Police car at night (file photo courtesy Kevin Wolf)
Two cars were stolen and eight were rummaged through at some point overnight, according to Arlington County police.
The theft series happened in neighborhoods north of Langston Blvd, including the Old Dominion and Donaldson Run communities, between last night and early this morning.
Hot weather amid a heat wave in July 2021 (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
What had been an Excessive Heat Watch for Friday is now a warning.
The National Weather Service just issued the Excessive Heat Warning, cautioning against “dangerously hot conditions with heat index values around 110” tomorrow.
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 firefighters are investigating a reported fire in the ceiling at Lost Dog Cafe in Westover.
The fire started in the kitchen area and is said to be out, but firefighters are removing ceiling tiles to make sure there are no remaining hotspots, according to scanner traffic.
Passengers board an ART bus (file photo by Jay Westcott)
Arlington is looking to operate buses more frequently and expand service with more off-peak and weekend service.
These are just some of the recommendations that could be implemented as part of an overhaul of the municipal bus service, called Arlington Transit, over the next decade. The changes are part of an update to Arlington’s Transit Strategic Plan, which it is required to have by state law and update every six years.
The original and proposed sizing of the proposed YMCA facility (via Arlington County)
The YMCA may be ditching tennis courts when it redevelops its property in Virginia Square.
The organization plans to tear down its facility at 3400 13th Street N. and build a new recreational facility with an aquatics center, a multi-purpose gym with workout rooms, and a “diversity and inclusion center.”
Rental website Zumper compiled median one-bedroom rents in localities across the U.S. and Arlington is No. 10 on the list. The good news, though, is that the county moved down a spot, after neighboring D.C. moved up to No. 9.
Fiery sunset over Westover (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Flyover Planned This Morning — From AlertDC: “The US Military will conduct a fly over in the National Capitol Region, at the Arlington National Cemetery, on Thursday, July 27, 2023 at 9:10 AM.”
N. Va. Young Dems Blast Board — “The Northern Virginia Young Democrats organization is not happy with the somewhat more seasoned Democrats on the Arlington County Board. ‘Disappointing to see our leaders flip-flop on much-needed reforms like RCV [ranked-choice voting],’ the organization – the local affiliate of Virginia Young Democrats – said in a July 24 tweet.” [Gazette Leader]