“Walk Score” is a great addition to the MLS system that helps you find a walkable place to live. The Walk Score is a number between 0 and 100 that rates the walkability of your municipal address. There are a number of great health, environmental & financial reasons to leave your car behind and break out your sneakers. Check out some stats on these great benefits here. The City of Toronto overall scores a 71 (Very Walkable), with the “Bay Street Corridor” topping the charts with a walk score of 99 (Walker’s Paradise) followed by the “Church-Yonge Corridor” at 98 (also a Walker’s Paradise).
For a run down on how the “Walk Score” rating system works, visit this link.
Although not offered on the MLS system, two other useful tools to check out when buying your next home are the “Bike Score” & “Transit Score”.
The Bike Score is based on 4 equally weighted components: bike infrastructure, topography, destinations and road connectivity. Operating the same as the Walk Score, the Bike Score give you a number out of 100 that rates the bikeability of your address.
Last but definitely not least, the Transit Score is based on an algorithm that calculates the usefulness of transit routes. This score is also out of 100 and will rank how well your location is serviced by pubic transit.
These three scores are valuable information to keep in mind when purchasing your home. If you need more information on different neighbourhoods or are looking to buy or sell…I am just a phone call away!
