Families favour school catchment areas more than low crime rates
Parents value new homes with a favourable school catchment area more than low crime rates, the recent data by hillarys.co.uk has revealed.
Real estate specialists analysed the property market by surveying more than 2,400 homeowners in the UK.
The respondents are parents of school-age children; they answered several questions regarding how school catchment areas affect their property buying decisions.
The central research outcomes
The main finding is that almost 70% of the respondents say they choose their home based on a school catchment area.
A further 20% say they moved house or changed their address in the past to get a school place for their kids.
Moreover, 29% of the parents say they are willing to pay significantly more than the initial budget for properties close to the desired schools.
As a whole, these are the most typical must-have features current families look for when purchasing a new home:
- Favourable school catchment areas (84%)
- Nearby popular destinations and facilities (72%)
- Fast broadband (61%)
- Transport efficiency (51%)
- Low crime rates (42%)
In addition, 52% of the respondents admitted they might consider rental options or purchasing a second house in a favourable catchment area to secure a desirable school place.
Finally, 1 out of 4 says they purchased a home in catchment areas even before having kids, with «planning ahead» as the main driving factor for 89% of the parents.
The expert explains
Rachel Fernie at hillarys.co.uk highlights unexpected results of the survey confirming that parents across the UK are willing to spend more for new homes within school catchment areas. The number of those who consider renting or buying a second property was particularly surprising.
It is evident that the location of a «forever home» is critical, which is supported by the research findings.
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