What is a Walk Score and Why is it Important when Buying a Home?

When it comes to purchasing a home, there are so many factors to keep in mind. For most buyers however, one of these items should include a home’s “Walk Score.” Not sure what this is? Don’t worry, we’re about to dive into it. But first, you should know that Walk Score is the only international measure of walkability, and the leading provider of neighborhood data to the real estate industry. Also, over 20 million scores are provided each day…wow!!! It’s also why every listing we have on our website has this option in the home/property description.

To begin, the name “Walk Score” is actually a little misleading (not in a bad way of course), because a home's score consists of walkability, transit and commute time, to name a few things.

Four Reasons Walk Score is also Important:

Walkability and public transit are associated with higher home values
Transportation costs are the 2nd largest household expense
Commute time and places to walk are two of the most important criteria for home shoppers
A home's location (AKA: location efficiency) is often more important than the building's energy efficiency

Is Walk Score Just for Big Cities?

There are numerous small towns that have a high Walk Score, and for people living in more rural type of areas, it's still very useful to know the distance to the nearest grocery store or school for instance. In fact, some real estate agents say that a low Walk Score is a good thing because it's an "away from it all" score. Here’s an example of a walk score for one of my listings:

Additional Details, Reinforcement and Statistics to Back Up the Importance of the Walk Score:

Each point of Walk Score is worth up to $3,000 in a typical metro area. ~ Joe Cortright, CEOs for Cities
A 10 point increase in Walk Score increases (commercial) property values by 5-8%. ~ Gary Pivo, Professor, University of Arizona
Commute time and places to walk are 2 of the top 3 most important community characteristics. ~ National Association of Realtors
“Within walking distance of public transit we're seeing a 40 to 200% price premium.” ~ Christopher Leinberger, Brookings Institution
Homes save more energy from location efficiency than from building efficiency. ~ U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Whether you ‘re looking to buy a new home and want to ensure it has a solid Walk Score, or you’re just interested in the Score for your home, it can play an important role, and have varying value depending on what you’re end goal is, and what you’re looking for in a house and property. As we learned, and where I personally live, I have a lower score because we live just outside the city where there’s less stress and more serenity to be had than living in the big city. A home’s score can help you save time, increase value, and also provide more convenience by knowing the home’s Walk Score.

We’re curious…have you seen this before? Have you used it for any properties yet? We’d love to hear more about your experience, whether you’ve used it or not, so comment below, and thanks for hanging with us and learning more about this real estate tool and resource.

If you’re thinking of listing your property, or if you don’t own a home, condo or similar, and are interested in buying, let me know so I can help walk you through the current market conditions, as well as all the resources and referrals I have from my many years of success in the industry. As an 11 year, Five Star Professional Real Estate Agent, knowing that no matter what is happening in the economy (and especially now), you need an exceptional real estate broker as your ally…and you’ll be in great hands with my team and me!

Please reach out, I’m here to assist and help you “Move Forward,”

Teresa Catania, Broker
West + Main Homes
West + Main Homes Oregon
Bend Oregon | Central Oregon | Portland Oregon
503-740-3293
teresa@teresacatania.com