registration for camps led by our partners. Feb. 19: Registration for Parks & Rec Camps.” [Arlington County]
Fairfax Leader Blasts Maryland — “A Virginia elected official said Maryland leaders don’t want traffic on the Capital Beltway to get better, and the reason, he said, is jobs. Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chair Jeff McKay was referring to traffic near the Wilson Bridge and the Legion Bridge.” [NBC 4, Twitter]
Housing Proposal for Potomac Yard — “Developer JBG Smith announced plans today for 750 new residential units in Potomac Yard. The developer said the plan is to build a mix of multifamily, townhome and committed affordable units on the southern portion of the neighborhood across from the Potomac Yard Metro station… The proposed developments are on vacant lots south of the Metro station and south of where the planned arena would have been.” [ALXnow]
Storm Next Week? — From the Capital Weather Gang: “Watching — possible signal for some kind of Mid-Atlantic storm in about a week. We don’t think cold will be entrenched enough for a snowstorm in DC but mountains have a better chance. It’s worth monitoring. 3 model scenarios shown here.” [Twitter]
It’s Friday — Expect mostly sunny skies during the day with a high temperature close to 41°F and a gentle breeze from the northeast. Heading into Friday night, the skies will turn mostly cloudy with temperatures dipping to about 28°F, accompanied by a 6 mph northeast wind. [NWS]
Flick pool photo by Jason Gooljar
Good Thursday evening, Arlington. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar.
The following articles were published earlier today — Dec 12, 2024.
Here is what’s going on Friday in Arlington, from our event calendar.
Expect mostly sunny skies during the day with a high temperature close to 41°F and a gentle breeze from the northeast. Heading into Friday night, the skies will turn mostly cloudy with temperatures dipping to about 28°F, accompanied by a 6 mph northeast wind. See more from Weather.gov.
“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”
– Mahatma Gandhi
The MonumentCam screenshot above is used with permission of the Trust for the National Mall and courtesy of EarthCam.
Thanks for reading! Feel free to discuss the day’s happenings in the comments.
The Yorktown High School ice-hockey club team lost its first game of the season recently to Stone Bridge, 5-4, in what was a hard-fought, penalty-filled match.
Despite the loss, Yorktown remained tied atop the Smythe Division of the Northern Virginia Scholastic Hockey League with a 2-1 record.
