Does This House Come with Bike Lanes?

Whitney Malkin just wrote an encouraging piece for the Huffington post. It seems that a growing number of home buyers are demanding more than good schools and safe streets when they purchase a house. They also want to live in bicycle-friendly neighborhoods.

"With gas prices high, bicycles flying out of stores and a buyer's market for houses, a handful of real estate agents around the country are touting the two-wheeled appeal of their listings."

We don't need no stinkin' driveway
Photo from a related story on ABC News,
courtesy of Pedal To Properties

Kirsten Kaufman, a Portland real estate agent, takes this concept very seriously. She gives clients the option of visiting houses by bicycle. "The mother of three started hosting bike tours earlier this summer, doling out energy bars and apricots to a growing tail of clients whose passion for pedaling weighs heavily in their choice of homes."

Once again, it appears that Portland is at the forefront a bicycle-friendly trend. Real estate agents in Colorado and other areas have also started showing houses by bicycle recently. Let us all hope that the rest of the country picks up on this concept.