7 Simple Steps To Finding A Great Home

In A Terrific School District

Did you know that 90% of all school districts in the U.S. are rated "acceptable" or "good"? That's according to a recent report from the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR). However, only about 10% of all homeowners choose to live in a school district with an "excellent" or "superior" rating. They typically just search for homes in a particular zip code without reviewing the different ratings of the top schools. So how do you determine if a particular school district is a good fit for your family?

Here are seven simple guidelines to help you decide how to buy a home in a good school district. As you will see below, There are several different factors when choosing a good school district vs a private school and all the other local school districts. Search homes now.

1. What to consider before looking for a home in a particular school district

Firstly, is there a significant difference between the property taxes you would have to pay in the district where you currently reside and the property taxes you would have to pay in the district you are considering moving to in a top zip code? Secondly, what is the academic performance of the students in the school district you are considering? Is it an "A" or "B" school district? An "A" school district has the highest academic performance of all school districts. An "A" school district is also likely to have a higher percentage of students who go on to college than other good school system or top school districts rankings.

Next, what is the ethnic/racial makeup of the school district you are considering? Generally speaking, districts with more ethnic/racial diversity tend to have a better quality of life. For example, in New York City there are five boroughs as options: Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, The Bronx and Staten Island. Each of these boroughs has a different racial/ethnic composition. Thus, if you were to make a random selection of homes in any one of these boroughs, the racial/ethnic diversity of the schools in which those homes are located would vary dramatically. A similar situation exists in most U.S. cities.

By the way, according to the 2000 Census, Hispanics made up 17.9% of the total population in New York City. Make sure you research better school district and find one that works for you and your kids. The area has to make sense for you and have the different options and pay close attention to the different ratings. A good school district is very important! You'll want to make sure you research school districts to find a good home with good home values. Also check test scores when you are researching school districts as the home values tend to go up. Home Search in Virginia Beach, VA | Barry Jenkins - Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate.

2. Checking out the schools in your prospective neighborhood

Additionally, you should check out the schools in the school districts in which all of your friends or family members currently reside. Chances are, if the schools in your current community are not good, none of your friends or family will be able to point you to some excellent schools in other districts and how they've helped their kids with college readiness. So, do your homework! If you don't, you could end up with a family member or close friend who is miserable living near crappy schools and you'll never know about the fantastic schools available in other districts.

What is the ratio of students per teacher in the district you are considering? This is one of the most important considerations when you are looking at moving to a new school district. The best school districts have student/teacher ratios of 16 or less. Other parents will tell you to watch for this. Anything above that and you are going to be sacrificing academic excellence for "babysitting." We also need to make sure investment property isn't in abundant supply in the area or you might have hindered property values.

3. Choosing the right house in the right school district... and... knowing what to look for!

After all, it's not just the school district in which the house is located that is important... it's also the house itself! Let's say you found a house in an excellent school district and you loved the house. However, when you inspected the house, it had serious "cosmetic" flaws. Let's say the house had peeling paint, a cracked foundation, a decrepit screened-in porch and so on. Would you still buy the house? If so, how could you know if the problems with the house were really "cosmetic" or if they went much deeper? Would you be able to detect this easily? The answer is yes, you would be able to detect this easily. Let me explain: Most buyers don't have the skills to detect many of the serious structural problems that exist with most houses. And, unless you are doing your homework... you won't have the skills either. So, to save time, just assume that all houses have these kinds of problems... unless... you can be sure that the house you are looking at has fewer problems than other houses.

4. Evaluating your needs and those of your family

Is there a school in a great school district you are considering that has academic programs which appeal to you and your children or family member? Or maybe a private school? If so, do some research and find out what teachers have taught in the past and how their students did on standardized tests along with their test score. Are there gifted academic programs in the schools in your prospective neighborhood? Do they offer advanced placement courses for high school students? Are there good music, art and/or sports programs for your family member? Does the school offer a foreign language? Do the private school in the zip code offer what is needed? (Most schools now offer Spanish classes as a second language.) Look for a school that offers a lot of stuff that you like... because... this is what will make your family member happy and more likely to do well academically.

5. How much money you are willing to spend

Next. You know, it seems to me that far too few people consider how much money they are willing to spend when they are shopping for a home. Yes, of course, price is important... but... not nearly as important as what I call "Location, Location, Location." Price determines value. Value, in turn, dictates whether or not you get the location you want. Let's say you want to live in a nice residential area but you don't have very much money. If the homes in the area you are looking at are all priced way above the level you can afford, you'll be forced to look in less desirable areas or you'll have to sacrifice comfort and move to a more affordable area where the homes are not as nice.

So, how much are you willing to spend? Well, that depends. What I mean is this: How much are you willing to spend on a home... if... you had to pay cash? How much are you willing to spend... if... you had to finance the purchase with a low-interest mortgage? How much are you willing to spend... if... you had to put up all the money yourself? Or maybe a family member might be able to help you And so on. The answer to these questions will give you a "ballpark" figure of how much you are willing to spend... which, in turn...Good school districts can be expensive due to higher home values, higher property taxes, but the student to teacher ratios tend to be more in the children's favor which results in better test scores. Depending on if the school is a charter school that offers college prep or not, you might be able to obtain financial aid as well. This opportunity could help you find a school quality that is in better school districts and it could make all the difference in a good education.

6. Finding and hiring a real estate professional to help you

Provided that you do this, your real estate professional, Barry Jenkins - Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate | Real Estate Agency in Virginia Beach, VA, should be able to give you an accurate evaluation of the value of the home you are looking at... and... help you determine whether or not it is worth purchasing. He or she should also be able to help you locate comparable homes in the area which have recently been sold... and... give you an idea of what the current market conditions are for those homes. From there, it should be a simple matter for you to decide if the house you are looking at is right for you. Remember, though, that with any kind of big purchase, it is always a good idea to have a second opinion. If your real estate agent can't give you an accurate evaluation of the home you are looking at... or... can't help you find comparable sales... or... can't give you any clue as to the current market conditions for that type of home... don't use that agent again. Use someone else. Someone who has all three of the above skills because real estate winners access the correct data.

7. Choosing the best house

After you are finished looking, I think the single most important thing you can do when you are ready to move into your new home... is... make sure you have a place for everything and everything is in its place. I call this "The Zen of Zoning." Make sure there is one place for each item in your house which is its own separate zoned space... and... make sure that every item has its own specific space. For example, if you keep your car in the garage, make sure there is a specific space for your car... and... make sure that space is always clean and free of debris. If you have a den, make sure there is a specific space for your den... and... make sure that space is clean and free of clutter. If you have a dining room, make sure there is a specific space for the dining room table and chairs... and... make sure that space is set up for dining... with a clean and tidy kitchen area, a broom closet for cleaning supplies, etc. If you have a family, buy a house with at least three bedrooms... so you'll have a place for everyone to sleep with your kids and your friends' kids... and... a place for each person to have his or her own private space. In the end, you want your child to have a great school year in great schools but you also want to have your dream home where home prices and resale value will not be the only thing you have to worry about. You will have the best education in an area where the home value will go up due to home buyers doing their home search and finding homes in your school district with a home price that is worth it to them due to all the features they want.