Friday, January 18, 2008

Hop, Skip and a Jump in Property Value

Ten years ago, if an East Bay buyer could afford to be particular, first on the list was a Bay view. The primary objective of today's buyer is to be "walking distance."* This is a dynamic cultural shift. New Urbanism and the subtle move away from car culture have worked to protect home values in our pedestrian centers. "Quality of life" now respects the value of what's at your doorstep. Locally, neighborhoods surrounding Piedmont Avenue, Grand/Lakeshore, Rockridge, the Gourmet Ghetto, Westbrae and Solano Avenue have more cachet than ever.

Discover your home's walk-ability score at walkscore.com. Enter an address and the site will tell you what is nearby (gr0ceries, libraries, cafes...) and attribute a Walk Score. See how our office rates as mapped by Walk Score on the sidebar to the right (scroll down.)

*Note: As Realtors we don't advertise properties with the words "walking distance," in keeping with Article 10 of our Code of Ethics, as we don't intend to discriminate against non-walkers. We do advertise, "shops nearby." "Rolling distance" is more inclusive and extends the local amenities to the larger realm of all amenities within bicycle distance.

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