Heather Bruen Mapes Hurlock died on April 12, 2026, in Virginia Hospital Center. She was born in Manhattan, New York City, on March 1, 1938. She was a tenth-generation New Yorker, a direct descendant of Thomas Mapes, one of the founders (about 1647) of Southold, Long Island, NY. She was the daughter of the late Col. Douglas Stewart Mapes of New York City and Cathleen Hourigan Mapes of Buffalo, New York.
Heather first came to Alexandria, VA, in 1946, when her father was stationed here at the Pentagon as a staff officer of the Military District of Washington. After her father’s untimely death in June 1947, her mother took her and her sister, Rosemary, to Europe for schooling. Heather attended high schools in Geneva, Beirut, and Munich. Her freshman year of college was at the University of Maryland (now Global Campus) in Munich.
There is a 30% chance of showers in the afternoon, with cloudy skies transitioning to mostly sunny and a high near 65°F. Expect a north wind at 5 to 8 mph. Thursday night will see mostly cloudy conditions clearing to a low around 48°F, with light and variable winds shifting northwest at 5 to 7 mph after midnight. See more from Weather.gov.
💡 Quote of the Day
“I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” – Michael Jordan
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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…)
Map showing areas of D.C. and Virginia after retrocession vote of 1846 (via Library of Congress)
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Arlington is set to reach a historic milestone in September — the 180th anniversary of its return from the District of Columbia to Virginia sovereignty.
Rendering of the proposed new Cavalier Club apartment building (via Hord Coplan Macht Fairfax County)
A major development project straddling the Arlington-Fairfax county line on Wilson Blvd took another procedural step forward this week.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday (May 5) gave the owner of a key Seven Corners residential parcel the ability to more than double units on the site while also adding retail space.
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.
Maman's new cafe in Pentagon City (staff photo by Katie Taranto)
Arlington’s third Maman cafe is opening in Pentagon City tomorrow with giveaways for its first customers.
The French-inspired bakery and cafe is hosting a grand opening on the ground floor of Amazon HQ2 (1450 S. Eads Street), where Mae’s Market and Cafe closed last year. Starting at 8 a.m, the first 100 customers will receive a free tote bag and cookie with purchase.
Safeway at 3713 Langston Blvd (staff photo by Dan Egitto)
The Safeway in Cherrydale is getting a facelift this year.
The longtime grocer at 3713 Langston Blvd is preparing for a store remodel, Dana Ward, director of communications and public affairs for Albertsons’ Mid-Atlantic Division, told ARLnow. Contractors are receiving work permits as the store has begun selling off some soon-to-be discontinued products.
Composite image showing what man whose remains were found might have looked like (via ACPD)
Police have released composite sketches of a man whose remains were found in a vacant Ballston home more than two years ago, hoping the public can help identify him.
The remains were discovered on Feb. 26, 2024 by the new owners of an abandoned property on the 1300 block of N. Taylor Street. The owners came across the remains in the basement during a walkthrough of the recently purchased home. Police were dispatched just before 5 p.m. and immediately launched a death investigation.
An LGBTQ+-inspired art installation at 23rd Street S. and S. Fern Road (courtesy of Tracy Sayegh Gabriel)
Arlington’s LGBTQIA+ Advisory Committee is in full organizing mode for a June block party in Crystal City honoring Pride Month.
Organizers are hoping for upwards of 500 attendees at next month’s first Arlington Pride 23rd Street Block Party. Sponsored by Equality Arlington in collaboration with several other community organizations, the event is slated for Saturday, June 6 from 3-7 p.m. in the Restaurant Row area of 23rd Street S.
A school bus stop sign (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Two LGBTQ+ advocacy groups are calling on Arlington Public Schools to address the disproportionate mental health and safety outcomes negatively affecting its LGBTQ+ student population.
In a new joint letter to APS leaders, the groups, Equality Arlington and the Arlington Gender Identity Alliance (AGIA), are asking the school system to implement a more targeted response to the mental health challenges, violence, discrimination and bullying that its LGBTQ+ students experience at elevated rates when compared to fellow students.
