If you love walking, which has numerous health and environmental benefits, then you won't be comfortable living in a neighborhood where walking is difficult. Fortunately, there are precautions you can take to ensure you land in a walkable neighborhood when hunting for a house. Below are some of these precautions.
Chat With the Locals
Talking with local residents can help you understand the neighborhood. You can do this by:
- Joining neighborhood groups on social media
- Striking out conversations with people in social or public places, such as local restaurants
- Talking with neighbors during viewings or open houses
- Talking with colleagues or acquaintances from the area
Some people will downplay or exaggerate some features, so you need alternative confirmation of everything you hear. For example, an overly confident or cheerful person might exaggerate the walkability of an area.
Take a Virtual Walk
Unless the neighborhood you are interested in is literally off the beaten path, you should be able to use technology to scope it out. Multiple websites or applications, such as Google Earth, Google Street View, and HERE WeGo can help you with your quest. Some property listing sites, such as Trulia, also offer such neighborhood information to their users.
Look For Pedestrian-Friendly Features
A neighborhood is walkable if it has features, both natural and manmade, that encourage people to walk. Some of the pedestrian-friendly features to watch out for include:
- Sidewalks or footpaths that don't force pedestrians to share the road with cars
- Trees that provide shed for pedestrians
- Streetlights that illuminate paths and improve security
- Low-speed limits that keep pedestrians safe from cars
- Clear street markings and signs that encourage responsible road use form everyone
You can also search for social and entertainment spots within walking distances. You wouldn't want to walk from your home to a restaurant if the nearest restaurant was miles away.
Visit at Different Times
A one-time visit your prospective neighborhood once might not give you a comprehensive idea of the neighborhood and its walkability. You need multiple visits at different times of the day to understand the area better.
For example, a neighborhood may look walkable during the day because the streets are wide, but what if the streets stay dark after dusk? Visits at different times of the day and night can shed more light on such things.
Hopefully, the above tips will help you land your ideal house in a walkable location. Your real estate agent can also point you to the right neighborhoods.
To learn more information, reach out to a company that has properties for sale.
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