News

Before four panelists could jump into discussing Missing Middle housing, moderators of Arlington County Civic Federation‘s forum last night (Tuesday) did something unusual.

They laid out ground rules for civil discourse, as other community discussions of the county’s proposed zoning changes have gotten loud, and even rowdy.


Around Town

Dominion Energy is providing grants to two Arlington nonprofits to help increase medical access to the county’s most vulnerable.

The power company announced last night (Oct. 11) that its charitable foundation is providing $7,500 to PathForward for its “Mobile Medical Program” program and $5,000 to Arlington Free Clinic for medications and vaccinations.


Sponsored

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 common is it for a home sale to fall through once it’s under contract?

Answer: According to a recent study, 70% of sellers fear that buyers will back out of the deal before it closes. How often do real estate transactions actually fall apart?

Arlington, Northern VA Buyers Are Committed

Since 2019, less than 10% of real estate contracts fell through in Arlington, compared to 26.3% in Prince George’s County.

Just 11.4% of Northern VA real estate contracts didn’t make it to closing, as opposed to 13.8% in Montgomery County MD and 15.2% in Washington DC.

Spring Buyers Are More Committed

Homes that go under contract during the spring market are more likely to close than those that sell later in the year.

In Northern VA, just 9.6% of homes that go under contract in April fall through, but December contracts fall through 12.8% of the time; 12% more than average.

This pattern of fall-through rates follows a similar pattern of best and worst times to go to market for sellers. February through May often produce the best results for sellers in speed and price metrics, it also gives sellers the best chance at getting to the closing table.

Seasonal fall-through rates across the entire DMV market follow a similar trend as Northern VA, but the average fall-through rate increases 4-5% when you include DC and Maryland suburbs. (more…)


News

(Updated at 1:55 p.m.) At least a couple of large buildings in Ballston are without power after reports of a possible transformer explosion.

Firefighters were initially dispatched to the area shortly before 1 p.m. after a caller reported a loud explosion-like sound and some smoke believed to be coming from a power transformer.


News

Ballston Quarter has a 50,000-square-foot vacancy problem.

The redeveloped mall at 4238 Wilson Blvd is home to a rotating roster of restaurants, as well as clothing stores, pet facilities, eye doctors, gaming experiences and other retail businesses, as well as an attached office building and the MedStar Capitals Iceplex.


Opinion

There’s a nip in the morning air, the leaves are starting to turn, sweaters have been moved to the top dresser drawers, and the citizenry of Arlington is switching from cold brews to hot coffees.

Yes, it’s pumpkin season. And with Halloween less than three weeks away, we were wondering just how many pumpkins the average Arlingtonian buys.


News

Arrest in Arlington Man’s MurderUpdated at 10 a.m. — “Police in the Turks and Caicos Islands have made an arrest in last week’s shooting death of an Arlington, Virginia, man killed while on vacation. Kent Carter, a vice president of the Arlington branch of the NAACP, was killed Oct. 2, when suspected drug gangs opened fire on a car returning him and others to their hotel after a jet-skiing outing… ‘In the last seven days an arrest has been made of a person of interest who remains in custody,’ said Trevor Botting, police commissioner.” [WTOP]

District Taco’s Expansion Plans — “District Taco aims to add 20 to 25 franchises a year for the next five years, Ganz said. The company has units in the Washington, D.C., Virginia and Maryland region, with some corporate locations in the Philadelphia suburbs. But the company would like to expand as far north as New York, as far south as South Carolina and as far west as Tennessee, Ganz said. District Taco is also attracting operator interest from Florida.” [Restaurant Dive]


News

Arlington County code could soon no longer reference “public dance halls” and the dizzying disco the term evokes.

That would mean live entertainment venue operators would be cut loose from paying for a $600 permit annually.


Around Town

In Arlington, as elsewhere, local business is not static.

Stores and restaurants are continuously being opened, closed or sold. In this ongoing series, we list some of the businesses being offered for sale via BizBuySell, an online aggregator.


Announcement

If you’re a college student spending the summer in Arlington — whether you’re interning, working, or just home for a few months — EvolveAll is the place to stay fit, sharpen skills, and be in community.

For just $295, college students get full access to all of EvolveAll’s adult programs from May through August. That means Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, self-defense, yoga, Pilates, and more — a whole community of people who show up, put in the work, and look out for each other.