Sunday, October 18, 2026
THIS WEEK ON THE PODCAST
ARE CONDOS CRASHING IN RESTON AND HERNDON? WE ALMOST SAID YES
We came close to calling it a crash on this week's episode. Herndon buyers signed about half as many contracts in September as they did a year ago, the town has more condos for sale than at any point in a decade, and Reston's median price somehow fell while its houses and townhouses sold for more. We spent the back half of the show sorting out what's going on and what it means if you're thinking about buying or selling this fall.
The front half was a lot more fun. From Halloween on the Farm to Winterfest, the next six weeks around here are packed, and we tried to keep the dates straight, with mixed success. We sell homes in Reston and Herndon, and we follow both kinds of stories because what a neighborhood costs and what there is to do on a Saturday both shape where people want to live.
You can watch the full episode or jump to the parts that interest you below.
QUICK HITS
FROM THE TOP OF THE EPISODE
Chaatwala on Elden Street is No. 36 on the Washington Post's 40 best list
The Post's food critic, Elazar Sontag, ate at 189 restaurants in 10 months, and Chaatwala in Herndon's Dulles Park shopping center was the only Reston or Herndon spot to make the 2026 list. He singled out the chole bhature, a chickpea curry with fried bread, for $9.99. We still have not been, and it is on our list for the next two weeks.
Bread Breakers hosts a free dinner for neighbors at Lake Anne on Oct. 27
Bread Breakers hosts a free dinner at Reston Community Center Lake Anne on Tuesday, Oct. 27, at 6:30 p.m. Guests sit at tables with neighbors who hold different views, and table hosts guide two hours of conversation. Food is free, and donations are optional. A reader, Debbie Moore, sent it to us.
THE BIG IDEAS
CONDOS PULLED RESTON'S MEDIAN DOWN 10.6% WHILE HOUSE PRICES ROSE
Reston's median sale price fell to $620,000 in September, down 10.6% from August. Detached prices rose 5.5% and townhouse prices rose 14.3% over the same month, and condo prices slipped 2.8%. Condos made up 36 of September's 77 sales, up from 23 of 70 in August, and that shift in the mix of homes moved the median more than any change in prices did.
Year to date, Reston prices are up 4.9%. Detached houses are up 6% and townhouses less than 1%, while the condo median is down 4.2%.
Herndon's condo median fell further, to $412,000 this year from $510,000 in 2025. Its contract ratio, which counts buyers under contract per home for sale, is 0.29 across all home types, against 0.75 a year ago. Herndon has 4.54 months of supply of condos, meaning it would take four and a half months to sell every listed condo at September's pace.
Our advice for buyers on the episode: a home priced right for its condition and location still draws multiple offers in its first weekend, while one that has sat and taken a price cut leaves room to negotiate on price, inspections and other terms. Sellers need the home ready and priced before it lists, because the first weekend draws the most buyers.
ALSO ON THE EPISODE
HALLOWEEN ON THE FARM, EARLY VOTING AND WINTERFEST FILL THE NEXT SIX WEEKS
Halloween on the Farm runs Oct. 23 and 24 at Frying Pan Farm Park, with timed sessions at $12. Herndon High School's homecoming parade follows on Saturday, Oct. 24, and Reston Town Center hosts Trick or Treat Beyond Market Street on Sunday, Oct. 25, from noon to 3 p.m.
Early voting runs through Oct. 31 at North County Governmental Center in Reston, and Election Day is Nov. 3. Worldgate Centre goes to a foreclosure auction on the courthouse steps on Monday, Oct. 26.
Reston Association's Winterfest returns to Brown's Chapel Park from Dec. 3 to 5. Members get in free but still need a ticket, and nonmembers pay $20 for adults and $10 for children 3 to 17. Families and businesses can sponsor and decorate a tree in the Enchanted Forest, and RA gives the trees to families who need one after the festival.
WHY WE'RE WATCHING THIS
A SLOWER MARKET GIVES BUYERS TIME TO PICK A NEIGHBORHOOD
A year ago, Reston had 39 townhouses for sale. Today it has 79, and the average one takes 27 days to sell, against a five-year September average of 15. Buyers can see more homes, visit a neighborhood on a Saturday, and walk the trails or the town center before they write an offer. Sellers face the same calendar from the other side, so pricing to their own segment matters more than the citywide median.
THE PODCAST
SUBSCRIBE AND FOLLOW ALONG
We record every week from Reston and Herndon, with the openings, the arguments and the numbers behind the headlines. Follow along on whichever app you use.
FROM GREATER RESTON LIVING AT COMPASS
Wondering what this fall's numbers mean for your home?
We can walk you through the sales in your own neighborhood and home type, whether you plan to move next spring or just want to know. No pressure either way.
Openings, closings, questions and corrections
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Reston Insider is written by Kathy and Graham Tracey of Greater Reston Living at Compass, and you can call or text us at (703) 231-7049.
Sales data provided by Bright MLS and deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
Compass, 11943 Democracy Drive, Reston, VA 20190 | (703) 783-7485
