The "Looking to become a homeowner" Thread

[Cam]

Uh, I don't and won't have kids.

[Tom Servo]

Hey, he said amazingly compelling, Cam.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Schools are just good indicator of quality of neighborhood. Even if you don't have kids, property value of your home should stay higher relative to others if you have better schools.

Of course there can be other considerations as well, but I personally think having good schools is your best bet. We bought our property without kids and wasn't preparing to have kids at the time either, but of course we also didn't rule out having kids...

[dodint]

Where at?

Allison Park, but closer to Rt.8 instead of 279. More into Shaler.

http://www.northwood.com/real_estate...671-1-1250480/

[Random]

Oh, the place with our rug.

[dodint]

Hah, yeah.

[balki]

so what's the deal with good school neighborhoods?
I know people like billi who swear by them, but the upfront cost is noticibly higher (which you can get back) and the annual taxes are much higher (which you won't get back).
Why not get a starter and when you have kids of school-age look for a 'better' neighborhood. Even then, Grad school -> Undergrad > HS > JHS > elementary > K

[dodint]

As a childless couple we only considered schools because of the resale value and rentability of the property. I wouldn't pay anything extra for it, certainly. I already paid enough taxes to send other peoples kids to school, not looking to do it at a premium here if I can help it.

[Crazed_Insanity]

I kinda doubt property tax varies by school district and its performance. your house value can definitely vary, that's probably because it's just a better neighborhood.

Anyway whatever the reasons, locations are important. Besides k-12 schools, check and see if you're also near a college or university... Because those places have awesome rentibility in the future. on a flip side, you probably want to avoid huge factories or military bases where most of the neighborhood goes to work there or supported by them... Because those thing are more prone for closures during down time. Then you'll be in a ghost town.

Also make sure there are no dams up stream!

[Kchrpm]

Property tax varies by school district because of levies, I don't know the relationship between good school districts and districts with a lot of levies.