09/1

It’s back to school season for many families, so we thought it would be the perfect time to talk about how much a good school should factor into the search for your dream home. Like a tricky word problem in math class, the answer is not that simple. 

For parents of school-aged children, it’s true that one of the most important considerations when house hunting is the property’s school district. This is sometimes the deciding factor for either passing on a nice home in a bad school district or going with a house that doesn’t have everything you are looking for because the schools around it are ideal. 

So here are two things to consider, and yes, we’re saying it varies case by case. Remember, we told you there were no easy answers here. 

1. Good schools are important. There’s not much of an argument here; getting your kids into a good school will benefit everyone in the family long term. Finding a home in a great school district will make the decision of whether to buy that much easier. This is especially important when the alternative happens to be in a dangerous area.

2. Bad school districts should not determine your decision to buy. Let’s say you found your absolute dream home, but it happens to be in a school district that has terrible reviews. This could just be a matter of poor funding or upper management at the schools while the actual day-to-day learning is on par with some of the top-rated schools in another area. Plus, private schools could be an option for you, no matter where you decide to live. 

If you don’t want to have to make a decision like this at all, you can find the boundaries of your ideal school districts and only look at homes within this area. This will restrict you a little, but you will avoid having to compromise on something that’s so important to you. 

If you’re ever unsure about the quality of the schools in a particular area, just ask your real estate agent. They’re very knowledgeable about their local areas and may have past clients within the school system already. Speaking of education, if you ever have any questions about the title or closing process, our team would love to teach you.