Redfin, a national real estate brokerage, has a new tool which rates neighborhoods by job accessibility. The tool, called Opportunity Score, gives prospective residents who may not be familiar with local geography a way to plan for their future commute.
To access this tool, simply enter the address or area into Redfin’s Opportunity Score page.
For instance, entering in a zip code for Riverside, California will show an average score of 49 out of 100. A specific address will give a more exact score. This score translates to some job accessibility, meaning to commute from home to work in less than half an hour most jobs will require a car.
The tool also shares the breakdown of which industries make up the largest percentage of jobs in the area.
Finally, the tool lists the average home and rental prices for one, two, three or four bedrooms in the area.
It may not surprise you to learn California’s highest score is held by San Jose, which has an average score of 70.
Helpful — for few
This tool is useful for a very select group of people. In the above example, imagine someone who is moving to work in Riverside from out of state. Their spouse also needs a job and they want to be able to walk or bike to work. So they use this tool to narrow down their search to the right city or neighborhood close enough to their spouse’s new job that also has a high Opportunity Score.
However, they might do themselves a favor and contact a real estate agent and share their need to be close to plenty of jobs since they have not yet found one. Any local real estate agent worth their salt will quickly point them in the right direction.
