Carlsbad buyers often are looking for a property where they can walk to shopping, bookstores, small business services, restaurants and other amenities. And of course the beach.

Being close to amenities IS often high on the list, and for some it is the MOST important quality of the home, whether it is a move-up, down-size or second home buyer. For many, higher gas prices and less reliance on a car are incentives for living in an area where many errands can be accomplished on foot. And certainly some folks don't own cars and rely on other means of transportation.

Since these requests are fairly common, I thought buyers may be interested in those areas of Carlsbad that are really walkable, so I will share a series of articles on the real estate in Carlsbad (and other communities, too) that I consider walkable.

And sellers, keep in mind the walkability of YOUR home if you are thinking if selling ~

 it could be a huge selling point.

While "a short distance to shopping" or "being within walking distance" are very subjective requirements, for purposes of sharing information about the Carlsbad real estate that is walkable I will use two criteria:

• First, my own personal knowledge of the addresses and nearby amenities, and using about 15 minutes walk time as an average (and yes, I do check properties out).
• Second, I looked at the walkability based on the Walk Score

Walkscore is a pretty neat site - you put in the address and obtain a walking score which tells you how "walkable" that address is based on a number of criteria, and which is calculated according to an algorithm that looks at proximity of the nearest amenity such as a grocery store. They also provide you with the list of amenities and their distances from the subject.

Certainly the particular amenity you want to be near may be especially important so I will be somewhat generalized. So if you have an interest in particular retail or dining offerings you will, of course, need to do your own due diligence.  And as I alluded to above, my sense of what is walkable may differ from you. So if it's important then you need to be comfortable with the distances yourself.

In addition to my own judgment as to walkability (yep, you can argue with me) I also used properties whose Walkscores were about 70 or better (for the most part "very walkable" to "walker's dream.")

Since we live in such a car-focused area, the notion of walking is foreign to some, and in some areas a car is absolutely essential. But the notion of walkability seems to be growing in popularity. And many communities are making improvements  to enhance walkability, a trend being followed in a number of area master planned communities (e.g., Bressi Ranch, San Elijo Hills).

Walking:

• is good exercise
• frees us from the reliance on a car
• saves on gas
• is good for the dog too
• allows us to better enjoy the areas we live in and appreciate them in different ways than by car
• frees up the traffic (albeit minimally in some areas)
• alleviates some parking congestion.

So stay tuned for the series on walkable real estate in Carlsbad and nearby areas. As always, if you have any questions about specific areas or would like a customized list of properties that meet YOUR needs, let me know. And feel free to do your own searches with the links below.

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If I can provide more information about Carlsbad and surrounding areas, or the housing market in general, or otherwise assist you in your homes search, please contact me by phone or text at (760) 840-1360 or email me at JDowler@remax.net.

All content copyright © 2008 Jeff Dowler Carlsbad Homes and Real Estate Tidbits