Congestion is on the rise in nearly every city in America. As a result, the trip between home and work is getting longer and longer and longer. So it should come as no surprise that potential home buyers rank commute time right up there with price, bedrooms and school district.
In fact, some are willing to give up the home of their dreams if it means a nightmare commute. A family in Bellevue, Wash. recently shared that they gave up their dream home because the commute was too long. Another family in Seattle bid 20 percent OVER the asking price just to be inside the city limits with easy access to the new bus line.
With data showing that nearly 90 percent of home buying begins with an online search, more real estate companies are including commute time in their search filters. INRIX Drive Time uses billions of pieces of historical data to calculate your ACTUAL drive time between home and work. Drivers who want to get to work by 7 a.m. experience a very different commute than those who want to get to work by 9 a.m.
INRIX Drive Time reflects real time commute times on a sliding graph so you can see the ebb and flow of traffic throughout the day. Armed with this data, you can decide where you want to live, how long it will take to commute and if you are willing to leave at 6 a.m. to secure the home of your dreams.
Windermere, a Seattle-based real estate company with more than 7,000 agents and 300 offices in 10 states, was the first to dip its toe in the drive-time water. Since the drive time car icon appeared in March, it has been clicked on more than 70,000 times. And last week, INRIX Drive Time migrated to the front page of the Windermere site, making it easier than ever to find the perfect home based on your desired commute time.
Look out for even more search capabilities in the coming weeks, such as drive time to work, schools or daycare.
How long are you willing to commute each day for the perfect home?