As we have mentioned in previous 博客文章, home buyers continue to consider their daily commute when making home purchase decisions. 一些美国人开始限制开车，甚至完全不开车。 In recent years, the driving trends of Millennial and Boomer generations have 稳步下降. 更多的 Americans in general are embracing alternatives to driving like mass transit, walking, bicycling, 汽车共享, and working from home.

Recent studies and articles in publications like the 华盛顿邮报》 and the 纽约时报 document declining automobile use. 以汽车燃油消耗量衡量的驾驶情况也是如此。 无论你是购房者、卖家还是房主，这些趋势都可能以新的、令人惊讶的方式影响你的决定，你的房子的价值至少在一定程度上受到这种趋势的影响。

如果你想买房，考虑你的通勤、步行得分和交通选择可能是决定一个特定社区是否适合你的重要组成部分。 寻求熟悉此类问题的房地产经纪人的帮助也可能会有所帮助。

房地产公司已经开始在他们的网站上添加搜索功能，以帮助买家评估通勤信息。 For example, Windermere recently added INRIX DriveTime™ to its website which allows home buyers to search for homes based on commute times. Walkscore.com and Transitscore.com provide home buyers with a quick and easy way to assess the quality of a community based on walkability and access to mass transit. These online tools highlight those homes with shorter drive times and higher walkability, factors which could end up impacting the value of certain homes as some buyers “vote with their feet,” rather than with their car.

房地产开发商也在顺应这一趋势，在汽车使用量减少的地区建房； 这就是为什么当你从郊区社区到旧金山、波特兰、圣地亚哥或西雅图等城市旅行时，你可能会注意到新住房的增加。 在这些城市中，越来越多的人看到联排别墅建在更适合步行的社区，很多都没有专用的私人车库。

City planners are encouraging such construction by changing zoning laws to foster "Transit Oriented Development," (TOD). TOD改变了分区，以激励开发商在轻轨站附近建造新的住房，住房密度逐渐降低到离轻轨站约1/2英里的地方。 This solves what city planners have come to call the "last mile problem," (getting more commuters home from a transit hub). 有TOD计划的城市包括西雅图、旧金山湾区、盐湖城都会区和波特兰都会区。

专家表示，消费者倾向于减少开车，购房者可能希望悦博体育通过问自己以下问题来评估他们购买的地点：

• 这个社区是否降低了生活成本，同时增加了自由时间的数量和质量，提高了我对汽车的独立性？
• 我家人最常去的地方，如家、工作、学校和娱乐场所之间的旅行时间是多少？

If you are selling your home, consider highlighting its location as one that might improve the quality of life for the next residents by showcasing drive time, walkability, and proximity to transit—to the extent that such benefits exist.

研究继续表明，一个人每天花在上下班路上的时间是买房的一个主要因素。 In recent years, there has also been a significant trend towards mass transit and reducing one’s “carbon footprint” by driving less. This is important for both buyers and sellers to keep in mind, as these factors can have a significant impact on the long-term value of a home – and on the quality of life for you and those in your community.