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Navigating the School Side of the Real Estate Search
Sarah Hann • July 29, 2024
Finding the right schools in your real estate search
In the spirit of back-to-school season in Central Ohio, we wanted to share some pointers on how your realtor can help you navigate the school search when you move to a new area. While many families are likely situated for the new year in their new homes, if your next move will include finding a new school system, save this post!
Real estate listings will include the school district the home is located in, both for school attendance purposes and any tax purposes. Many real estate listings will go on to mention the area elementary, junior high/middle school, and high school that a student at that address would attend. Both attendance and taxes are vital pieces of information and can sway real estate decisions for prospective home buyers.
Sometimes families will already know which school district they’d like to live in, or have several top picks. Here at the Skinner Group, we also know some families will be brand-new to Central Ohio or even Ohio (Columbus is among the fastest growing cities in the US) so we’re prepared to introduce you to the many education options for the first time.
Experienced realtors in the area will be able to fill in the picture with details of additional school options in the district or even if the home is close to the boundary of another district. "Filling in the picture" may be a literal sense by viewing additional maps and comparing distances. Realtors will be ready with website information and other contact information for the school or schools of interest. Realtors really do know a little bit of everything and everyone in their communities!
Expert realtors, such as the Skinners, are prepared to direct your questions to additional resources and additional contact information. At the least, an experienced realtor always has a plan to find out answers! Additional education questions families might have include:
Where can I find current and reliable additional information on this school district/where do they post real-time updates?
How could I learn about private school options?
What accessibility or special needs services are available?
What is the transportation/bussing situation for the area schools?
And while young families will typically focus on K-12 education options as they browse real estate options, choosing a new home in Columbus or Central Ohio also puts a family in touch with many post-secondary options (by chance you’ve heard of The Ohio State University?). Adults looking to return to the classroom have many options in and around Columbus.
Whether you’re a parent, a teacher, a student, or all of the above, the Skinner Group is ready to field your education questions as you search for a new home in Columbus!
As the new year approaches and talk of the housing market in the new year approaches, rest assured that no matter your plans or goals, the Skinner Group will be here to serve you! Check out some common housing goals or plans and how we can help you: Find a bigger home: If 2025 is the year your family needs more space, we’ve got you covered! We can help you narrow your Central Ohio real estate search based on location or housing needs, and we can also work with you on a new a build. A new build is another excellent option for those seeking more space. Move to Central Ohio: Reading this from out of town? Welcome! We’d love to serve you in your search for finding your new place to call home in Central Ohio. The region boasts numerous communities, towns, and neighborhoods all with their own benefits and unique characteristics. Contact the Skinner Group today to inquire about serving as buyer representation. Sell your current Central Ohio home: No matter the reason, if you’re looking to sell your Central Ohio home in 2025, give us a call as soon as possible. The sooner the Skinner Group can chat with you about seller representation, the better we can serve you. Downsize: Just as many families and home owners might be looking for more space, many families and home owners are now on the opposite end and looking to downsize. We know this can be a tricky and delicate process, whether navigating the emotions of selling the family home, or finding the place that’s ‘just right’ (maybe downsize means a ranch layout or a smaller yard), but we’re here to serve you and your family. Relocate around/across Central Ohio: New schools. Closer to work. Have a home with a basement. Any of those reasons and countless more have been reasons why a family might move across town or just a couple of zip codes over without a significant change in home size. You likely have a key reason to want to move, but might need some help in sorting through the details whether on the buying or selling side. No matter the reason, the Skinner Group is eager to hear from you about buyer or seller representation in 2025! Until then, we wish you the happiest of holiday seasons and all the best in the new year!
As we arrive at the time of year prime for holiday gatherings, if you’re also in (or will be in) the season of home buying, you may want to factor in your future holiday hosting plans. Do you always throw the best dinner parties? Or, maybe at least the best take-out pizza parties? Maybe you’d like to ease the hosting duties from an older family member once you have the space to do it? Let’s walk through some of these thoughts in a room-by-room format, just as if you were doing a real home walk-through with your experienced realtor. Having notes and preferences will later make your home buying experience smoother and give your realtor more to work with, and more options to show you. Open floor plans: Those serious about hosting family and friends, and especially larger parties, might want to zero in on homes with open floor plans allowing for guests to always feel part of the action and no one ‘cut off’ when in another room. Your buyer representing realtor can help you narrow down the search for this style of floor plan. Sometimes sellers will even mention a home is ideal for hosting. Guest bedrooms: Don’t forget to consider how often you currently host overnight guests, or how often you could host once your new home is purchased or even as other family members or close friends make their own life moves in the coming years. Seasoned realtors of your area can also keep an eye out for properties with in-law suites or other guest room features. Living/family rooms: Where does everyone end up during a holiday party other than the kitchen? The living room. If you have dreams of your big extended family one day holding their gift exchange in your living room, or having epic holiday party games with friends, make sure they can all fit! Fireplaces are also great considerations and for some could be the make-or-break feature in two otherwise similar homes. Kitchen: Serious home chefs will want to let their buyer representation realtor know that they’re looking for well-equipped and spacious kitchens, while others may want the counter space for slow cookers or pizza boxes. Whether you cook in or take-out, parties have food and if you plan on throwing many parties, you’ll want to plan ahead for how to make and arrange those meals. Outdoor space: Thinking of being the summer party house in your family or friend group? Tune your home search toward properties with ample outdoor space and even features such as spacious patios, outdoor living and cooking areas, or even a pool. An experienced realtor can also lend thoughts on how much outdoor space is needed to bring those outdoor living dreams to life if the home's backyard is a blank slate. Want a little more control in these areas of your future home? A custom new build can be a great option for having a blank slate and a little more say in the home’s features. Here at the Skinner Group, we work with numerous Central Ohio new build partners and would love to bring a new build dream to life! Whether it’s also buying season or not right now, we wish you a happy holiday season from our family to yours!
If you’re planning to, or know you’ll be selling and moving in spring/summer of 2025, some of your prep work could start now to save you stress later. As experienced realtors here at The Skinner Group, we’re all in favor of reducing stress for our clients! As 2024 winds down, what are some things you could begin working on now in advance of selling (or even buying) in 2025? Identify Fixes: Identify the places in your current home that must be addressed before placing on the market, and create a plan of action for addressing those fixes. If outside help (plumber, etc.) is required, it’s best to be in touch with those professionals early to get on their schedules and get the needed financial estimates and conversations underway. Plan Upgrades: “Fresh” is always a great selling point, so start making notes and plans for simple refreshes. Holiday breaks can make for ideal times for simple and fun upgrades… and surely your out-of-town aunt would love to give you her opinions on refreshing your kitchen as you pass the gravy on Turkey Day! All of that adds up to knowing what refreshes you’ll make and when you’ll do it. Don’t forget the outside: You wrote down the leaky faucet and better cabinet handles on your to-fix list, but don’t forget about the part of your home that others see first! Exterior improvements could be as simple as overgrown garden control, or more complex like cracked patio steps. Similar to interior fixes or improvements, create a list and a plan of action for addressing. Some of this will likely need to wait until spring, but you can still plan out how you’ll do it and even browse for the most cost-effective methods to carry out your project. Find a realtor: Here at the Skinner Group, we’d love to work with you to sell your Central Ohio home. Reach out and simply say “hello”, or we’d also love to chat about your ideal selling timeline now so that it can come to life. Reaching out to an experienced realtor early allows for everyone to have more time to achieve the common goal of buying or selling with the best outcomes possible. Research future needs: If you’re planning to sell the home your currently live in and have no next residence lined up, then you're probably going to experiencing the buyer life as well in looking for a new home. If you haven’t already, take some time to consider not just your current, but your future needs in your next home. An experienced realtor can be great to chat with and make sure you haven’t overlooked a future need. Our next blog post will actually help you consider these future needs in the context of the holidays-- so stay tuned! Just like many other things in life where success begins in the ‘off season’, so can be true for preparing to sell your home. Preparing ahead of the spring and summer real estate selling season can put you ahead, save some stress, and lead to the best outcomes. Reach out to an experienced realtor, reach out to the Skinner Group today!