News

Arlington is ‘the most sought-after city by U.S. renters’

By ARLnow.com
Apartment buildings that make up The Highlands development (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Arlington is “most desired city by renters” in the United States for the second month in a row, according to a rental website.

From RentCafe.com’s August Rental Activity Report:

Arlington, VA, is August’s most sought-after city by renters looking for an apartment for rent on RentCafe.com, the same as last month. Apartment listings in the city attracted a significantly higher number of engagements compared to this time last year.

Specifically, traffic on Arlington listing pages more than doubled year-over-year, while renters favorited 72% more apartments and saved 38% more personalized searches. This continued (and growing) interest from apartment seekers in Arlington listings also helped the city keep its top spot for another month.

Arlington was followed on the top of the list by a trio of midwestern cities: Kansas City, Minneapolis and Cincinnati. Neighboring D.C. ranked No. 15, falling two spots.

The popularity comes at a cost, however. One- and two-bedroom rents were up 6% year-over-year as of May, according to a report from another rental website, Zumper, which ranked Arlington County as the 10th priciest rental market in the U.S.

At least some of that rising demand is being met by new development. Large apartment projects are underway or planned in neighborhoods including Pentagon City, Crystal City and Courthouse.

August 2023 rental activity rankings (via RentCafe.com)
News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
First night of the 2023 Arlington County Fair (photo courtesy anonymous)

Tax Delinquency Rate Reaches New Low — “It took some elbow grease to get there, as it always does, but the Arlington County Treasurer’s Office again has achieved another in a long string of record-low tax-delinquency rates. ‘Amazing,’ Treasurer Carla de la Pava said in announcing the annual rate of 0.157 percent during a celebration held Aug. 15.” [Gazette Leader]

Body Found Under Chain Bridge — “An investigation is underway after a man’s body was pulled from the Potomac River by first responders on Wednesday evening. DC Police, alongside DC Fire and EMS, conducted an extensive search of the area underneath the Chain Bridge in Northwest after receiving a report of an individual seen submerged in the water below.” [WUSA 9, Twitter]

Car Chase from D.C. to Arlington — From Dave Statter: “An unusual sight at 3 am. @DCPoliceDept
chasing a car taken in a carjacking into VA. Twice! 2 round trips! This is trip #1 from I-395S to 110N to Memorial Bridge to Ohio Dr to Buckeye Dr.” [Twitter]

Pedestrian Plays I-395 Frogger — From Dave Statter: “I was talking with a reporter about Saturday’s mayhem & the scary things I see on I-395. This is one of them. It happens fairly often. See people on bicycles doing the same thing.” [Twitter]

Regional Housing Costs Still Rising — “Even though the median home-sales price across the nation dropped year-over-year in the second quarter of 2023, a majority of metropolitan areas – including the D.C. region – saw increases. The median home-sales price of $629,000 across the Washington area in the April-May-June period rose 0.4 percent from $626,700 a year before.” [Gazette Leader]

It’s Thursday — There is a 20% chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm, with mostly sunny skies and a high of 88. Light winds will become south at 5 to 10 mph in the morning. On Thursday night, a slight chance of precipitation continues until 2am, with partly cloudy skies and a low around 72, accompanied by south winds at 6 to 9 mph. [Weather.gov]

Sponsored

Listing of the Day: 2607 Washington Blvd

By ARLnow.com

Address: 2607 Washington Blvd
Neighborhood: Lyon Park
Type: 3 BR, 2 (+1 half) BA single-family detached – 1920 sq. ft.
Listed: $1,274,900

Noteworthy: Beautifully updated brick colonial in the heart of Arlington!

This charming 3-bedroom, 2.5-bath home perfectly blends classic character with thoughtful modern updates. The handsome brick exterior and flagstone retaining wall create exceptional curb appeal, enhanced by professional landscaping and private off-street parking for three cars. Inside, wood floors flow throughout both levels, complemented by fresh modern paint and abundant natural light.

The renovated kitchen showcases granite countertops, painted paneled cabinetry with brushed nickel hardware, a marble tile backsplash, pendant lighting, spacious pantry, and stainless steel appliances including a Bosch dishwasher, LG refrigerator, and five-burner gas stove. The adjoining family room features a cozy wood-burning fireplace with brick hearth and wood mantel, plus a sliding glass door leading to a large deck overlooking a fully fenced backyard with lush landscaping and a storage shed.

Upstairs, the expansive primary suite offers a deep walk-in closet, additional custom-organized closet, and a luxurious private bath with double sinks, granite counters, new lighting, and upgraded hardware. Two additional bedrooms with ceiling fans share an updated hall bath featuring a granite vanity, ceramic tile floor, and tub with tile surround.

Additional highlights include a newer Carrier gas furnace, State water heater, LG front-load washer and dryer, central vacuum system, and double-pane windows. Ideally located just blocks to Clarendon Metro and minutes to downtown D.C., the Pentagon, National Landing, and local parks and trails—this home delivers a rare combination of comfort, convenience, and timeless charm.

https://homevisit.view.property/public/vtour/display/2355883#!/public/vtour/display/2355883#!/public/vtour/display/2355883#!/public/vtour/display/2355883#!/public/vtour/display/2355883#!/

Listed by:
Rob Ferguson – RE/MAX Allegiance
[email protected]
(703) 926-6139

Around Town

ARLnow Daily Debrief for Aug 16, 2023

By ARLnow.com

Good Wednesday evening, Arlington. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar.

🕗 News recap

The following articles were published earlier today — Aug 16, 2023.

📅 Upcoming events

Here is what’s going on Thursday in Arlington, from our event calendar.

⛅️ Thursday’s forecast

There is a 20% chance of brief showers and thunderstorms later in the afternoon, with mostly sunny skies and a high of 88°F. Light winds will shift from east to south at 5-10 mph. On Thursday night, expect a 20% chance of occasional showers and thunderstorms before 2am and partly cloudy skies, while temperatures dip to a low of 72°F with south winds at 8-10 mph. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“The purpose of life, after all, is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.”
– Eleanor Roosevelt

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

Thanks for reading! Feel free to discuss the day’s happenings in the comments.

Announcement

Demystifying Retirement Communities: A Free Online Workshop

By Long & Foster

Are you interested in joining a community where you’ll continue to enjoy your current lifestyle with the added advantages of retirement community living — such as a gym or pool onsite, no more yardwork, meal plan options, and extra support available as you age?

Join us on January 27 from 2-3:30 via Zoom to learn about different models of continuing care retirement communities, where care is provided throughout the complete continuum of your life.

Go to Demystifying Retirement Communities: A Free Online Workshop Read more
Around Town

Introducing the new ARLnow merch shop

By ARLnow.com
1/4

Arlingtonians have a new destination for Arlington and ARLnow merch.

Today ARLnow is officially launching our new online store. Whereas we used to only sell items on Amazon — the best-selling Gondola Now shirt for instance — now we have our own storefront for a wider variety of items, designs and colors.

Brown flip flops? Check. Fresh gondola designs? Check.

More items are in progress and we’re also happy to take requests. Let us know what you want to see in the comments, and you might soon see it added.

A portion of all purchases support ARLnow’s local reporting.

Announcement

Selling During COVID

By Century 21 Redwood Realty

Are you considering selling your home? Are you somewhat unsure how Covid has been affecting the market and the selling process? Join us for a Selling During COVID Virtual Happy Hour on Tuesday, January 19 at 6 p.m. via Zoom (link to be provided upon RSVP).

In this engaging session, you will learn from top realtors in the area what you will need to do to ensure your property is in the best shape possible to draw in the most traffic and get you offers quickly while COVID concerns linger. COVID has absolutely created challenges in its wake, but that doesn’t mean that opportunity has been lost. RSVP by Monday, January 18 to reserve your seat. For any questions call Scott at 651-235-5276. See you then!

Go to Selling During COVID Read more
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