I've lived in Herndon since 2001, which means I've had more than two decades of Northern Virginia summers under my belt. And every year without fail, I hear some version of the same thing from people who are new to the area or thinking about moving here: "Is there actually stuff to do out there?" Yes. There is so much stuff to do out there.

A lot of people who own beach rentals on the Outer Banks are asking the same question heading into this summer: is the market still worth it? After a record-breaking run in 2022 and 2023, and two quieter years since, investors want to know whether short-term rental revenue is coming back or still finding its floor. I've got four properties down here and a front-row seat to how this is playing out. Here's what I'm actually seeing, and what the data says.

If you've been waiting for the market to "calm down" before making a move, here's what I need you to hear: the Northern Virginia real estate market in 2026 is not what most people think it is. It's not a buyer's market. It's not a seller's market. It's a split market, and understanding that distinction could save you a lot of time, money, and frustration.

Everyone wants a beach house. That part is easy. The harder part is figuring out whether the beach house you're dreaming about is actually a sound investment or just an expensive way to fund someone else's vacation.

People keep asking me if it's still a good time to sell. My honest answer: yes, but it's not the market we had three years ago, and sellers who walk in thinking it is are the ones getting a rude awakening at the closing table.

The Zestimate is Zillow's automated estimate of what your home is worth, and on paper, it sounds pretty solid. It pulls from tax records, public sales data, square footage, and whatever Zillow can scrape together about your neighborhood. Zillow itself reports a nationwide median error rate for homes that are on the market and 7.22% for off-market homes. Translation: for homes currently listed for sale, the Zestimate lands close to the final price about half the time, and is off by 7.22% or more for off-market homes the other half.

People ask me about my Outer Banks rentals more than almost anything else in my business, and I get it. The idea of owning a beach house that pays for itself sounds like a dream. What nobody tells you upfront is what the actual numbers look like once you're past the Instagram photos and into the spreadsheet.

I own four properties on the Outer Banks managed by Salt Coast by Sojourn, and I've been doing this long enough to know where the real costs hide. So let's talk about what owning a beach rental property actually costs, what it actually earns, and where the math gets uncomfortable if you're not prepared for it.

Nobody moves to Herndon without thinking about the commute. It's usually one of the first questions I get from buyers—how bad is it really? I've lived here since 2001, and I've watched this conversation evolve dramatically, especially over the last few years. The honest answer is more nuanced than the horror stories you've heard, and for a lot of people, it's actually a workable situation.

Let me walk you through what the commute from Herndon to DC actually looks like today.

Every week, I sit across from a seller who has already mentally spent $40,000 on a kitchen renovation before we've even talked about pricing. And every week, I have the same conversation: let's slow down and think about whether that's actually going to make you more money, or just less.

Here's the honest answer to whether you should renovate before you sell: it depends -- but probably not in the way you're thinking.

In the spring of 2020, while the rest of the world was trying to figure out what was happening, I was making some of the most consequential financial decisions of my life. I bought 4 short-term rental properties on the Outer Banks and 1 long-term rental in Jacksonville Beach, FL, over an 18-month period. And yes, I'd do it again — but not for the reasons you might think.

Here's the honest version of the story.

People ask me all the time why Herndon keeps drawing buyers even as prices across Northern Virginia stay elevated and inventory slowly loosens. My honest answer: because Herndon earns it. I've been living here since 2001 and selling real estate across this market for years, and I still think Herndon is one of the most underrated towns in the DMV. Not because it's perfect, but because what it offers is real and lasting, not just hype chasing the next hot zip code.

So let me tell you what buyers are actually finding when they get here.

Some homes check boxes. This one creates a feeling.

I've been selling homes across Northern Virginia for over a decade, and the ones that stop you in your tracks have a certain quality that's hard to describe until you're standing in them. 26867 Barnsley Place in Chantilly is one of those homes. Tucked into the established Marbury community on a premium lot that backs to preserved woods on two sides, this is the kind of property that doesn't come up often, and when it does, it doesn't last.

We're hosting open houses this Saturday from 1 to 3 PM and Sunday from 2 to 4 PM, and the Sips and Sweets truck will be on site serving refreshing drinks and popsicles. Come for the house, stay for the popsicles. But come.

The most expensive mistake you can make when selling your home isn't accepting a low offer. It's overpriced in the first place.

I've been selling homes in Northern Virginia since 2012, and I've watched this play out more times than I can count. A seller gets attached to a number, we list too high, the house sits, and then we chase the market down with price reductions that signal to every buyer browsing Zillow that something is wrong. What started as optimism ends with a lower net than if we'd priced it correctly on day one.

Pricing your home in Northern Virginia isn't guesswork. But it also isn't as simple as punching your address into an algorithm and trusting whatever number comes back.

Running a short-term rental sounds glamorous until you're the one making sure the toilet paper is stocked, the WiFi password is legible, and the coffee maker isn't growing something in the reservoir. I manage a short-term rental portfolio in the Outer Banks through Salt Coast by Sojourn, and what I've learned after doing this long enough is that guest experience lives or dies in the details — the ones you can only catch if you're actually looking for them.

So here's the honest truth about what goes into a five-star turnover. This is my actual short-term rental checklist, not a template I found somewhere online.

If you haven't driven down Silver Arrow Way in the last few months, you are missing out, and I mean that in the most "I need to tell everyone I know" kind of way. Arrowbrook Centre, the mixed use community tucked near the Innovation Center Metro station, has quietly turned into one of the most exciting little food and lifestyle hubs in Herndon, VA. As someone who has sold real estate in this town since 2001, I have watched a lot of retail come and go. This one feels different.