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
