A new spot for sushi, ramen and poke is open for business in Crystal City.
Okinami opened recently on the ground floor of The Grace and Reva apartments, primarily operating as a takeout restaurant near other establishments such as Flight Wine Bar, Bar Chinois and Toastique.
The Yorktown Patriots won the biggest football victory of the regular season over the weekend, one of many accomplishments for the high-school sports program in recent weeks.
Other notable achievements included two postseason championships won by the girls cross-country team and an individual girls golf highlight.
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: I’m reading a lot of negative news about the housing market. What’s the good news?
Answer: I’ve written quite a bit recently about the weaknesses in our local housing market (link, link, and link). Buyers have pulled back, homes are taking longer to sell, and sellers are adjusting their expectations. For those who need to sell now, these challenges are real and immediate.
We’ve become accustomed to treating rising prices, immediate sales, and bidding wars as evidence of a good housing market. But those conditions also make it difficult for new buyers to enter the market, existing homeowners to change homes, and for buyers to understand what they’re buying.
A market that gradually becomes more affordable and gives households more time to make major decisions is a healthier market.
In my July Affordability article, I argued that sustainable affordability comes from a slow, long-term shift in which prices rise slower than income rather than from a sudden policy change. Sustainable affordability is a long way off in the DC area, but a modest price correction (which we’re currently experiencing in most sub-markets) followed by slower growth, can help ease us into a healthier housing market and should not necessarily be framed as a bad market or cause for alarm.
Mortgage rates, taxes, insurance, and maintenance costs also affect affordability, so slower price growth alone won’t solve the problem. A slowdown driven by job losses would undermine the income growth needed to make this work, so it needs to be supported by a healthy economy.
For much of the past 7-10 years (in Arlington/DC Metro), buyers have been pressured to make decisions on whether to buy a home within hours or days and significantly reduce or completely remove basic protections (contingencies like inspection, financing, and appraisal) because of how much leverage sellers held in negotiations.
A healthy market gives buyers time to make better decisions and room to negotiate basic protections into contracts.
Earlier this month, I wrote about home inspection negotiations becoming more common. Understanding the condition of a home before committing to buy it should be an ordinary part of the process, but many buyers waived or flew through inspections, absorbing substantial risk in the process.
Many sellers are also buyers, buyers of a more expensive home. So lower prices don’t mean a worse overall move.
Suppose your current home is worth $900,000 and the home you want costs $1.5M. If both decline 3%, you receive $27,000 less on the sale but pay $45,000 less on the purchase.
Of course, those two homes may perform differently, and giving up a low mortgage rate can overwhelm any absolute dollar savings. But the point is worth remembering that maximizing your sale price isn’t the only measure of a successful move.
The Arlington Sister City Association is celebrating National Pupusa Day this weekend with a celebration of Salvadoran culture on Columbia Pike.
The association’s San Miguel Committee will host a celebration from 1-3 p.m. on Sunday at Abi’s Azteca Grill, a Salvadoran and Mexican restaurant at 3005 Columbia Pike that is celebrating its 40th anniversary. The event will feature a DJ, trivia and traditional Salvadoran folklore dancing.
Reserve your spot for an after-hour event with multi-disciplinary artist Sky Hopinka, Thursday, Nov. 5, 6–9 PM. Experience monumental nature-inspired artworks in the Water’s Edge exhibition, make your own artwork to take home at the National Museum of the American Indian.
Sky Hopinka’s photo and video art—including This is a mnemonic for Truman Lowe in the museum’s collection—shares Truman Lowe’s interest in Indigenous homelands, cultural knowledge, and traditional practices. Hopinka contributed to the exhibition catalog for Water’s Edge: The Art of Truman Lowe, writing on Lowe’s lasting impact on his work. Hopinka joins the museum for this special after hours event featuring a screening of three of his short video works followed by a discussion with Rebecca Head Trautmann, Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art and exhibition curator, along with art-making activities, and time to enjoy Lowe’s work currently on view. Sky Hopinka has been widely recognized for his experimental short films and photo-based works. A MacArthur Fellow, Guggenheim Fellow, and Forge Project Fellow, his work has been shown in major film festivals, museums, and international exhibitions and is in numerous prominent museum collections. Hopinka is currently an assistant professor in the department of Art, Film, and Visual Studies at Harvard University.
A man has been found guilty of attacking a woman at a restroom in Pentagon City following a series of assaults in Reston last year.
Koby Berry, 28, was found guilty of assault and battery following a trial on Oct. 26 in Arlington County General District Court.
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Several local and federal officials, three state constitutional amendments and five bond referendums are on the ballot in Arlington on Election Day tomorrow (Tuesday).
All 54 polling places in Arlington will be open from 6 a.m.-7 p.m. To cast a ballot on Election Day, voters must go to their assigned polling place, which can be found online.
Arlington’s median apartment-rental cost ticked up 1.1% year over year in October, remaining the fifth priciest rental market out of 100 major U.S. urban corridors.
The county’s median rental rates stood at $2,452 for one-bedroom units, $2,963 for two bedrooms and $2,604 overall, according to figures reported Oct. 28 by Apartment List.
Memorial Bridge Closure Today — The west end of Memorial Bridge will be closed to traffic heading into D.C. from about 1–4 p.m. today for a special event in the District, according to U.S. Park Police. Several roads near the Lincoln Memorial will also close starting at 6 a.m. [U.S. Park Police/X]
Pike Brawl During Extra Hour — “Maybe they were all dressed as MMA fighters for Halloween? This was the scene outside Caspi on Columbia Pike… shortly after 1:00 rolled around for a second time this morning. It was over when police arrived.” [Dave Statter/X]
Beyer Backs Arch Lawsuit — After Virginia and D.C. sued to block the planned 250-foot arch at Memorial Circle, Rep. Don Beyer (D) said: “This monstrosity is clearly illegal and harmful for our region, and local leaders are on firm moral and legal ground fighting to stop it.” [Rep. Don Beyer/X]
Veterans Groups Weigh In on Arch — Several veterans groups filed a brief supporting the arch as U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan weighs whether to halt construction, which could start as soon as Thursday. The Vietnam Veterans of America later said its participation “was not intended as an endorsement of its specific design.” [WTOP]
Salesforce Acquiring Rune — Salesforce has agreed to acquire Rune Technologies, an Arlington-based developer of “predictive software for the battlefield.” Rune had raised $30 million from investors including Andreessen Horowitz, and Salesforce said its defense business is growing 80% year over year. [Axios]
What Happened to the Pike? — A Redditor who recently moved back to the area said they were “genuinely shocked by how much Columbia Pike has declined,” citing empty storefronts and departed businesses. The post sparked a lengthy debate over years of road construction, the canceled streetcar and stalled redevelopment projects. [Reddit]
Carbonara Owner Eyes Steakhouse — Mike Cordero, the restaurateur behind Carbonara in Ballston, is working on a steakhouse concept, with Arlington among the potential markets. “This is something that I’ve always wanted to do,” he said. Next up is Capellini’s Classic Italian in Ashburn, slated for early next year. [WBJ]
Key Bridge Water Rescue — D.C. police divers rescued a man from the water beneath Key Bridge Sunday evening, according to DC Fire and EMS. He was taken to a hospital in critical condition, and the incident remains under investigation. [DC Fire and EMS/X, DC News Now]
Kennedy Center Taps School Architect — The Kennedy Center hired ATSR, “a small, little-known Minnesota firm whose specialty is designing regional elementary schools, high schools and churches,” as architect of record for its $257 million renovation, and has declined to say why. The firm employs 50 people, including eight architects. [Washington Post]
Winter Snow Predictions — With a strong El Niño expected, 7News is predicting 10–20 inches of snow in D.C. this winter, while WUSA9 is forecasting 20 inches at Reagan National Airport and 35 inches at Dulles. The seasonal normal at National is 13.7 inches. [WJLA, WUSA9, WTOP]
Mild November Expected — “We’re projecting temperatures to average 3 to 5 degrees above normal, which could put November close to, if not among, the 10 warmest on record.” Highs could reach the 70s Wednesday and Thursday, with potential for soaking rain Thursday and Friday. [Capital Weather]
It’s Monday — Expect partly sunny skies today with a high near 66 and light south winds. Rain chances are near zero. Tonight will be mostly clear with a low around 47. [NWS]
New Legal Notice — County board will hold public hearings on planning permits, easement vacations, towing-code amendments, and fiscal-year 2026 close-out. [Public Notices]
Today’s Morning Notes are brought to you by Industrious. ARLnow has been in an Industrious office for years and we love the convenience — you get to focus on your work rather than worrying about brewing your own coffee or keeping the copy machine stocked. Industrious has several Metro-accessible coworking locations in Arlington.
Former Yorktown High School quarterback Grant Wilson came in at halftime and threw the winning touchdown in overtime for No. 4 Indiana yesterday (Saturday).
Wilson replaced injured starter Josh Hoover for the second half against Minnesota in Bloomington. The defending national champions went on to win 23-16 in overtime.
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SERVICES: NOVEMBER 13, 2026
