Higher Home Values Linked to Top-Performing Schools

“Schools are one of the top indicators of your return on investment,” says realtor April Lepito Smith. “Even if you don’t have children or your children are no longer school age, people will always be drawn to areas with strong public school programming. It’s just a smart investment.” Many researchers over the years have linked school quality to property values. A 2016 Realtor.com study found that nationwide, homes in highly rated school districts cost 49% more than the national median — and 77% more than schools in low-ranked districts.

Here in Marin County, one of the many reasons housing is expensive is the quality of schools. What makes an excellent school? Parents, school boosters and real estate experts agree that the school quality that buyers are looking for runs deeper than online ratings. Parents expect art, music and extracurricular activities. Excellence stems from the community and parents are perpetually improving Marin schools through fund raising foundations.

As a Marin County realtor and mother of a school aged child in the Larkspur Corte Madera School District, I can attest to the quality of our public schools and the impact it has on housing values. Moving from San Francisco, where we would likely be considering private schools for grades 6-12, we traded private school tuition for higher housing prices…and consider it a wash.

The added bonus is that my child can ride his bike or walk to school and we have hiking trails right outside our front door!