Buying a home? Think of ditching the car.

We can't get away from the fact that high oil prices are going to seriously impact our ability to use cars for transportation. Buying a house in a walkable neighborhood will help you cut down on gas, improve your health and help your environment. If you're a cyclist, you can still afford to live in suburbs close to your place of work and necessary amenities. The bottom line is that the car as we know it is on its way out. Start thinking human-powered transportation.

What is a walkable neighborhood? Ideally, it's one where you can access work, home and shopping within a half-mile radius of your residence. When considering a home, consider whether you can get to the important things - income, food, recreation, etc. without the benefit of an internal combustion engine. The less you use your car, the less money you will spend on gas... pretty simple.

There are other reasons besides the high cost of gas. America has an epidemic of obesity and health problems caused by poor eating and lack of exercise. A walkable neighborhood encourages you to get out and walk to work, to shopping and to the local coffee shop for get-togethers with friends. It's easier to walk when the store is only a couple of blocks away - and carrying groceries home is great exercise.

The environment is being changed by fossil fuels. People are slowly coming to the realization that we are not just seeing something confined to big cities, but something that is affecting the entire planet. Choosing to use the car less and only for necessary trips is one method of combating this artificial climate change.

Homes in walkable neighborhoods are starting to see increases in value. Every mile closer to resources means that a house will go higher on the value scale. Buying property in a walkable neighborhood will mean that you see an increase when people realize that they can no longer sustain the suburban lifestyle.

A "walkable" or "bike able" neighborhood is not one-size-fits-all. It boils down to what you, personally, consider "walk able" or "bike able". For some people, walking any distance over a half-mile is too far. For others, cycling 20 miles is all in a day's work. It depends on your personal fitness and the time you want to spend in transit. There is also the issue of access to community-wide transportation, like buses.

There are also issues of crime rates and the development of the neighborhood you are considering. A coffee shop may be only a half-mile away, but if that half-mile involves a swamp and a major freeway, it might not be as walkable as Google or Walkscore might indicate. The presence and repair of walk-friendly structures, like sidewalks, crosswalks, bicycle/walking paths and pedestrian bridges are also things that indicate whether you will be comfortable walking or biking in an area.

Don't put your faith too much in Google or Walkscore.com as of yet. While these are useful tools to get an idea about the walk ability of a neighborhood, they are still very much in their infancy. Neither are necessarily up-to-date on businesses and often ignore the presence of businesses unrepresented on the Internet. Keep your eyes on them, though, since the increased interest in walk able neighborhoods likely means that they are going to improve.

A neighborhood where you can walk or cycle or use some other kind of human-powered transportation is something worth finding. Do a little extra research around your prospective home to determine whether it is going to fit your needs in the future, as energy-consciousness comes to the fore.

About the Author

Marci McFarland is a Sarasota real estate agent with a broad professional approach. Her unique insight into the various lifestyle requirements of her clients, combined with an intimate knowledge of her service area including Anna Maria Island real estate, make her an ideal choice for families and investors alike.

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