Sunday, October 4, 2026
THIS WEEK ON THE PODCAST
VOODOO BREWING OPENS OCT. 24, AND RESTON SELLERS WHO WAIT SELL FOR LESS
Rain came down hard through the first quarter Friday night at Pat Bergen Stadium. We sat on a soaked bench at our first high school football game in years and watched South Lakes beat Herndon 48-0 for the Baron Cameron Cup.
Voodoo Brewing's owner sent us the date his Herndon taproom opens, Saturday, Oct. 24. We also sorted 4,958 Reston home sales by how long each house sat before a buyer signed, and the longer the wait, the lower the price.
We sell homes in Reston and Herndon, and buyers ask us about new restaurants as often as they ask about prices, so we follow both.
You can watch the full episode or jump to the parts that interest you below.
QUICK HITS
FROM THE TOP OF THE EPISODE
South Lakes beat Herndon 48-0 and took back the Baron Cameron Cup
The Seahawks led from the start and kept scoring through a first-quarter downpour on Friday night, and they are now 5-0. Herndon had won the last two meetings and still leads the all-time series 15-14. We started the night with appetizers at Red's Table at South Lakes Village and finished it soaked.
Voodoo Brewing opens its Herndon taproom on Saturday, Oct. 24
Owner Curry Lee sent us the grand opening date for Voodoo Brewing at 2315 Dulles Station Blvd. The Herndon Homecoming Parade steps off on Elden Street at 9:30 that morning, so plan your route. At Reston Town Center, Dogfish Head Alehouse is still aiming for October and has not set a date.
Reston holds a home tour, ChalkFest and a dog festival on Oct. 17
Six Reston homeowners open their doors from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for the Reston Museum's 24th Reston Home Tour, and tickets are $40. Public Art Reston holds ChalkFest on Market Street at Reston Town Center starting at 10 a.m., and Reston Association hosts its Howl-O-Ween dog festival at Brown's Chapel Park from 1 to 4 p.m. The Reston Community Players open Once Upon a Mattress at Hunters Woods the night before.
On Sunday, Nov. 1, at 1 p.m., paddlers dressed as witches and warlocks cross Lake Anne on stand-up boards, and one of us will be on a board.
THE BIG IDEAS
RESTON HOMES THAT SAT PAST TWO WEEKS SOLD BELOW THEIR ASKING PRICE
We pulled every Reston home sale in Bright MLS from January 2022 through September 2026, 4,958 in all, and sorted them by days on market, the count of days between going live and signing a contract. Homes that went under contract in their first week sold at a median 101.9% of their original list price. In the second week, the median was 100%. By days 22 to 30, it was 97.7%, and by days 61 to 90, it was 95.8%.
In the episode, we walk through a modeled example. A seller whose townhouse the market values near $700,000 lists it at $750,000 because a similar home down the block sold for $735,000. After two weeks without an offer, the seller cuts to $739,000, then $729,000, $715,000 and $705,000. Buyers pay less over the same weeks: contracts signed in October close about 1.2% below August's, and buyers offer less for a listing that has sat. After nine weeks, the asking price is still $36,000 to $45,000 above what buyers will pay.
Homes priced to the market still sell fast this fall. One of us toured a mid-century modern on its first day while five other agents showed it at the same time, and it looks headed for multiple offers.
ALSO ON THE EPISODE
BRANDY MELVILLE PICKS RESTON TOWN CENTER, AND ABRICOTT OPENS ON SPRING STREET
Brandy Melville plans its first Virginia store in the roughly 4,600-square-foot space Apple left at Reston Town Center when it moved next door in 2020, The Burn reports. The Italian-founded chain has more than 100 stores, sells most of its clothing in one small size, and has not announced an opening date.
Abricott, the nut and sweets shop between Tatte and North Italia at Reston Town Center, has opened a second location at 313 Spring St. in Herndon.
At South Lakes Village Center, Lakeside Asia Cafe closed Sept. 30 after 13 years, and the center has four empty units. In the same center, a franchisee is building the first Northern Virginia Mountain Mike's Pizza in the former Pet Valu space next to Chipotle, with an end-of-year target.
WHY WE'RE WATCHING THIS
RESTON'S FALL CALENDAR IS FULL AS ITS HOUSING MARKET COOLS
Between Oct. 17 and Nov. 1, Reston and Herndon hold a home tour, a chalk festival, a dog festival, a brewery opening, a parade, and a paddle across Lake Anne. In our sales data, contracts signed in October and November close 1.2% and 1.4% below August's.
If you list this month, price against October's market, not a neighbor's sale from May.
THE PODCAST
SUBSCRIBE AND FOLLOW ALONG
We put out a new episode every week on openings, public meetings and the stories neighbors send us from Reston and Herndon. Pick your app and follow along.
FROM GREATER RESTON LIVING AT COMPASS
Thinking about listing this fall or waiting for spring?
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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.
Compass, 11943 Democracy Drive, Reston, VA 20190 | (703) 783-7485
