"Walk Score" is a real estate term that gets thrown around a lot, but is rarely ever defined. So what is this all-important walk score? A walk score is a score an address is given between 0 and 100 regarding how friendly the area is based on walkability. Variables that go into calculating this score are:
- Area safety & Crime Rates
- Nearby Transit & Bike Routes
- Proximity to essential services such as Grocery stores, pharmacies, schools and businesses
- Composition of land (Hills, Forests, Plains, etc.)
A walk score is a fast way for potential buyers to see how, essentially, accessible their new home is based on location.
Having a high walk score is often exalted as a wonderful thing, but having a low walk score is not necessarily bad. Areas with high walk scores are typically densely populated, making walking anywhere you need to go easy, but the area busy. Areas with a low walk score are typically more rural or suburban with fewer services, but much more private. At the end of the day, as a buyer you have to decide what is most important to you. Can you afford to drive everywhere? Do you prefer walking as much as possible? This is a big decision.
A walk score is valuable. You need to know how your future home ranks in order to better understand the area you will be living in. While we always recommend walking around the area you want to buy in in person, if you can't do so looking at a walk score is the next best thing.
Interested in seeing where your current home ranks? Go to www.walkscore.com and simply search your address!
As always, if you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me directly at 403.630.6363.
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Posted by Ken Richter on
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