Smart Streets Make Property Values Soar
What makes your home valuable? Not just the location, the paint job, or the condition of the roof. Turns out, according to a new report by Transportation Alternatives, it’s the quality of your street, or rather, the livability of your street, that makes a difference. What makes a street livable? Quietness, for one thing; those…
What makes your home valuable? Not just the location, the paint job, or the condition of the roof. Turns out, according to a new report by Transportation Alternatives, it’s the quality of your street, or rather, the livability of your street, that makes a difference. What makes a street livable? Quietness, for one thing; those with little through traffic saw property values rise nine percent. Every decibel less of noise increases property values by four percent, and traffic calming can increase a home’s value by a third. Basically, the better your street is for walking or biking, the better its chances of appreciating in value. Oh, and nearby gardens help, too. The DOT is working on its own program called Sustainable Streets, to help ease traffic and promote biking and decent bus service. In the meantime, the more you hoof it, the better for everyone.
Streets to Live By [Transportation Alternatives]
Photo by David Stockwell.
I have live on busy blocks and I have lived on quiet blocks. the quiet blocks are the way to go.
Mr. Joist you are so right.
When my significant other purchased his home we visited the block several times…during the week, on weekends, in the morning, at night, during a hot summer day, on a rainy day, and we even drove by during when the kids in the area were getting out of school.
It’s important to try and gather as much information about the block and location as you can on your own. Realtors & sellers will tell you whatever they need to in order to sell the place.
This is debatable. Some impact, sure, but how many prospective homeowners ask for a test-drive sleepover in a house they’re think of buying?
Some of this noise information can be gleaned from walking around at different times of the day but the vast majority of useful info (What are the neighbors like? What’s it like at 2am on a Saturday?) can only be learned once you’re living there (and thus have little impact on “value” of a house).
troll and PS…if you keep up that lovey dovey stuff you’ll get a reputation like Biff and me according to the What
prodigal – I was joking as well…..
Hey troll, 11:44
um…I was joking…
I know all about guns, trust me.
A site mentioned in The Times about the pedestrian-friendly aspects of a neighborhood is interesting: walkscore.com
Froyo stores paying $14-15,000 per month will soon be out of business leaving an unoccupied boarded-up storefront. That would merit a haircut to the blocks valuation in the above equation. And if a Crown fried Chicken came in, then what?
FF = Froyo Factor