The home experts at www.hillarys.co.uk conducted a survey of over 2,400 UK homeowners that are parents to school-age children also, asking a series of questions relating to school catchment areas and how this affects, or has affected their decision of the location that they look to buy a home.
It was initially revealed that 69% of parents surveyed said they pick their homes based on a school catchment area, with a further one in five admitting they had previously moved house or changed address, in order to obtain a school place for their children.
When discussing the cost that they’re willing to spend for the homes in question, almost one-third of parents stated that they would pay substantially more than their initial budget to acquire a property near their favoured school (29%).
Following from this, the most common must-haves respondents said they look for when buying a forever home, includes:
Desirable school catchment areas – 84%
Local amenities and attractions – 72%
High-speed broadband – 61%
Transport links – 51%
Low crime rate – 42%
What’s more, 52% of parents confessed that they would consider renting or buying a second property within desirable catchment areas to boost securing a preferred school allocation. While an additional quarter said they had even bought homes in catchment areas before having children – with ‘planning ahead’ given as the main reason why (89%).
Rachel Fernie, spokesperson for www.hillarys.co.uk, commented on the findings: “We were shocked to see the sheer number of parents across the UK that are more than willing to up sticks and move just to be near their desired school catchment areas, especially those who consider renting or buying a second property or even buy before actually having children. Undoubtedly, one of the most important aspects of finding a ‘forever home’ is the location and this rings true in the findings, with parents’ ultimate must-have being near a favoured school catchment area, followed by local attractions, reliable Wi-Fi and transport links.”
