fizber.com Introduces Drive Scores

Last week propertyportalwatch.com reported on the increasing popularity of Walk Score, which determines the walkability of any US address. This week we’ve had wind of another scoring system, this time for cars – a Drive Score.

US For Sale By Owner (FSBO) portal fizber.com has added Drive Score to their home listings. Similar to Walk Score, Drive Score shows a map of what establishments are in a property’s neighborhood and calculates a Drive Score based on the number of places within a convenient driving distance. The greater number of businesses nearby, the higher the Drive Score. This option will enable home buyers make searches with much more confidence.

Walk Score might be more environmentally friendly, and popular in high density cities, but not all homes are located in an area where the local amenities are within walking distance. Antony Fizber, CEO of Fizber.com, says that affordable homes in more secluded – and yet still desirable – areas were being overlooked.

“The fact is, some homes are simply located in an area where restaurants, libraries, grocery stores, hospitals and other businesses are easier to get to by car,” says Mr. Fizber. “Less than a mile may be a comfortable walk for a New Yorker, but for a Los Angeles resident, they may have to cross a freeway on foot in that mile, which is not convenient at all. With Drive Score, buyers can see how close establishments are by car…and more than a mile away can still be a simple five or ten minute drive. It is really very important for home buyers to be aware of nearby infrastructure to make their choice. I assume that there aren’t many people who would like to live near airport or railway taking into consideration the noise produced. Meanwhile these homes might be pretty interesting for people who travel a lot as they will definitely save money on getting to the airport or railway station.”

Drive Score also shows hospitals, gas stations, airports, train stations and a variety of shopping stores located within a particular neighborhood. Directions are available by clicking on any icon shown on the Google map. Drive Scores are included on every home listing page. When making a search, homebuyers can also switch off Drive Score parameters they don’t need, so they will get Drive Score results adjusted to their requirements.

Drive Score seems to be the simply the latest in a long line of neighbourhood applications.