Scouring the columns of Craiglist you might discover, that yes, rental prices just aint what they used to be. But no matter where you’re located, finding the right place to live is as daunting as buying a car. There are so many factors to consider — traffic, crime, proximity to loved ones, and prices — that your judgment can be easily sideswiped by a shifty landlord. Moving is undoubtedly a pain in the culo. But on the journey to finding the perfect neighborhood there’s one score that you definitely won’t want to be without.
Almost a Walker’s Paradise
You might have read the nightmarish situation I was going through trying to keep my old apartment. I fought hard, and here’s why: for the price I was paying to live in downtown San Jose, I had a Starbucks, Trader Joe’s, Safeway, Target, Costco, Santana Row, Valley Fair Mall, Petco, Burger King, Walgreens, Longs, YMCA, 7 parks, 5 bars, San Jose Library, Happy Donuts, Pasta Pomadora, L&L Hawaiian BBQ, Red Brick Pizza, Chili’s, Jamba Juice, and a zillion things more all within about a 3 mile radius of my apartment. What more (besides affordable rent prices) could you want?
It took me 2 months of driving back and forth to find that neighborhood, but all of that could have been avoided had I known about walk scores, the namesake of the website that has become one of my preferred tools in ranking communities — whether for real estate investments, considering where I might want to live, or for checking to see if my friends live in certifiable hell holes before I visit. (it works trust me)
What is a walk score?
Basically a walk score is a ranking of your proximity to local amenities (within a 1-mile radius), the higher your walk score, the more convenient and desirable a neighborhood is to renters and homeowners. Take a look at the following score break down:
- 90 - 100 = Walkers’ Paradise: Most errands can be accomplished on foot and many people get by without owning a car.
- 70 - 90 = Very Walkable: It’s possible to get by without owning a car.
- 50 - 70 = Some Walkable Locations: Some stores and amenities are within walking distance, but many everyday trips still require a bike, public transportation, or car.
- 25 - 50 = Not Walkable: Only a few destinations are within easy walking range. For most errands, driving or public transportation is a must.
- 0 - 25 = Driving Only: Virtually no neighborhood destinations within walking range. You can walk from your house to your car!
My neighborhood had a walkscore of 85! and well the one I live in now has a measly 57. How depressing…
Ah well, at least I’m a hella of a lot closer to work!
Anyway, determining your walk score can help you save some of the hassle of finding a preferable place to live by narrowing down your choices. Of course, the only real way to tell if you’re going to like it or not is to see it for yourself. (Remember Renting is a Sin, only do it if you have to!)
What’s Your Walk Score? Find out here and let me know!
Maybe Neville made the right choice in not buying that house; the community there has a sorry walkscore even if they are planning to develop.
Yan at Probargainhunter.com says he wish he had known about it back when he was moving. You’re not the only one, guy!
September 16th, 2007 at 1:37 am
I got an 80. Pretty good…
But what it doesn’t take into consideration is the cost of things at the closet location. For example, most things at the nearby grocery store are about a dollar more expensive than at another grocery store, just because of its prime (tourist centered) location (I live in Waikiki). Also, I think that it lowered my score because of the distance of the movie theater…but who needs a movie theater when the beach is just 2 blocks away?!?!
September 26th, 2007 at 10:01 am
That would be a neat trick huh — to have price evaluations for the local shops lol. I guess if you just go by the brand names like Safeway or Target you can get an idea of what kind of prices you might pay. It’s different for a renter than a homer owner I think to — I mean it really depends on what your focus is. If you’re concerned about the value of your house it might be better to have more expensive stores around you. If you’re renting well — hehe who gives a leopards ass. The beach — I envy you. A years supply of fresh fruit and a beach is all I need in life. lol
September 26th, 2007 at 2:05 pm
[…] You can determine the walkability of a home in a neighbourhood with the Walk Score web site. I found this web site through Millionster.com. It determines the quality of an address using a patent-pending algorithm. A score from 1 to 100 is generated with the following results: […]
September 30th, 2007 at 8:58 pm
Business Success Link Love…
In an effort to network a bit I’m going to start linking to other blogs. I’ll be writing one of these posts every other week, which is basically just a blog carnival, but this isn’t a side show, so I’m just calling it link love….
October 30th, 2007 at 9:56 am
[…] I should have known something was up when the guy that was renting the house to me told me there was no written lease. To make matters worse there was a “previous tenant” still living in the house that just was not ready to let go yet. I didn’t mind so much because I just wanted to get out of “looking for a place to live mode” and back into “doing what I normally do” mode. I was in a rush and possibly blinded by my love for the picturesque neighborhood that was not much unlike my kick-ass community in west downtown San Jose – trees, parks, shops, bars, gym, etc. It was great (and I miss it terribly.) […]