George Mason University’s new Arlington-based innovation hub, Fuse at Mason Square, is officially open.
But students will have to wait a little longer to use it.
A Vietnamese eatery in Clarendon featuring bubble tea has rebranded and added some new menu items.
After opening in July under the name Bobalicious, the cafe became Pho and Banh Mi Eatery Cafe later this summer — and has now updated its offerings to include soft tacos in addition to pho, poke, rolls and banh mi.
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…)
Arlington’s real estate market reflects the broader community — it’s diverse, dynamic, and never boring.
This weekend’s local open houses offer a snapshot of Arlington’s wide variety real estate offerings, from affordable condos to multi-million dollar homes. One highlight: a 2 million house in Cherrydale with a master bedroom balcony, rooftop and 6% seller financing available.
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.
An Italian restaurant in Virginia Square is one of the best new restaurants in the country, according to Yelp.
The website ranked Carbonara (3865 Wilson Blvd) at No. 21 on its list of the Best New Restaurants of 2024 earlier this week. The national list selected 25 restaurants based on the volume and ratings of their Yelp reviews, among other factors.
Join the Rosslyn BID and Arlington Arts at the 34th Rosslyn Jazz Fest 2026 featuring live jazz, food trucks, local vendors, and family-friendly activities in the heart of Rosslyn! This year’s lineup is bringing a diverse mix of performers and bands redefining the jazz music genre including Plena Libre, Sally Baby’s Silver Dollars, Parlor Greens, and Dogo du Togo & the Alagaa Beat Band.
This time of year can be stressful, but Arlington is home to a number of places to relax your body and mind.
Here are the top spots for “Best Place to Get a Massage in Arlington” as part of our ARLnow Readers’ Choice awards. These spots are sure to destress and detox your body this season. Is your favorite place not listed? Write it in!
Don’t wait to vote as polls will close in two weeks.
Voting for Best Bakery 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 local shop. The results are now official:
- Golden Fox Boutique
- Casual Adventure
- Le Village Marche
Some holiday cheer is coming to Rosslyn this evening (Friday) with a tree lighting and dog-friendly happy hour featuring Santa.
The events were originally scheduled to happen on different days, with the tree lighting taking place yesterday evening — but it got pushed back due to strong winds. The twinkling Tannenbaum will now be celebrated in tandem with a “Santa Paws Yappy Hour” at Central Place Plaza, located at 1800 N. Lynn Street.
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A clinic for Arlington and Falls Church residents seeking to get criminal charges expunged is taking place this weekend.
The clinic is for people who have been arrested and charged with a crime, but never convicted. It will take place at Arlington Presbyterian Church (918 S. Lincoln Street) from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturday (Dec. 7).
Dems Pick Primary for County Board Race — Arlington Democrats on Wednesday opted to use a state-run primary rather than party-run caucus to select their 2025 County Board nominee. The primary will take place in June if it is needed. Incumbent Board member Takis Karantonis has informally indicated he will seek re-election, but no other candidates have yet stepped forward. –Scott McCaffrey
Gas Leak on the Pike — Traffic restrictions are in effect at the intersection of Columbia Pike and S. Barton Street following the discovery of a gas leak. Crews from Washington Gas discovered the leak on Wednesday while switching service from the existing pipe to a new pipe. No evacuation is needed, but only one travel lane will be open at S. Barton Street between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. today. –Dan Egitto
Crashes Caught on Camera — From Dave Statter: “Two crashes, same intersection: The intersection of Langston, Kirkwood, and Spout Run this afternoon.” [Twitter]
Arlington Company Eyes Expansion — “An Arlington-based company backed by funding from the United Arab Emirates hopes to become a dominant player in the growing padel sports craze sweeping the country. Epic Padel is focused both nationally and in Greater Washington, where it has identified a pair of Northern Virginia sites for new venues featuring the fast-growing racket sport, considered a cross between tennis and squash. And zooming out, it aims to have courts in 50 metro areas by 2030.” [WBJ]
Axios HQ Makes Acquisition — “[Clarendon-based] Axios HQ, the leading internal comms solution powered by Smart Brevity® and AI, has acquired Mixing Board, a community of the nation’s top comms, brand, and marketing leaders focused on advancing their industries.” [BusinessWire, WBJ]
New CEO for Rosslyn-Based Nestle — “Nestle USA, the Rosslyn-based U.S. division of Swiss global food and pet care giant Nestle SA, has tapped Marty Thompson to be its new CEO and U.S. market head. He will start in his new role in January, according to Thursday’s announcement. Thompson will assume Nestle USA’s top spot after serving as the president of Nestle Coffee Partners.” [WBJ]
F.C. Facing Budget Gap — “While a lot of variables and as-yet-unknown factors prevail for now, the Falls Church City Council and School Board got together for their annual early-December launch of a new annual budget cycle at City Hall Monday, and learned that, at least for now, to meet current projections will require about a 4 cent increase in the real estate tax rate next year.” [FCNP]
Nearby: Amazon Fresh Opening Soon — “Amazon Fresh is coming to Bailey’s Crossroads. The e-commerce giant announced today that the newest location of its grocery store chain will open in the Crossroads Center shopping center next Thursday, Dec. 12. Located at 5811 Crossroads Center Way, the 40,000-square-foot store will feature Amazon’s ‘Just Walk Out’ shopping.” [FFXnow]
It’s Friday — Expect sunny skies and temperatures reaching a high of 37 degrees, accompanied by a northwest wind blowing at 11 to 14 mph and gusts as high as 23 mph. During Friday night, the skies will be mostly clear, and temperatures will drop to a low of around 24 degrees. A west wind of 6 to 8 mph will also be present. [NWS]
Good Thursday 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 — Dec 5, 2024.
- 7:30 am: Morning Notes for December 5, 2024 | 🗣️ Comments
- 8:15 am: County leaders seek more early-childhood support from Richmond | 🗣️ Comments
- 9:00 am: Man tied to mail thefts and Pentagon City robbery of postal worker is arrested | 🗣️ Comments
- 9:45 am: Vietnamese restaurant plans to open in former Lee’s Sandwiches space in Ballston | 🗣️ Comments
- 11:15 am: Rosslyn Tunnel upgrades on track to finish by mid-2025 | 🗣️ Comments
- 1:00 pm: Soaring shoplifting prompts holiday crackdown by ACPD | 🗣️ Comments
- 2:00 pm: New arrivals at the ARLnow Shop, just in time for the holidays | 🗣️ Comments
- 2:30 pm: ‘Taylor Drift’ meets ‘Saline Dion’ as Arlington announces snowplow names | 🗣️ Comments
- 3:45 pm: Tweaks to county’s stormwater-rebate program on the horizon | 🗣️ Comments
- 6:15 pm: Arlington high school sports schedule for Dec. 6-12 | 🗣️ Comments
- 7:00 pm: O’Connell grad makes impact as a college-cross country runner | 🗣️ Comments
📅 Upcoming events
Here is what’s going on Friday in Arlington, from our event calendar.
- 5:00 pm: Rosslyn Cheer: Light the Plaza
- 5:00 pm: Rosslyn Cheer: Santa Paws Yappy Hour
- 👉 7:00 pm: New! The Holiday Time Travelers
- 👉 7:00 pm: Jingle Bell Jam
- 7:30 pm: Madeline’s Christmas
☀️ Friday’s forecast
Expect sunny skies and temperatures reaching a high of 37 degrees, accompanied by a northwest wind blowing at 11 to 14 mph and gusts as high as 23 mph. During Friday night, the skies will be mostly clear, and temperatures will drop to a low of around 24 degrees. A west wind of 6 to 8 mph will also be present. See more from Weather.gov.
💡 Quote of the Day
“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”
– Eleanor Roosevelt
🌅 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! Feel free to discuss the day’s happenings in the comments.