Here in Arlington, real estate is a spectator sport. Let’s take a look at some of the most and least expensive condos sold last month (October 2023).
Most expensive condos sold
Cava Mezze has quietly shuttered in Clarendon, with a “For Lease” sign recently placed out front.
This comes after the restaurant — the upscale original version of the popular, publicly traded Mediterranean chain — changed its status to “closed” on the company’s website last month. Google, however, still lists it as “temporarily closed.”
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…)
Protests have been targeting the Arlington offices of military contractors amid the Israel-Hamas war.
At least the second protest in as many days was being held outside of the Lockheed Martin building at 2121 Crystal Drive today. The midday protest featured about ten demonstrators carrying Palestinian flags, holding signs and conducting a “die-in” on the public sidewalk.
Unionized trade workers have tentatively negotiated with Arlington County for wage increases and safety protections for the next four years.
Predicting a budget gap in the 2025 budget, however, the county says it will have to raise taxes or make budget cuts to pay for these provisions, according to a fiscal analysis the Arlington County Board is set to hear about during its Saturday meeting.
*Mamistad Groups meet IN PERSON-only the introductory Zoom call is virtual. :)
Pregnancy and new mom groups are a lifesaver when it comes to normalizing those feelings we just can’t be prepared for.
The Water Park in Crystal City will be illuminated tomorrow evening in celebration of the annual Hindu festival, Diwali.
On Friday, from 6-9 p.m., the park will transform into a luminous display of floating lanterns and sparklers, symbolizing the triumph of light over darkness in the Hindu religion.
Gunston Middle School students returned to class today after a police investigation yesterday afternoon.
Arlington County police were dispatched to the school around 3:30 p.m. Thursday for a report of threatening graffiti. A subsequent email to families from the school’s principal said someone wrote “Im going to shoot up the dumb ass school” in a girls’ bathroom stall.
Veterans Day Concert Today — “In honor of all who proudly serve and defend our nation, Arlington County will host a Veterans Day Commemoration and Concert, featuring the Brass Quintet from the U.S. Army Band ‘Pershing’s Own.’ Everyone is invited to join us in person at Bozman Government Center Plaza (2100 Clarendon Blvd.) Thurs., Nov. 9, at 11:30 a.m.” [Arlington County]
Pedestrian Struck in Crystal City — From Dave Statter: “Watch: Pedestrian struck, apparently without serious injury, at Route 1 and 23rd Street in Crystal City just after 6p.m. @ArlingtonVaFD & @ArlingtonVaPD handled.” [Twitter]
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 — Nov 8, 2023.
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(Updated at 4:10 p.m.) Tight races for the state legislature and proposed restrictions on abortion motivated Virginians to the polls on Election Day.
This was despite the lack of statewide and federal elections, which typically drive turnout. The races for local office and the Virginia General Assembly played out against the backdrop of Republicans vying for a trifecta — control of the governor’s office as well as the lower and upper legislature chambers — and Democrats trying to stop them.