Glencarlyn Library is celebrating over 100 years in operation with a rededication and family friendly festivities this weekend.
The library opened in the fall of 1923. It will honor its extensive history on Saturday afternoon with displays of historic photos, a talk about Glencarlyn in the 1920s and remarks from officials including Arlington County Board Chair Libby Garvey, a press release says.
Late September marks the halfway point to St. Patrick’s Day, and in Shirlington, it also means the return of the neighborhood’s annual Celtic Festival.
The free festivities take place from noon to 7 p.m. this Saturday, Sept. 21, in and around Samuel Beckett’s Irish Gastro Pub at 2800 S. Randolph Street.
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: It seems like listings lingered on the market longer than usual this summer. Is that reflected in the market data?
Answer: The summer real estate market is usually slower than spring, but since late June, this summer has felt unusually slow compared with past summer markets. I analyzed Arlington homes listed for sale in July and August, going back to 2016, and found that we did indeed experience a historically slow summer market.
5-Bullet Cliff Notes
Slowest Summer Since 2016
Fewer homes listed in July and August went under contract within the first ten days on market (my preferred measure of market pace) than any summer since 2016.
The condo market experienced the brunt of that slowness, with the percentage of condos under contract within ten days falling 17.9 points below the trailing ten-year average. Arlington’s detached/townhouse/duplex market, one of the most robust sub-markets in the country, was not spared either; falling 6.7 points below the trailing ten-year average.
Lingering Inventory
The clearest sign of a summer slowdown is the amount of inventory that remained unresolved at the end of August. 53% of the listings entered in July and August were still active, compared with about 31% in 2025 and 27% from 2023-2025.
Even among July listings, which had at least a full month to attract a buyer, 36% remained active: more than twice the recent three-year rate. As of Aug 30, ~25% of all active summer listings had accumulated at least 30 days on market, and 9% accumulated at least 60 days.
Showings Down, Active Inventory Up
Showing data shows that we have fewer buyers in the market, not simply more indecisive/deliberate buyers. In the week ending August 23, showings in Arlington were down 7.9% from the prior week and 26.4% from the same week last year.
There are also a lot more homes for buyers to choose from, with active listings (homes listed for sale) up 2% from the week prior and 21.5% from the same week last year. Buyers will take longer to make decisions when they have more choices.
The Arlington trends are consistent with other Northern VA/DC Metro markets as well. In the DC Metro, weekly showings dropped to five-year lows in late June and remained there during most weeks of the summer. At the same time, the week ending August 23 delivered the most new listings to the market of any year since 2021, for the same week.
Total active listings in the DC Metro have been above the same week in the prior year since the second week of January 2025.
Though Arlington has been taking steps to streamline its permitting process, evidence of continued inefficiencies and delays can be seen at organizations around the county.
Just last month, two business owners — one aiming to open a new restaurant and nightclub in Clarendon and another opening a retro sports bar in Shirlington — told ARLnow that a lack of county permits was hindering their progress.
Pentagon MMA has brought a special honor home to Arlington from the birthplace of Muay Thai.
The Arlington Muay Thai and Jiu Jitsu Academy is now officially a certified and registered Muay Thai Gym Partner through the Sports Authority of Thailand and the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Thailand, making Pentagon MMA the only Muay Thai academy on the East Coast to have earned this distinction.
A fifth grader in Green Valley who ran a lemonade stand this summer to support the creation of her first book is now a self-published author.
Nora Jacoby, 10, celebrated the release of “The Four Princesses” earlier this week. It’s a tale of three princesses who use their powers to help a fourth princess who has lost everything.
Join us for the Saint Ann Fall Festival on Saturday, September 26! Start the day with our Fun Run at 9:30 AM, followed by the Fall Festival beginning at 10:00 AM.
This family friendly celebration is open to the entire Arlington community and offers something for everyone! Enjoy rides and inflatables, live entertainment, family friendly Bingo, raffles, a Beer Garden, delicious food, and plenty of opportunities to gather with the community.
The festival is also a celebration of Saint Ann’s diverse Catholic community, featuring food and entertainment representing our Filipino, Latino, and Peruvian communities, along with some local favorites.
This year’s entertainment includes a live band in the Beer Garden, and exciting Bolivian and Peruvian dance performances. Admission is free, and tickets for food, rides, and activities can be purchased at the festival.
Come celebrate with us and experience the warm, welcoming spirit of Saint Ann! We look forward to welcoming the greater Arlington community for a fun-filled day together.
The Fall Festival will take place rain or shine! Come join the fun!
Local Military Contractor Hits Snag — “Arlington defense contractor AeroVironment Inc. has been forced to suspend its work supplying certain military drones to the U.S. Army after a rival firm protested the award of a contract valued at close to $1 billion.” [Washington Business Journal]
End is Near for Circulator — “Oct. 1 will mark the end of the Rosslyn-Dupont Circle Route of the D.C. Circulator bus service, part of the phased elimination of the bus network, which is operated by a contractor on behalf of the District of Columbia government.” [GazetteLeader]
Architect Sought for DCA Revamp — “The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority is seeking an architectural and engineering firm to kick off the planned redevelopment of Terminal 1 at Reagan National Airport… a design contract that could be worth as much as $108 million over eight years.” [Washington Business Journal]
Video: Crash in Pentagon City — From Dave Statter: “Two very lucky pedestrians. They almost got caught up in this two car crash at Army Navy & Hayes in Pentagon City around 9:20 a.m. No injuries.” [Twitter]
Another Crash at Same Intersection — From Statter: “The second crash in less than an hour at Army Navy & Hayes in Pentagon City. At least one injury from this one. And yes, the light was red for Army Navy traffic.” [Twitter]
More on Rosslyn Building Sale — “Brookfield has sold Potomac Tower, an office building in Rosslyn designed by late architect I.M. Pei, to the building’s largest tenant for $143 million. Venture Global LNG Inc., a liquefied natural gas provider whose global headquarters is located there, paid roughly $600 a square foot for the Class A building at 1001 19th St. N. in Arlington. The building, with leasable 242,000 square feet, is fully leased.” [Washington Business Journal]
It’s Thursday — Showers are possible today, with mostly cloudy skies and a high around 78°F. Expect a north wind at 6-8 mph and a 20% chance of precipitation. Thursday night will be partly cloudy and the temperature will drop to around 63°F. [NWS]
Good Wednesday 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 — Sep 18, 2024.
Here is what’s going on Thursday in Arlington, from our event calendar.
Showers are possible before 11am and after 2pm, accompanied by mostly cloudy skies and a high around 78°F. Expect a north wind at 6-8 mph and a 20% chance of precipitation. For Thursday night, the sky will be partly cloudy and the temperature will drop to around 63°F, with a north wind at about 5 mph. See more from Weather.gov.
“The media’s the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that’s power. Because they control the minds of the masses.”
– Malcolm X
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.
Matt Sughrue has become a top player in U.S. Senior Amateur
It took a while, including two stretches when he pretty much quit playing competitive golf for more than 20 years combined, for Matt Sughrue to understand and enjoy what he believes is most important about the sport.
By DAVID KOENIG AP Airlines Writer
Boeing’s CEO said Wednesday that the company will begin furloughing “a large number” of employees to conserve cash during the strike by union machinists that began last week.
More corporate hotel rooms and up to 1.8 million square feet of development are on track to come to Pentagon City following votes last weekend.
An approved amendment to the Pentagon City Phased Development Site Plan would allow for the redevelopment of two aging office buildings just east of the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City. The change does not come with specific plans for new development, but tentative proposals call for up to 1,675 new dwelling units and 70,000 square feet of retail space.
