Last week I was driving some clients around to check out neighborhoods. They were in town for just a few days from another state. As we were exploring, they were thrilled with the vast network of trails and open spaces. I remember noticing this when I moved here almost 20 years ago, and I am equally as thrilled that they still remain, given the rapidly increasing amount of people moving to the Denver area. Despite our T-Rex debacle, someone knows what they’re doing with land conservation.

It turns out that biking and walking trails can most certainly increase home values. And you can even throw proximity to light rail into the mix. More and more, even families with young children are still interested in accessing the experiences that the city has to offer. They may want a bit more living space with their home but they don’t want to be 100% committed to suburban life.

Living in Littleton, our family loves the Platte River Trail. An extra bonus was when the Breckenridge Brewery came along and then we had an actual destination. Other restaurants are being built there now as well- even more to choose from! Of course, we didn’t buy the house for that reason alone, but it certainly helps your case when you’re marketing your home for resale.

According to “Active Transportation and Real Estate: The Next Frontier,” a report issued by the Urban Land Institute, homes in areas with “above average” access to “active transportation”- defined as transportation that accommodates those who walk and bike, sometimes can experience higher sales prices.

“Fifty percent of U.S. residents say that walkability is a top priority or a high priority when considering where to live,” says the Urban Land Institute Report. I would bet this percentage would be even higher in the Denver Metro Area. According to the U.S. Census, bicycling has become the country’s fastest-growing form of transportation for commuters. If I polled many of my friends, they would agree biking and walking would be really nice too, it’s just that we are carpooling all over God’s creation to school, sports, extracurricular activities, and work.

Nationwide- from Indianapolis to Dallas to Radnor Township in Pennsylvania to Atlanta, cities and towns are seeing accelerated appreciation of properties within blocks of walking and bike trails as opposed to comparable properties farther away. Likewise, when trails are newly built, values of homes around the new trails start to climb.

When I left my clients that afternoon, I suggested a few restaurants downtown that they might want to check out. They then mentioned that they planned to Uber it down there from their hotel and grab bikes from the Denver B-cycle, the bike sharing stations plopped all around town. It’s the simple things that make Denver awesome….

For more info on Denver Metro’s trails, visit https://www.walkridecolorado.com/denver-metro/denver-metro-trails-2/denver-metro-trail-map

For more info on Denver’s Shared Bikes, visit https://denver.bcycle.com/

If you are thinking about selling your Denver home and want to know what it might be worth, I would love to meet with you! Reach out today and we can put a plan together for your future.