Make your move: Walk, bike and transit scores for homes
Over the past few months with the impact of COVID-19, homebuyers have been trending away from living in downtown areas and have been relocating to the suburbs. In the past, downtown areas have been attractive because people could get by without a car and could utilize public transportation or simply walk or bike to work, stores, parks, schools, restaurants, trails and more. Despite the shift to remote working and school, if you’re searching for home, you’re still interested in learning about the neighborhood and how long it takes to walk, bike or bus to nearby amenities – whether you want to be close to them or farther away from them.
Using a patented system, Walk Score® measures the walkability of any address. It is based on a point system where amenities within a five-minute walk are given maximum points. Using a declining system, points are given for amenities for up to a 30-minute walk, with no points awarded after 30 minutes. They also use an algorithm to analyze pedestrian friendliness by reviewing population density and road metrics like block length and intersection density.
The Walk Score® Point system is based on the scale below:
In IRES, our local Multiple
Listing Service (MLS) or database of properties, which covers most of northern Colorado, you can search for properties based on their Walk
Score® categories shown above. Homebuyers who do not want to own a car can search for a high walk score, whereas those who want to live in more secluded, less populated, or rural areas can search for a low walk score. The search field looks like this:
Currently in IRES, you can search for search for Walk Score® and Bike Score®.
Bike Score® measures how optimal an area is for traveling by bike. The Bike Score® is calculated for a given location using an algorithm which takes into account bike infrastructure, hills, trails, road connectivity, and the number of bike commuters. The Bike Score point system is below.
Transit Score® is a patented measure of how well a location is served by public transit. Transit Score is based on data released in a standard format by public transit agencies.
To calculate a Transit Score®, a «usefulness» value is assigned to nearby transit routes based on the frequency, type of route (rail, bus, etc.) and distance to the nearest stop on the route. The point system for Transit Score is below.
Go to walkscore.com and type in your address where you live or a home you are thinking about buying. If you are looking for a home, you can ask your Realtor® to utilize the Walk Score® search feature on the IRES Multiple Listing Service.
Duane Duggan has been a Realtor for RE/MAX of Boulder in Colorado since 1982. Living the life of a Realtor and being immersed in real estate led to the inception of his book, Realtor for Life. For questions, e-mail duaneduggan@boulderco.com, call 303.441.5611 or visit boulderco.com.