Many factors influence buyers when purchasing a home. Parents, or expectant families, desire a good school district nearby. This is typically one of the most important factors when they’re choosing where to live.

Safety and quality of education are important district features for parents who are prospective home buyers,  but with increased bullying and incidents of school violence publicized widely in the media, the quality and safety of school district systems has increased in importance. It’s vital that children receive the best education possible and are safe in the learning setting, and there are many environmental influences that might affect how parents view the safety of a particular school district.

Among parents for whom school quality is the most important factor that affects their buying decision, school boundaries hold significant relevance. An estate that’s situated a mere block outside of a desired school district can cause some families to ignore that property completely. Even if that home possesses all the amenities and features that they desire, exclusion from their desired school district is an absolute deal breaker.

Public Transportation Is Important

In addition to seeking high quality school districts, people like to have easy access to public transportation. As owning a car grows less popular, this desire increases. This is especially important for parents that need or want public transportation to shuttle their kids to school.

To find the ideal home, some families buy residences that are far away from their jobs. They view this as an acceptable tradeoff to ensure that the children receive a stellar education. However, more American’s are growing concerned about how they affect the environment. In 2015, for instance, rail ridership surged from 9 to 14 million commuters, and between 1995 and 2013, 37.2-percent more of the population used public transportation.

Rising gas prices also contribute to increased use of public transportation. Each year, American consumers save 450 million gallons of gas by using public transit. It reduces the impact that fossil fuels have on the environment, improves public health and saves commuters money.

The Three L's

People want to purchase a home in a good location that’s easily accessible, located in a high-quality school district and features abundant resources. In fact, many buyers are willing to pay more and wait, to get the perfect home. A poll conducted by the National Association of Realtors revealed that the average United States home buyer considers school district quality as the sixth most important factor for buying a home. However, among buyers aged 35 to 49 school district quality was the fourth most important factor. School districts are more important to younger generations however. Nearly half of polled Millennials, for instance, state that their dream home would be in an outstanding school district.

When it comes to choosing a school district, home buyers are faced with evaluating a complex network of charter, magnet and public schools that vary greatly in student learning outcomes. Still, the quality of a district’s school system is a much larger incentive for today’s buyers compared to past generations. This demand directly and dramatically correlates with home values.

Contemporary parents are more involved in planning their children’s education. However, this can sometimes create a quandary for home buyers, as shoppers cannot effectively determine whether higher home values equate to better school systems. The school district might perform better than another simply because the parents in that district participate more in ensuring positive learning outcomes for their children.

New home builders recognize how a high performing school district can increase home values and are targeting those districts for development. School system quality is even important for some home buyers who don’t have children. They’ll buy in a better school district solely because they desire the benefit of a home with enhanced value.

Real estate agents can leverage their sales better by knowing what their clients want. They can help buyers by watching for homes that are located near exceptional educational facilities and understanding the reasons why those institutions perform well. Parental influence, for instance, can have a profound effect on student performance, and in urban areas, traditional public schools can have a significant impact home values. Today, proposed school district zoning changes can cause quite a stir among homeowners who fear that homes will lose value, and high performing charter schools can improve the values of homes in an underperforming school district. In areas where schools rank high, home buyers are willing to pay a premium.