There are many things you should consider when you start the home buying process. You may be looking for an open floor plan or a certain amount of bedrooms. While these are certainly important, there’s one factor that is often overlooked.
You may not think much about the school district where you are moving if you don’t have kids or your children are still infants. If you are house hunting, it is important to look for a home within a great school district. Simply by choosing a home within a better school district, home buyers can increase their property’s value. These are just a few of the reasons that school districts matter.
In this article, we’ll discuss why choosing a home based on the school district is so important.
Providing your children with a good education
Whether you have school age children, are just starting a family, or are planning to in the future, the most obvious reason to choose a home in a great school district is to provide them with a great education. Makes sense, right?
While it’s important for every child to get a quality education, this is particularly important for children with special learning needs. Children who require extra enrichment and learning opportunities need to be in a school district that is known for not only having good schools, but programs geared towards special needs children.
Maintaining your home’s value
Even if you don’t have children, it can increase the value of your home over time by living in a great school district. This is because homes with better school ratings have higher home values. While homes will fluctuate in value, a solid, highly rated school district can make a big difference in a difficult market. The need for a quality education is ever present, regardless of what the real estate market is doing.
A greater potential for resale
Not only can buying property in a great school district play a part in maintaining your home’s value, it can actually help to increase. Many people buy a home with the intention of staying there forever. But as we all know, situations change. Factors like job relocation, or outgrowing a house happen all the time. Also, your idea of a dream home may change over time. Because of this, you’ll want your home to have the highest resale value possible should you decide to sell.
If you live in an area with a high school, there is a greater demand for your home. This means that your home will not only be more valuable, but you can sell your house faster and easier,. The last thing you want is to be in a situation where your home sits on the market tying up the equity you have in it.
This is not to say buying a home in a top school district doesn’t have its disadvantages. There are always downsides to any decision. Buying based on a school district is no exception. You can expect to pay higher property taxes and a higher price overall if you live in an exceptional school area.
How to know you’re making the right choice
Home buyers want more than a house in a new area. They also want a community. A community’s character is shaped by its schools.
Different schools offer unique features that are attractive to different families. These are some things to remember when looking for a house in a school district.
Do some research
Researching school districts is important at the start of your home-buying process. It’s not a good idea to buy a home that you love, only to discover it’s in a poor-rated area.
The Department of Education database can be used to access different demographics, statistics and data about school districts. This database will allow you to determine the school’s quality and view information such as test scores and rankings.
Go online
Once you have a clear idea of the area you want to live in, you can start to look at the website for your local school district. This will allow you to see what resources the district offers, what curriculum is used, and what extracurricular activities are available.
Visit the school
Although visiting the district’s website is helpful, there is only so much information you can get. It’s a good idea, however, to visit the school in person.
It is a great way of getting a feel for the school’s location, commute times and proximity to your community. You can also see the school’s facilities and meet the principal, teachers, or learn more about the school’s operation.
Weigh out your options
When looking to purchase a home, make sure you know all of your options. As an example, a small town like Luling, LA only has one school district, but they do have private schools if you want to go that route. However, 20 miles away in New Orleans, you have multiple options.
Some areas have charter and magnet schools that are still free, but have certain requirements to enroll.
The bottom line
Whether you have children or not, buying in a great school district has many benefits. When figuring out what you can afford, make sure to include the school district into the equation.The value of your home will increase as well as the value of the area you live in.