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This regularly scheduled sponsored 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].

Buyers now have more negotiating power, more choices, and…lower interest rates! Whether you are a new or experienced homeowner, come learn about the market and how our team positions buyers for success.

On Monday September 8, I’ll be hosting another Ask Eli Home Buyer Workshop with my business partner Jean Ropp and local Loan Officer, Matt Ropp, with Atlantic Coast Mortgage. Food and drinks will be provided!

The workshop is a free and will cover:

• How to use data and strategy to maximize your home purchase
• How to use market trends to your advantage
• The latest on interest rates and mortgage programs/products
• Common mistakes to avoid and some tips for success

Who is it for?

• Any buyer type from first-time buyer to experienced buyers
• Ready to purchase now or planning 12+ months out
• Home buyers in Northern VA, DC, or the Maryland Suburbs
• You or anybody you know who would benefit

Where and When?

• Monday September 8 from 6-7:30PM
• Arlington Central Library (1015 N Quincy St), Bluemont Room

Registration is now open and space is limited. Click the graphic below to RSVP. Bring your appetite and your home buying questions! I’d love to see you there. Feel free to email me at [email protected] with any questions about the event.

If you’d like to discuss buying, selling, investing, or renting, don’t hesitate to reach out to me at [email protected].

We have access to the most pre and off-market listings across the DMV of any brokerage and are happy to share what’s available with anybody who asks.

Below are some of our team’s pre/off-market listings, details and additional listings available by request:

• Rosslyn 2BR/2BA/1,100 sqft – condo (2008) – 1800 Wilson Blvd Arlington VA 22201
• Rosslyn 2BR+den/2.5BA/2,000 sqft – condo (2021) – 1781 N Pierce St Arlington VA 22209
• Ballston – 4BR/3.5BA+office/4,000 sqft – Four Townhouses (2026/2027) – 11^th St N Arlington VA 22201
• Falls Church City – 4BR/4.5BA/3,000+ sqft – End-unit townhouse (1995) – Rees Pl Falls Church VA 22046
• Rosslyn – 2BR+den/2.5BA/2,000+ sqft – Condo (2021) – 1781 N Pierce St Arlington VA 22209
• Highland Park/Overlee Knolls – 6BR/5.5BA/5,000+ sqft – Detached Single Family (2025) – 22^nd Rd N Arlington VA 22205

Eli and his team believe that your real estate needs should be managed by advisors, not salespeople. Their mission is to guide, educate, and advocate for their clients through real advice, hands-on support, and personalized service.

This regularly scheduled sponsored 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: Is it a good time to buy a condo in Washington DC?

Answer: Unless you think that the Washington DC economy is heading for a death spiral, it could be a great time to acquire excellent value in the DC condo market.

Asking Prices Are Lowest in 10+ Years

The average asking price of condos listed for sale in July was lower than it’s been at any time in the past ten years. In July 2025, DC condos were listed for an average price of $552,000. Prior to this summer, the lowest average monthly asking price for a DC condo over the past ten years was in August 2016 at $583,000, 5.6% higher than July 2025 asking prices.

The narrative improves slightly using median price, with a July 2025 median asking price of $450,000 compared to an August 2015 median asking price of $435,000.

In either case, average or median pricing, the data suggests buyers can buy DC condos at prices similar to 10+ years ago.

Buyers Have Nearly 3x More Options to Choose From

Buyers in DC will find nearly 3x more condos being offered for sale than the market has averaged over the past ten years, which means more opportunity to find the right property and find a seller ready to strike a great deal.

High Days on Market = Significant Buyer Leverage

The longer a property sits on the market, the more leverage buyers have to negotiate the price. The chart below shows the average sold price relative to the original asking price based on how long a property was on the market before going under contract, in Washington DC.

Homes that sell within the first ten days average above asking price. Once a home has been on the market for 30 days, buyers pick-up significant leverage, with an average of 5.7% and 7.6% off the original asking price for homes on the market 31-60 days and 61-90 days, respectively.

If you want to understand just how much leverage buyers have on DC condos right now, the days on market data tells the story:

· As of Monday August 18, there were 1,224 condos for sale in Washington DC

· Of those condos, the average time on market is 113 days and median time on market 82 days

· 996 (81.4%) have been on the market for 30+ days and 506 (41.3%) have been on the market for 100+ days

Don’t Get Blindsided by DC’s Tenant-Landlord Laws

Washington DC is a very tenant-friendly jurisdiction and it’s important that you understand the requirements and limitations placed on landlords in DC if you plan to invest and rent property in the District. I’m far from an expert on DC tenant-landlord laws and property management, but highly recommend connecting with my colleague, Michael Hangemanole, if you have any questions or need Property Management/Rental services in Washington DC. He can be reached on his cell at (240) 483-7255 or by email at [email protected], and is more than happy to talk to any readers about DC property management, the rental market, and landlord-tenant laws.

If you’d like to discuss buying, selling, investing, or renting, don’t hesitate to reach out to me at [email protected].

Upcoming (pre-market) ERG Listings, Details and Additional Listings Available by Request

• Ballston – 4BR/3.5BA+office/4,000 sqft – Four Townhouses (2026/2027) – 11^th St N Arlington VA 22201
• Falls Church – 5BR/3BA/2,170 sqft – Detached Single Family (1950) – Bolling Rd Falls Church VA 22042
• Falls Church City – 4BR/4.5BA/3,000+ sqft – End-unit townhouse (1995) – Rees Pl Falls Church VA 22046
• Yorktown – 6BR/6.5BA/6,000+ sqft – Detached Single Family (2026) – N Greencastle St Arlington VA 22207
• Rosslyn – 2BR+den/2.5BA/2,000+ sqft – Condo (2021) – 1781 N Pierce St Arlington VA 22209
• Highland Park/Overlee Knolls – 6BR/5.5BA/5,000+ sqft – Detached Single Family (2025) – 22^nd Rd N Arlington VA 22205

Eli and his team believe that your real estate needs should be managed by advisors, not salespeople. Their mission is to guide, educate, and advocate for their clients through real advice, hands-on support, and personalized service.

This regularly scheduled sponsored 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].

If you enjoy reading my columns, I would appreciate your vote for top real estate agent in Arlington Magazine’s “Best Of Arlington 2026” poll. Use this link to vote, and don’t forget to include your other favorite local businesses and service providers. These recognitions mean a lot to local businesses.

Question: How has buyer agent compensation changed since the laws changed last year?

Laws Changed One Year Ago

You probably recall hearing all about the class-action lawsuits and settlements last year that made it illegal for sellers and brokers to offer buyer agent compensation through the MLS. In fact, many argue that the law makes it illegal for sellers and brokers to offer a set buyer agent compensation at all. I wrote about the changes here, if you want a refresher.

The laws went into effect one year ago, in August 2024. They were a huge deal within the industry and captured months of news headlines.

The Mechanics Changed, The Market Has Not

In October, I wrote an article clarifying some misunderstandings and shared my observations that little had changed in the market, with most transactions including seller-paid buyer agent compensation.

After a full year, including a spring market (albeit less competitive than usual), the results of the settlement have caused little change for consumers and in the industry.

• The Mechanics Changed: Prior to August 2024, in nearly all transactions, the seller agreed to a set compensation for the agent representing them and an agent representing the buyer. The buyer agent compensation was entered into the MLS listing and became enforceable. Now, any seller-paid buyer agent compensation is enforced through the sales contract and must be agreed to during buyer-seller negotiations. If it’s not in the contract, it’s not payable.
• The Market Has Not: Prior to the new laws, nearly all transactions included seller-paid buyer agent compensation and in 2022 the average buyer agent comp in Arlington was 2.54% with over 80% of transactions including 2.5 seller-paid buyer agent comp. Based on our team’s experience, brokerage data, and regional/national surveys the market is still operating in a very similar manner, with sellers covering buyer agent compensation in the vast majority of transactions and the average hovering around 2.5%.

In May 2025, Redfin published some great data on this (charts below), showing that the average buyer agent compensation had dropped from 2.51% in Q1 2023 to 2.4% in Q1 2025. Much less of a drop than many expected. Their data does show that the average commission percentage is about one-third percent less for homes sold for $1M+ than those sold for under $500k.

Their data does not indicate what percentage of these transactions/fees were paid by the seller, but their sub-header in the same article states “most sellers are still paying buyer agent commissions” which is exactly what I’ve seen over the past 12 months, what our brokerage of ~450 agents in the DC Metro has found surveying every transactions, and what I’ve heard from numerous lenders, title attorneys, and appraisers who have insight into thousands of regional transactions.

We Have a Data Transparency Problem

One of the trade-offs made with these new laws was losing transparency and reporting on seller-paid buyer agent commissions. Prior to 2024, when this information was entered into the MLS, all agents, brokers, appraisers, etc could easily pull buyer agent commission data for individual transactions or for an entire market (like I used to do for Arlington).

Without transparency into how much seller-paid buyer agent commission was included in a transaction, we run into challenges with property valuations aka “comparables.” While studies and experience suggest that a given sale most likely included 2.5% seller-paid commission, that’s probably true for about 2/3 of transactions these days and the others vary from less to more to none. So, the housing marketplace lost valuable insight into market values when we removed buyer agent comp from the MLS because sale prices will vary if the seller is paying 2.5-3% to a buyer agent vs nothing.

Note: other MLS’s may track this but Bright MLS (second largest in the country, covers most of the Mid-Atlantic) does not have a good method for doing so.

Frankly, I’m shocked the banks haven’t had more to say about this because their appraisers are missing information that contributes to a 0-3% shift in valuations that they use to make lending decisions.

My understanding of why they don’t want to collect this data is they don’t want individual buyer-seller decisions to be influenced by what the rest of the market is doing. I sympathize with that position, but there are plenty of other ways to access and understand what the rest of the market is doing, so consumers and agents who want the data will get it anyway. It’s also important for consumers/agents to know what competing listings are offering and what decisions past sellers have made that lead to success in their market. The loss of data transparency/reporting is a significant loss for the market.

If you’d like to discuss buying, selling, investing, or renting, don’t hesitate to reach out to me at [email protected].

Eli and his team believe that your real estate needs should be managed by advisors, not salespeople. Their mission is to guide, educate, and advocate for their clients through real advice, hands-on support, and personalized service.