How to Spot a Walkable Neighborhood

The ability to get around without a car can really make a neighborhood feel like home. Not to mention walking is good exercise, relaxing, convenient, economical and better for the environment. With all those benefits, it's no wonder living in a walkable neighborhood is something homebuyers really want. Here's what to do when buying a house in a walkable neighborhood.

• Do some research.
  There are websites that can give you some general insight into a neighborhood and you can read comments and ratings from people that actually live there. Although the true walkability of the neighborhood may be difficult to determine by using only online information, you can use other information about the neighborhood to help determine if it's walkable enough to consider buying a house there. How many people live in the neighborhood, what kinds of places there are to walk to, low crime and proximity to public transportation can be good indicators. If you're familiar with the neighborhood you can ask some people there.
• Look for a neighborhood center.
  Walkable neighborhoods have some kind of a hub that draws people there and encourages them to walk around. Parks and public spaces or a main street business district can easily attract pedestrians.
• Use tech for a virtual tour.
  Use Google maps street view to "walk" the neighborhood before going to see it in person. Just keep in mind this might not tell the whole story since you probably won't know when the photos were taken.
• Visit the neighborhood in person at different times of the day.
  Take notice of how much pedestrian and bike traffic you see. Notice how often the buses run. See if the places you would go to are open for business when you would use them.
• Look for pedestrian-friendly features.
  The two big ones are obviously crosswalks and pedestrian signals. But others to look for include wide sidewalks, cut out curbs that slope to avoid step-ups, some shade, and street furniture like benches where you can stop to rest. These little things indicate walkability is actively being encouraged.
• Do a "near me" search while you're in the neighborhood.
  Search for something you would use often such as coffee shops, the grocery store, or places to work out. Are the walk times reasonable and would you actually do it every day? Are the routes you would take easy to navigate?
• Look for local dining spots.
  If there are plenty of places to eat, other people in the neighborhood are likely to be out and about as well.
• Check out the commute.
  Not only to know how you would get to work but so you can see how many people in the neighborhood walk, bike or take public transportation. When modes of transport other than cars are easy to access and work well, more people are likely to use them.

If finding a walkable neighborhood is one of your top priorities when buying a house doing a little research will go a long way toward finding the right neighborhood for you.

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