What is a Walk Score? and Why Should I Care?

If you’ve recently been searching for a home or apartment you may have heard the terms “Walk Score” or “Walkability Rating”, but to most people these terms don’t have much meaning.  A Walk Score is a rating from 1 to 100 on how walkable your neighborhood is.  Factors such as distance to grocery stores, pharmacies, parks, schools and access to public transportation all play an important role in the overall score.

Most home and apartment search websites now have this information displayed in their listings, so understanding how and why it works is important whether you are searching for a home/apartment, or trying to sell yours.

Scores from 90-100 indicate its a Walker’s Paradise meaning daily errands do not require a car, and a score of 0-24 is Car Dependent and almost all errands require a car.

Why should you care what your Walk Score is?  Not only does walkability factor into the community feel and quality of life of your neighborhood, but it can also factor heavily into you homes value.  According to a new study conducted by  CEOs for Cities “In 13 out of 15 metro areas, higher Walk Scores are directly linked to higher home values.  Homes with above-average Walk Scores are worth between $4,000 – $34,000 more than similar but less walkable homes.”

To find out your own walk score you can do it here on our website.

Dan Asleson
Broker/Owner
HALO Properties and Managment
www.HALO-Properties.com

House Hunting with an Android

House hunting with an Android just got easier.  Smartphones have allowed buyers and sellers alike to satisfy their inner nerd.  As a REALTOR, my days used to be filled with phone calls from sellers and buyers who just drove past a house with a yard sign and were curious what it was like or how much it they were asking.  Though I was always happy to help, now smartphone users can find out at the touch of a button or slide of a finger.  Below I list a few of the apps that I like to use.

Zillow:

For awhile now, Zillow has been the only good home search tool on the block for Android users.  Its chalked full of useful features like Street View, Monthly Payments (though you can’t plug in your own values) and has both active and recently sold listings.  The thing I like the least about the Zillow app is the Zestimate.  I’ve spoken before about its rather shaky calculations to create an estimated value.    The Zestimate has improved over the years, but still has a long way to go before I would consider it even remotely reliable.

What are these crazy boxes for??
QR Codes: Are 2D bar codes and most Android apps have QR Codes for easy download. Simply scan the QR Code and it will take you to the Android Market for easy download. Get the bar code scanner here.

 

REALTOR.com: 

This is the newest member in the real estate application arsenal.  Its been 10 long months since this application first launched on on the iPhone, and its finally available for the Android.  It makes searching for open houses and rentals a snap.  It also allows you to sign in and save properties that you like.

WHERE: 

WHERE helps you find and discover the places and people around you. Local restaurants, movies, weather, news, coupons and offers, cheap gas, friends and more. Read real-time reviews from other users and post your own.  A great app for people who are new to a neighborhood, or trying to find out what things are around.

Dan Asleson
HALO Properties