Snow-covered benches at The Lot near Clarendon (photo courtesy George Brazier)
New Field Check-in Process — “The Arlington Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) this spring will begin a pilot program using an phone-app-based check-in procedure at fields that have been reserved for group use… The process is expected to be simple – ‘you scan a QR code,’ Anselene said.” [Gazette Leader]
Wounded Duck Rescued — From the Animal Welfare League of Arlington: “Thank you Officer Votroubek & Blue Ridge Wildlife Ctr for saving this long-tailed duck! He had a bad wound on his wing but is on the mend. Long-tailed ducks breed in the Arctic & migrate along our northern coasts. We think was blown inland during last week’s storm!” [Twitter]
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 police have charged a former Washington-Liberty High School basketball coach with sexual offenses and are seeking possible additional victims.
George Porcha, 53, of Winterville, North Carolina, is charged with carnal knowledge of a minor and taking indecent liberties with children, per an Arlington County Police Department press release sent out this evening (Tuesday).
A former board president of the Arlington Aquatic Club pled guilty today to conspiring to sexually exploit several children.
Mark Black, 50, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to produce child pornography and one count of coercion and enticement one month before he was set to go to trial in federal court on Feb. 27, according to a press release from the U.S. Dept. of Justice.
An ART bus and driver (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
(Updated at 3:20 p.m.) Starting this month, Arlington students can now get free Metrobus rides throughout Arlington.
This builds on a program in place since 2022 allowing students with iRide SmarTrip card to ride Arlington Transit (ART) buses for free. Students who live in Arlington and are enrolled in kindergarten through 12th grade can obtain these cards from Commuter Stores in Arlington or, if they are APS students, through their schools.
East Falls Church Metro Station bus bays (via Google Maps)
A larger, more accessible bus loop may soon be coming to the East Falls Church Metro station.
The Arlington County Board on Saturday approved a $527,681 project-coordination agreement with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. This is part of a $12.7 million plan to provide the station with additional routes, expanded passenger capacity and improvements to parking and crosswalks.
After former president Donald Trump’s record-setting win at the Iowa caucuses, all eyes are on New Hampshire to see if his remaining major opponent, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, can make it a competitive race.
