Coming to a School Near You
May 2, 2022 Written by DigitalRealtyX
Schools have always been an important consideration when moving to a new community. This is obvious to families with school aged children, but even home buyers without kids should consider the local schools when they evaluate a neighborhood for a home purchase. Why? Because good schools are a major factor in property values, even if you are not planning to place your children in a local school. The school district can have a big impact on appreciation and even your ability to sell when you’re ready to move.
What’s Important To Your Family?
Most homebuyers have a list of features they want in their new home. They put time into thinking about the layout of the home, the view, the yard, the kitchen and other aspects of the home. Evaluating the local schools requires the same kind of thought. A good first step is to make a list of things you’d like to have in a school. These items could be things like academic achievements and clubs, athletic championships or performing arts programs. If you plan to have your children attend the local schools, these would be things you personally want offered by their school. Once you have a personal list, it’s time to research the school and school district. You want to not only consider the specific programs that might appeal to your family, but how the schools perform overall.
Evaluating The Schools
Once you have a list of items to research, it’s time to evaluate the schools. The first step is to head to the school district’s website. From there you can read about important achievements and specific awards or championships. The district will be understandably proud of these and will make sure they are prominently displayed on their home page. Using this as a guide, you can research local news to read more about the accomplishments and the impact they might have had on the students and community. Other good sources are the local city website and even the main department of education website for the state. This is a good way to understand special designations so you can use the data properly.
Adding Schools To Your Home Buying Criteria
Make a list of the top performing schools in the community and add these to your list of criteria. Ranking is a matter of personal preference. While academic accomplishments is always important, you might have an aspiring artist who would benefit from a fine arts program or a talented athlete who would want a championship football team. Regardless of what matters to you and your family, share this information with your agent and consider it as carefully as you would the chef’s kitchen of your dreams. The quality of local schools is an important aspect of property values and demand. Buying in a good school district typically increase value appreciation significantly over homes in lower performing school areas. Even if you don’t have school aged children, you want to carefully consider the local schools. Add the top schools to your list of “must haves” as you house hunt.