Would You Like the Option of Walking or Biking to Work?
Three options to consider
Your residence is your refuge that offers comfort after a busy day at work. Your home is also the point of departure for most aspects of your life including business meetings, social activities, religious activities, selected sporting events, medical appointments, and family visits. How much time do you spend accessing your work and your social activities? Is your gym, your church or temple, your favorite café, the local theatre, hospital, museum, library or educational facility within easy access to your residence? Can you improve the quality of your life by changing your zip code?
This article is meant to be provocative.
Your current home address and your current employment may not offer the option of biking or walking to work. However, at some time in the future, you may consider a new residence or a new career that will include a change in your lifestyle. Hopefully that lifestyle change will include the option of biking or walking to work. Exercise, from biking or walking, will undoubtedly improve your physical condition. If you can reduce the hours spent commuting to and from work, you will also reduce your stress level, improve your mental health, and have more time for leisure activities. The hidden bonus in this healthy regime is that the quality of the air you breathe will be improved by reducing the carbon emission from traffic congestion.
Whether you are considering a change in career or a change in your homestead, you should determine your priorities, evaluate the positive and negative factors, including the costs relative to each option, and then formalize an action plan.
Here are three options to consider:
1. A metropolitan city that provides safe bike lanes.
You will probably pay more for rent or the purchase of a residence, but you may delete from your budget the costs relating to driving an automobile, whether you own it or lease it; including the cost of fuel, insurance, lease payments or interest payments, and periodic repairs It is also important to evaluate the public transportation options in each city because there will be rainy days when public transportation will be a necessity. Bikers in metropolitan cities often purchase folding bikes that can be carried onto public transportation and are easy to store at home or in an office. It would be wise to consider the climate in the location you are considering. (Some like it hot, some like it cold!)
2. A well-planned suburban community or a neighborhood that provides favorable accommodations for both work and play.
Co -working space may offer a well-equipped gym nearby to entice prospective tenants. Many suburbs have industry specialization that may or may not match your career goals. You can research communities throughout the nation that are redesigning neighbors to accommodate new industries and incoming residents. These redeveloped neighborhoods that wish to attract new talent may offer career opportunities and attractive reasonably priced housing.
3. A live – work-play community.
This new concept combines housing, business and leisure needs all within one real estate development. More developers will be addressing this growing demand in the upcoming decade. At the present time it may be difficult to locate a community that matches your career goals. If you can work from your home, a live –work-play community may currently be an option.
I recommend that when you decide to change your lifestyle, consider leasing rather than buying until you have adapted to the new lifestyle. You may be able to negotiate a lease with an option to purchase, for both your home and your business.
Related content:
5 Tips for Re-Imagining Your Commute
6 Steps to Build and Sustain a Remote Workforce
Are You (and Your Company) Flexible Enough? Five Considerations
