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Do Schools Add Value To Homes

By Kate Ford

Republish: EasyPublish™ Published: 18Oct2008 Word count: 734 Viewed: 280 time(s) Get Free Content For Your Site

If you'll remember back to when you were in high school, you can understand why schools are an important consideration when buying a house.

Along these same lines having children is an incredible responsibility. No one knows this more than you and we all agree on the importance of a quality education. So, if you want to buy a home and you have children, you most likely are concerned with schools.

And even without children, buying a house in a school district known for providing quality education can make a difference in your home's perceived value.

So, how do you find out about schools?

At this point some people will tell you to ask your real estate agent. Even though I was a real estate broker and sales person I wouldn't recommend it. Why? The truth is that real estate agents know they aren't fully qualified to give you accurate information on schools. They are licensed to sell you a house. Selling homes is their expertise. For determining the quality of schools, it is important to do your own research.

Fortunately, there is a lot more public information available than 20 years ago or even 10 years ago. But before you start looking, determine your priorities and preferences first.

Here are some questions to ponder. How important is it to be close to your child's school? This can vary greatly depending your family dynamics.

Is your child going to attend public school or do you intend to send them to a private or religious school?

In addition, school options can also include other types of schools. There are charter schools as well as alternative schools. There are magnet schools and there are some school districts that allow you to send your children to any school you select. Some families choose to home school their children. Most likely you already have some options in mind.

In a word, when looking for information the obvious place to begin is the internet. It is incredible what you can find out these days. For instance, a site called Great Schools provides simple steps to get information about schools throughout the entire United States.

In short, one would enter an address of a prospective home to receive names of nearest pre-schools, public elementary schools, public middle schools, and public high schools. It offers charter schools sorted by closest to farthest away. In addition, it also includes a complete list of private schools. All this information is available by simply searching with the term "local schools" on the particular site.

Searching on the internet is merely the first step. But if you want to be thorough, there is no better way than to put on your hiking boots and head over to a school and check it out for yourself. You can tell a lot by simply observing.

Likewise, call the office ahead of time and make an appointment to talk to the principal. Ask questions. Call the school district. Explain your child's needs and request information about the school report card. How do the schools score academically and what extra curricular activities do they provide. If your child has special needs ask how the school district accommodates those issues.

Naturally, I have discussed several ways in this article to search out school information when you are going to buy a home. But I still have one more idea and I think it is the most important. Word of mouth. The most qualified critics for schools are the parents who actually send their children to these schools. Local PTA organizations, babysitting coops, and sport teams are just a few ways to find parents to compare notes with.

Accordingly, if you already live in the area you intend to buy a home in you may already know the answers to many of these questions. If you are moving to a new city or an area you are not familiar with, be brave. Ask your real estate agent to introduce you to other parents. After all, your Realtor may be your only connection to a new community.

Again, when buying a house, schools are deserving of substantial consideration whether you have children or not. If you have children first determine your preferred choices. Then search out the school information using the internet, speaking with school officials, calling the school district, and most importantly asking the best critics of all, other parents.

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