If a move is in your future and you are looking for a location with easy access to mass transit, shopping, services, and bike trails, I use a tool in my business that provides buyers and homeowners with a “Walkability” analysis score. This feature has been very helpful for a number of my clients who want a true urban lifestyle with easy access.
According to the Puget Sound Business Journal, Seattle has ranked as the 6th “high walkable urbanism” area in the US after Washington DC, New York, Boston, San Francisco, and Chicago based on urban development based on a report, Foot Traffic Ahead: Ranking Walkable Urbanism in America’s Largest Metros put out by the Center for Real Estate and Urban Analysis at George Washington University School of Business.
Walkscore.com measures similar variables such as proximity to grocery stores, transit, and access to bike routes and provides a score for each address. Walkscore.com ranks Seattle as a whole as a “71” – meaning that most errands can be accomplished on foot. However, let’s take a closer look at Downtown Seattle, listed as the most walkable neighborhood in Seattle. It has a Walkscore of 98 with a Transit score of 100 and a Bike score of 66.
I have listings in a number of neighborhoods in Seattle. Here is how they measure up on Walkscore.com:
1606 NE 75th St in Ravenna:
- Walk Score: 72 – Very Walkable
- Transit Score: 52 – Good Transit
- Bike Score: 72 – Very Bikeable
11038 Fremont Ave N in Broadview:
- Walk Score: 60 – Somewhat Walkable
- Transit Score: 50 – Good Transit
- Bike Score: 57 –Bikeable
8008 Meridian Ave N in Greenlake:
- Walk Score: 58 – Somewhat Walkable
- Transit Score: 50 – Good Transit
- Bike Score: 63 – Bikeable
How does your property stack up in terms of walkability? Type in your address at: http://www.walkscore.com/
If you have questions about how walkability impacts your home value, please contact me: (206) 226-5300 or sold@windermere.com.