I recently read a blog from a local Silicon Valley realtor about how schools in Sunnyvale affect house prices. Interesting article, nothing earth shattering, as we do know that the higher the API scores of a school, the higher the house prices are likely to be. Whether we believe this to be fair or right and what we classify as a “good school” is for another discussion. And if you need some help knowing what to look for in a school, look here.
What I want to point out is how short-sighted we can be when it comes to buying a home in an area based on the “quality” of the local elementary school. What about the middle and high school?
Your kids may be pre-schoolers or not yet even born but they will grow older – hard to believe, but true! Mine were 5, 3 and 20 weeks till birth when we moved here from the UK, and now my oldest is 18, a senior in high school. When we looked at houses way back, we found one we loved, the price was OK, didn’t know anything about the area and we didn’t look past the local elementary school, and even then with just a cursory glance at the building and a meeting with the Kindergarten teacher – lovely lady. So we bought our house and left the schools in the lap of the gods.
But we were just lucky, I guess. We ended up in a school district which we’re very happy with and have never thought about moving. However, the same story isn’t true for some of my friends. When their kids got to 8th grade, they had to move house, as they weren’t happy with the local high school. One family I know, even moved house during her daughter’s elementary school years and then moved again during middle school to avoid the local high school!
Moving home just because of the school can be avoided if they’d been advised to look at all 3 schools before they bought. It’s an expensive affair to move house, what with realtor fees, likely increased property taxes etc.
So my advice to you if you’re relocating to Silicon Valley and have school age children is :
Information is power – look ahead and stay put!
Stumble It!
Relocating to Silicon Valley 
Hi, thanks for commenting on my blog. The most common request that I hear is about getting a good “trifecta” of schools from elementary through high school. Most of the times parents go by test scores and I agree that they’re a pretty blunt instrument for measuring the quality of a school.
The challenge, though, is that the “trifecta” puts many areas out of the range of young couples and financial strain on even single-income executives who live in Silicon Valley.
The reason why they choose an area with a good elementary school is because they can build equity while sending their young kids to a good school and then move to a better district when the time comes. The fact is it’s much easier to buy in an area with a good high school (because of its broad geographic coverage) than it is to get all three.
In fact, it would be irresponsible to advise someone to strain their immediate finances on the assumption that they’ll stay in a home from elementary through high school. While long-term commitment to a home is the best financial advice, 12 years is well beyond the average and families may be reluctant to spend more than they’ll most probably use.
Steve
I appreciate your comment, Steve!
I guess the awareness of this “trifecta” when young couples are choosing an area in which to buy a home is key. The consequential financial implications along with the ensuing clarifications of what counts as a “good” school, is all part of the education process which realtors and relocation advisors can help with.
Tricia