Alexandria vs Arlington: Months of Supply and Absorption

How do Alexandria and Arlington compare right now?

In Bright MLS's reports for September 2026, both Arlington and Alexandria stood at 3.9 months of supply in October, up from 3.0 and 2.6 a year earlier. Buyers have more to choose from in both places, and Alexandria has loosened faster.

The Mike Webb Team (Mike and Claudia Webb, RE/MAX Allegiance) helps homeowners in Arlington, Northern Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, DC get their homes ready to sell and sold.

Months of supply tells you how long it would take to sell all the homes now for sale, at the current pace of sales. Absorption is the share of those homes that sell each month. You can estimate it by dividing 1 by the months of supply. Lower months of supply and higher absorption mean a tighter market. Higher months of supply and lower absorption give buyers more room.

Source: Bright MLS single-area Market Statistics Reports, August 2026.

• Arlington County: 560 homes for sale, 2.4 months of supply, about 41.7% absorption.
• Alexandria City: 449 homes for sale, 2.6 months of supply, about 38.5% absorption.

Bright MLS's September 2026 reports show the fall slowdown. Here is how the two areas compared with August:

• Arlington: 174 homes sold (194 in August), an average of 33 days on market (32 in August). Months of supply was 3.9 in October, compared with 3.0 a year earlier. The number of homes for sale was 672, up about 22% from 552 a year ago.
• Alexandria: 147 homes sold (135 in August), an average of 28 days on market (26 in August). Months of supply was 3.9 in October, compared with 2.6 a year earlier. The number of homes for sale was 547 in September, up about 25% from 437 a year ago.

Here is the math behind months of supply, using Arlington's numbers. With 672 homes for sale and a pace of about 172 sales a month, it would take about 3.9 months to sell them all. That is arithmetic from the reports, and it will change as the pace changes.

Be careful with medians. In September, the median sold price was $700,000 in Arlington and $649,000 in Alexandria, both lower than August. One month of medians mostly shows which homes sold, such as more condos and fewer houses, not that every home lost value. It is not a trend.

Bright MLS's Industry Watch for July to September 2026 gives the quarter's view:

• Months of supply: Arlington 3.2, Alexandria 3.1.
• Median sale price: Arlington $800,000 (up 11.1% from a year earlier), Alexandria $699,996 (unchanged).
• Share of original list price received: Arlington 98.0%, Alexandria 98.2%.
• Average marketing days: Arlington 38, Alexandria 35.

Medians move with the mix of homes that sold, so they do not tell you what one home is worth.

Sales numbers look backward. The Bright MLS Home Demand Index looks at what buyers do before they buy: in-person showings and online home views. In the October 2026 report, based on September activity, Arlington scored 150, rated "High," second among all counties in the Washington-area report. Alexandria scored 124, rated "Moderate." The whole Washington area scored 87, rated "Slow." That fits what the sales data shows: more homes for sale in both places, yet buyers in Arlington are still looking. The index revises earlier months, so compare a score with its rating, not with a small move from last month.

In both places, buyers have more to choose from than a year ago, and homes take a little longer to sell. A home priced the way it would have been in spring can sit. Price your home the way recent nearby sales support, and make sure it shows well. We can walk you through what has sold near you and how The White Glove Home Sale Method gets a home ready, at no additional cost to you.

More choices and slower sales can give you more time to decide and more room to ask questions. Get pre-approved so you know your budget. Each home still depends on its price, condition and location, and a well-prepared home can still draw attention.

Bright MLS publishes its October reports in mid-November, and its next Industry Watch comes in January. We will name the source and the month each time.

See Months of Supply Explained: Arlington and NoVA and NoVA Months of Supply by County, September 2026.

Is a market with 3.9 months of supply good for sellers?
It is tighter than a market with five or six months, and it is looser than a year ago. Pricing and preparation matter.

Why do the sources show different months?
Bright MLS publishes monthly reports and a quarterly Industry Watch. Each covers a different period, so we name the period each time.

Will these numbers hold?
No one can say. They change every month.

Call or text Claudia at 703-350-3884 or visit claudiawebb.com.

The Mike Webb Team, RE/MAX Allegiance. Arlington, Virginia. Equal Housing Opportunity.