Many homebuyers today want a “walkable” place to live. That means a home in a location where you don’t have to get in your car to go to restaurants, shops, movies, family, friends, or your workplace.
Walkability doesn’t necessarily mean being super close to all these things, or even that the street you’re on has sidewalks. Sidewalks are great for walkability, and so are bike paths. But what also contributes to a home’s walkability are its proximity to good public transportation and the availability of options such as car share and bike share services.
If a walkable place to live is important to you, check out the “walkability” index at www.walkscore.com. Their Walk Score is available for any address in the U.S., Canada, and Australia. They also rank the largest 3,000 cities and more than 10,000 neighborhoods.
A recent survey reported that: A home’s walkability is becoming increasingly important to many in the “millennial generation” (people born since 1980).
- four out of five millennials want to live where they have a variety of options to get to jobs and other daily needs;
- three out of four say they would like to reside where they don’t need a car to get around;
- two out of three say access to high quality transportation is one of their top three criteria in choosing a home;
- more than half said they’d consider moving to another place if it had better options for getting around.
There’s still plenty of appeal to living in the suburbs, or out in the country where you do need a car. But walkability does have its benefits. You’re near the people and places you like. You have a variety of transportation choices. You usually have a shorter, more relaxed commute.
Whether or not walkability is your thing, please contact us when you’re ready to take advantage of the opportunities in this year’s housing market. We’re ready to help with today’s expanded financing options. We’re also happy to answer questions about refinancing your current home, or funding home improvements. Just call or email us any time…. Have a great day!