How walkable is your neighborhood
Walkability | Walk Score
Most of us get so wrapped up in the idea of the features we want our homes to have, that we seldom stop and think about the walkability of a property and how much easier that would make our lives. When a property has a high walk score it means that it’s close enough for you walk easily to a variety of local places which generally include the local post office, schools, stores, and even the library. These types of homes encourage you to become physically fit. Since you and your neighbors are all going to encounter one another as you walk your kids to school and come home from getting groceries, they’re usually very friendly neighborhoods and everyone is on a first name basis locally.
If you have kids, you already know that you want to bring them up in a good school district and an area that has a good reputation, but you might not have considered the other things they will want like a place to take the family dog for a walk.
For example, during the summer they’re going to want to live in an area where they will be able to play with their friends. If they can walk to things like a community swimming pool, bike to their friend’s house, and even walk to school, your life will be easier. Not only will you not have to drop everything to drive them the places they want to go, but you also won’t have to hear them whine and complain about being bored when you don’t have time to take them. Living in an area where your kids can walk or ride bike to their destinations means they’ll be more independent and become self-sufficient, something that will help them once they become adults.
When you’re looking at a local house in the Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk or Virginia Beach area, one of the advantages of sticking to homes that are in an area with a high walkability will be the lack of noise. On nice days nearly all of your neighbors will take advantage of their location to walk to the bank, post office and grocery stores. Not only does this walking make it a health community, but on the nice days, you won’t have to listen to the sound of engines and breathe in exhaust fumes all day.
Homes with a high walkability score will be safer for your pets. Since everyone will walk to the places that they need to get to, you won’t have to worry as much about your pets getting lost, running across the street, and getting struck by a car. The lack of noise usually means your pets will be more relaxed then if you lived in an area with lots of vehicular traffic.
Choosing a home with a high walkability score, particularly one that’s within walking distance of your workplace means you’ll never panic when your car won’t start. You’re also going to find that being able to walk everywhere lowers your expenses. You won’t spend as much on car repairs or fuel, and there’s even a good chance you can get a lower insurance rating.
What can you do without taking the care out of the garage?
Don did a great job helping me find a home. He went above and beyond to help with all the paperwork. I didn’t have a printer so he let me borrow his at his house to get all the documents completed in a time. My experience as a first time buyer was awesome.
~ Eric, Real Estate Buyer
About Don Maclary
