Can Trails Help You Sell Your Home?

One of my most read posts here on Nichole Gets Green is "I Want Trails" where I looked at trails and their impact on how quickly a home sold. This was on my mind last week when I spent the morning walking around Daybreak, a community near my home with walking trails and many outdoor activities. That day was stressful for me initially, I could have easily  told myself I didn't have time to take a walk, and yet somehow getting outside using time I felt I shouldn't be taking turned the whole day around for me. In my opinion this is one of the most important aspects when looking for your home, where it is located..the neighborhood, the community, and the opportunities to get outside. Home to me is a safe place that makes your life better, makes you happy more days than not, and improves your quality of life. I still believe trails and parks being nearby in most cases will get your home sold more quickly. On that note, I decided to revisit the facts, are homes still selling more quickly with trails nearby in this new "hotter" market? 

Once again I looked at a snap shot of home sales in the past 30 days from a few communities in Salt Lake County. Average days on market was still less when a home was located near walking or hiking trails AND this information was highlighted in the listing. The only difference this time would be lack of data in some of the communities I used last time. It appeared trails weren't being mentioned as much. I don't know if that is due to home sales heating up and this selling point being overlooked, either way when trials were mentioned it still appeared to have a positive impact. 

Of course there are many other factors that can contribute to the reduced days on market and I was only looking at a select number of data points for a limited time frame ie; the last 30 days, were trails mentioned and in close proximity to the home, are the comps without mention of trails within the same price range as those where trails are indicated?

The updated info is right here if you want to see the difference..

So what should you do if you are concerned with being able to walk in your future neighborhood or you want trails nearby with your next home purchase? 

First, talk to your Realtor©, they are able to help you identify those communities and homes that fit your needs. If you want to check out a few items on your own a website I like is, Walk Score...you can click the link here 

If you are unfamiliar with an area you are considering just put the address in on Walk Score and see what the site rates that area's "walk-ability" as. My home is actually located in a car dependent area, where you need to have a car for most errands, but hey I knew that when I moved here and I can access trails and safe walking areas with relative ease. 

The moral of the story for me is that I do feel that trails increase the desirability of your home. More and more I am seeing trends towards community features that bring a better quality of life to community members. It isn't just boards and brick that make and sell homes, often it is the community and the perceived lifestyle features these communities can offer. 

If you ever need help or have questions about the real estate market here in Utah you can contact me via the link at the right and I would be more than happy to help you! 

Until the next time...