Arlington fire personnel plunged into a high-stakes rescue mission on Friday as Hurricane Helene swept through parts of Southwest Virginia.
The Arlington County Fire Department’s water rescue team arrived in the town of Damascus, about two and a half hours from hard-hit Asheville, N.C., to find a person trapped inside their home and surrounded with “fast moving, debris laden water.”
Here in Arlington, real estate is a spectator sport. Let’s take a look at some of the smallest and largest homes sold last month (August 2024).
Largest homes sold
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 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:
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.
A sports bar with three locations around the state’s capital is planning to make the trip up I-95.
Richmond-based Wood & Iron is expected to open up in Virginia Square next year, on the ground level of a new mixed-use building planned for George Mason University’s Arlington campus.
At some point a lot of guys realize they don’t really have a friend group anymore.
Not in a dramatic way. Friends move away, people get busy, and actually seeing the same guys regularly almost never happens.
Meet Figaro, the newest Adoptable Pet of the Week!
This beautiful boy is looking for his forever home and is currently up for adoption at the Animal Welfare League of Arlington.
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
On a rainy Friday morning, an Arlington Circuit Court judge overturned a sweeping zoning change years in the making.
The ruling late last week sent a shockwave through the county, disrupting numerous planned developments and calling into question how the county government sets policies. “Missing Middle” opponents celebrated while supporters and at least one County Board member called for an appeal.
More from our reporting:
Judge David Schell ruled against the county on four counts this morning (Friday), finding that the county failed to adequately consider localized impacts, failed to follow proper procedure and violated state tree canopy requirements when adopting the amendments.
As of today, the county cannot lawfully issue any more permits under the Expanded Housing Option, which allowed for the construction of up to six-unit buildings on properties that were previously zoned for only single-family homes. […]
In a ruling read aloud from the bench, Schell referenced testimony from witnesses about possible wastewater backups and overflows that might result from the strain additional housing could place on stormwater and sewage infrastructure.
Although a county expert testified that Arlington does, in fact, have sufficient infrastructure to support anticipated growth, the judge found “no evidence presented that the county considered likely overflows” and other localized impacts.
All things considered, and putting aside your personal feelings about the zoning changes, do you agree with the ruling?
Weekend Fire in Ballston — A generator atop an office building at 4350 Fairfax Drive caught fire Saturday morning, prompting a large fire department response. The blaze was quickly extinguished. A power outage was also reported around the scene in Ballston that morning. [Twitter]
Coffey Reacts to EHO Verdict — From Arlington County Board member Maureen Coffey: “I’m incredibly disappointed by today’s ruling & firmly believe we must appeal it. I am proud to be a pro-housing elected official, the only renter on the Arlington County Board, & represent those who wonder whether they have a future in our community after living here for years.” [Twitter]
Library Celebrates Banned Books — “Banned Books Week, an annual, national observance established in 1982 in response to frequent attempts to have books banned, highlights the value of free and open access to information and runs through September 28. The Arlington Public Library is celebrating its own version: Freedom to Read Week.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]
Talking to the Cheese Lady — “So, in the middle of 2023, my husband Jeff and I said, let’s do something new. There’s more competition. There’s a Harris Teeter there [which includes a Murray’s Cheese counter]. Now, there may have been a time where you could support two Cheesetiques within two miles of each other. We don’t think that’s the case anymore, so let’s do a new concept. And moving in an Italian direction felt very comfortable because it was a world in which we already lived so much.” [Washington Business Journal]
F.C. Art Festival Extended — “‘Due to the serious nature of Hurricane Helene,’ Falls Church Arts’ ‘Scenes in the City’ Plein Air Festival – one of the City of Falls Church’s prized annual art shows – has been moved up to Oct. 12, from its earlier date of Sept. 28, giving outdoor artists in the prize-competition ‘additional time to paint,’ and, hopefully, better weather to complete their submissions.” [Falls Church Independent]
It’s Monday — Expect showers with a high near 70 and a northeast wind at 10 mph, with a 90% chance of precipitation and possible new rainfall amounts between a quarter and half an inch. Monday night will see continued showers, a low around 62, northeast wind at 10 mph, 80% chance of precipitation, and potential new rainfall amounts between a tenth and a quarter of an inch. [NWS]
Today’s Morning Notes are brought to you by Industrious. Industrious makes coworking simple. With fully stocked amenities and multiple Metro-accessible locations in Arlington, you can focus on your work without the hassle of office management.
A three-month-old pilot program to divert food scraps from Arlington’s waste stream is paying dividends, the county government said Sept. 23.
More than 11,000 pounds of food waste has been collected since the launch of the Solid Waste Bureau’s pilot program in early July, officials said. Over 1,000 pounds of food scraps and food-soiled paper are being composted in a typical week.
Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC) Director Chad Dotson announced today that for the 11th straight year, Virginia has achieved one of the lowest recidivism rates for re-incarceration in the nation.
Data from the VADOC shows that the Commonwealth’s 19% three-year re-incarceration rate for State Responsible (SR) inmates among the FY2019 cohort is tied for the second-lowest in the United States with Minnesota.
Today’s pop quiz: What do kangaroos, wombats, koalas and students at a number of Arlington schools all have that others do not?
The answer: pouches.
The League of Women Voters of Arlington and Alexandria City, in partnership with Arlington County Public Library, invites you to an open discussion on managing local government in a changing environment.
Join Arlington County Manager Mark Schwartz and Alexandria City Manager Jim Parajon for a conversation about how local governments are adapting to shifts in federal funding and changes at the state level. The discussion will explore how these evolving conditions may impact local priorities, services, and decision-making in our communities.
