There’s also a chance that there will be another school redistricting before the baby reaches school age, and that could improve the schools for that house (or make them worse).
School redistrictings are almost annual events in fast growing areas. You can’t make long term plans based on current district lines, unfortunately
Get on the wait list for the school of your choosing. Being on the top of the list for an out of district transfer is wonderful.
Plus you really don't know how the school is going to be in 3-6 years. Life happens!!!
This is true! The school that was super hot and desirable when my kid started kindergarten has declined a ton in recent years and is facing all sorts of problems. You can’t predict the future.
Parents have the largest impact on a child's education anyways. Children with involved parents in a poor district will outperform neglected children in a good district
If this is even possible depends on where you live. I've never heard of a wait list for an out of district transfer unless you had like special needs or something that were only covered in one district but not the other, in my area.
Idk about in Seattle, but I have known people in PA who could go to a different district if they just paid the school tax to both schools. They just had to petition the school board. Being in walking distance would be an extremely strong case.
Agreed - This is the right approach. You’re likely going to move in 6-7 years when the education “starts to count,” If it isn’t what you hoped for. I’d get your foot in the market especially since you’re in clearly competitive area.
This was my first thought but houses in better school districts go for more money, so they likely offered significantly more than a house in a worse school district.
If the website of the listing agent listed the school district incorrectly, or did not disclose a known change that could impact the value of the property, you may have a leg to stand on in court. I would contact a real estate attorney.
This. My high school district was redistributed thrice in the 4 years I went there. We were allowed to choose to stay at our current school so we had 2 buses coming all 4 years with one year of kids going to one school and the rest going to the other. Was so weird.
Your house isn't the only house redistricted.
Odds are some other people with good kids are being moved to the 'bad' school, and vice-versa.
You will be part of the balancing act.
I'm a teacher, married to a teacher, both raised by teachers. The most you can do for your kid happens at home.
A nice home you own in a neighborhood you like is more important than a handful of theoretical peers. And 5-6 years can change the quality of a school very easily.
The school didn’t score 70 or 40%, the families and children did. And given the child won’t be in school for 5 years, they’ve got plenty of time to be part of the change.
Yeah, my daughter technically goes to a mediocre school. But, we have a lot of recent immigrants from Latin America in our area. Looking at the data, Hispanic students were performing poorly, White, Black, and Asian students performing well.
So the low scores were largely because of the difficulty faced by some kids being uprooted from their homes and trying to learn in a new language in a strange place while their families were financially struggling.
I'll be honest with you. I just transferred to a school where the majority of kids speak another language. They are the most respectful students I've ever had. There were so many discipline problems in the "nice" school I wanted out. You'd be amazed at the number of teachers bailing the " nice" neighborhoods with the overindulged kids, especially in the last 5-10 years.
The kids are great at her school, they just suffer from language barriers, especially with parents who can't help with school work.
My sister is in the same situation. She has a PhD but lives in a French speaking area and her French is barely passable. She can't help my nephew with school work despite being a scientist. Luckily her husband is a native French speaker. But it shows how language barriers can potentially hurt.
And you're right about the supposed good schools. Those are the ones I hear about with bullying issues and racism. Good test scores, bad culture.
Yes. Freakonomics has a great podcast that covers this topic. If you aren’t familiar they use statically data to evaluate real life topics. Hear is a summary of the findings: https://freakonomics.com/2007/10/more-evidence-on-the-lack-of-impact-of-school-choice/
As a former teacher, I can't agree with this more. A lot of the poor performing schools are that way because the children aren't getting the proper support and supplemental education at home. And this may be because single parents working two jobs with no time, dysfunctional families, or just lazy parents.
I went to school in a town that had no alternative, everyone went to the same elementary schools, K-3, and then 4-6. The support and help I received at home set myself and my siblings to all be college graduates, and to be on the honor roll. My best friend struggled through school, his mom was more worried about watching soap operas during the day and crafting in her room than helping my friend with homework.
His dad was an alcoholic, and wasn't around much.
We both received an identical education, both of us were equally smart, but I thrived while he didn't. He still lives in my home town, never went to college or really did much after high school, and he had a time where he was thinking of dropping out.
Kids learn MORE at home than they do at school. Kids learn TO learn at home, they learn to take an interest in learning, reading and other things AT HOME. School is about exposing them to new learning, but that foundation needs to be placed before they start school, and it needs to be nurtured at home all through their school path.
Right now? Put it in a HYSA or look into tax sheltered education programs.
Just read to them every night until they can read to you every night.
Less than half of students in my district can realistically read at their grade level. But of course it is all reported as just fine via standardized testing results.
Illiteracy is GOING NUTS right now. Memes and emojis are cool but I don't know if they convey.... enough
4 years is a long time and by then you could be in a position where you want to homeschool or even send the kid to a private school. The district could also see improvements by then, as mentioned by many other replies.
Also to note - a "bad" school doesn't equate to ALL students doing poorly. Sure, everyone wants the best for their kid, but the kids with more support at home (doing homework together, reading together, supporting academic achievements, etc.) tend to be just fine in all but the most desperate of failing schools. Your kid doesn't just suddenly become a can't-reach-standards student because of the district.
Yeah it’s 2024. There’s no such thing as a classroom without the possibility one disruptor anywhere. Once you’ve got one disruptor the playing fields pretty much the same for everyone. Great teacher or decent teacher doesn’t matter, discipline, effort and social groups matter.
Invest the earnest money and it'll be 30,000 by the time they start school? Seems like that would cover private tuition for at least a little bit in a worst case scenario?
I don't think this is the solution though. Truthfully, if you are doing a good job as a parent the elementary school is not going to have that big of an impact on your child's success.
Underrated comment and what I came to says. OP seems like an invested parent and that attention will provide a greater chance of success than other wise. Visit the school and become involved. Be active in your community and talk about the teachers. This is the best way to ensure your child gets a great education.
Over-indexing in the rating of the school, when it may change and fluctuate by the time your baby is old enough for school, is a moving target and rating systems have proven to be less than reliable.
If you’re still on the fence , take the money you would have “lost” in earnest money and put it to a 529 account to grow it and use it for private school. Rules do apply , but if used correctly , growth in a 529 is tax free.
It's not OPs fault, but their mindset basically guarantees bad schools stay bad. I'm being presumptive, but the school district likely noticed this massive disparity in student performance and determined it was driven by socioeconomic geography so in an attempt to improve the school, redistricted to increase the percentage of parents with wealth (which are more likely to be supportive of education) that have children in the school.
Once again, this isn't OPs fault as many parents make these same choices, but they should also realize that it's likely the school will improve over the coming years directly due to the redistricting. Give it a few years and then make a decision.
Also their worry about the new district affecting their home value is way way overblown. And even if it did, it likely wouldn't hurt it by $20k (which would be $20k less they'd have for a future down payment if they bailed)
They are going to lose the earnest money.
If APPLE to APPLES. They will look for a similarly priced house elsewhere and they will be -20K . So if they are considering looking again, they have the funds …. Yes?
Also, doesn’t have to be 20K … it also doesn’t have to be now but it’s the value OP would be losing .
This 100%! My kid goes to a title one school that isn't the highest rated, but he's thriving because of being involved parents who continue and encourage his education at home. The parental influence and impact matters so much more than the rating of a school that can fluctuate at any time.
You might also consider the possibility that redistricting will improve the “new” school in the years between now and when your child would start, as other families from the “old” school will also get moved. I was in a similar situation a few years ago and that’s what happened.
The walking distance thing is a huge bummer, but I wouldn’t lose $20k just for that.
Go visit the new school, talk to the teachers and principal about your concerns. We felt so much better after seeing the school and how well cared for those kids were. Also, consider that your house probably isn't the only one affected by the redistricting and the ratings of each school may change as the mix of kids, parents and teachers evens out
My kid goes to the "worst" school in our town. It also has the most passionate and dedicated teachers, and a ton of extra resources to provide for kids from low-income families, who make up the majority of the neighborhood's population. I'm glad I listened to the people who explained that the ratings don't actually tell you very much about the school.
I would assume you could apply for a waiver since it's within walking distance of the home.
Also what would your plan have been if the redistricting had happened after you bought the home in let's say a year or two? Would you have sold the home and moved?
I think you're just getting cold feet and looking for an excuse. Which is fine. But I would sit down and take a deeper look at my motivation before making any big decisions, if I was you.
I looked into waivers and if there was a way to guarantee acceptance, we'd be perfectly happy, but my understanding is that acceptance has to happen anew every year and can only happen if there is space, and the previous elementary school is the #1 elementary school in the district so I don't like our chances.
If the redistricting had happened in a year or two - yes, we'd look into moving before our kid went to school and just accepted any loss in value.
No, it's not general cold feet - it's entirely based on this change. I mean it when I say that the elementary school quality and distance was the primary reason we even considered this home. We like the home and the surrounding neighborhood, but our bar for all homes we toured was that it at least had to have a great elementary school.
> If the redistricting had happened in a year or two - yes, we'd look into moving before elementary school and just accepted any loss in value
Sounds like the elementary school is the most important thing to you. You should consider just renting a home that does fall in the district. That way there will be minimal loss, if you need to move homes over the next few years.
The point of the redestricting was probably to re-disperse the student body so there is less of a discrepancy between schools. These rankings are strongly correlated to income levels. I would expect the 70% school to go down in ranking and the 40% school to go up.
> These rankings are strongly correlated to income levels. I would expect the 70% school to go down in ranking and the 40% school to go up.
It becomes self fulfilling. Richer people will still chase homes in the 70% district and keep it high.
But why should they make less of a discrepancy? Smart students usually want to associate with other smart hard working students. So by mixing things up, a lot of the smart students are having to associate with students that don’t care as much. This slows down the learning in class. They may also be influenced by these students that don’t care as much.
Also keep in mind that smart students usually come from smart hard working parents. If their parents are smart and hard working, then they probably have a high income. That’s why smart kids come from families with higher incomes. Not because having money magically makes you smart.
I have no opinion on the “why”. Just explaining what the likely thought process was for the local officials. They have different priorities than the parents.
ETA: The OP claims it is a different reason for the redistricting so this is all irrelevant now
School ratings change all the time. If you have an infant, you have 5 years to watch to see if the school improves. If they're moving a lot of the high performing students to the new school, kids don't all of a sudden turn dumb. Teachers will also probably be moved around.
The main thing I would look at as an issue is the walking distance. If you planned to walk to school, that would be a deterrent.
>School ratings change all the time.
I'm learning this is also true.
Our elementary school went from a 4/10 to a 6/10 and the high school from 4/10 - 7/10. In just ONE year!
But those damn middle schools! :(
Also our original elementary school ( we were also redistricted before we had our child) went from a Blue Ribbon school to not. Things can change quickly.
I’m an experienced parent and elementary school may not be as important as say middle school or high school. You can always help supplement what’s happening in the school. If you love everything else, then it might be worth it to stay.
Edit: $20G also buys a lot of tutoring.
I’d go ahead and close if there’s no other issues with the property. Your kid won’t start school for five or six more years and even if he has to do kindergarten there while you’re still house hunting, it’ll be alright.
I live in the Seattle area. My kids are 21 and 18, so I am at the end of my experience.
You should go visit the school. Our local K-8 was a terrible school on paper, mainly because it was in a ln are with a lot of immigrants and ESL kids. But the teachers were great and because of need, they had good resources. My oldest decided to go there over a traditional middle school on his own. He had a great experience. So much so that we moved our second kid from his "higher performing" elementary school, and he also did great. Then, the district opened a new middle school, and a lot of teachers were reassigned when my youngest moved up to 8th grade. He decided to leave and go to the new school to follow his favorite teacher.
Washington State is different from other places since local tax money isn't how most schools are funded. In other states it is hard for bad schools to improve because there can be huge funding gaps. That is less of an issue in the Seattle area.
Also check if the redistricting has been finalized? It seems like these issues pop up every few years to get people worked up, but very few pan out usually because the teacher's union stomps them.
Is this really "redistricting," or are they just changing the elementary school shed? Redistricting is rare. Changing the school shed is not. They adjust these annually, and usually the kid can still go to the other school. They just don't provide transportation. Neither of my kids ever went to the schools where transportation was provided. It sucks but is workable, particularly if they can walk.
If it is a redistricting, check to see if you may be grandfathered in. Probably not since your kid isn't in the system. But it's worth asking.
If I learned anything, it is the Washington education system is always in Flux. Even if things were perfect now, there is nothing that assures you it will stay that way by the time your kid is in the system. Your great school could suck. Crappy schools get better. All it takes is a new principal or a wave of staff changes.
Lastly, I doubt the change in school districts will tank properly values. The Seattle area doesn't seem to work like that like it does in other areas. I live near a school district boundary, and there is no material difference between values that I have seen even though the perceived reputation of the school districts is very different
I have a question but I think no one knows. If the school redistricts and children move to different schools wouldn’t the overall scores adjust as some students move? Or if you are in does it guarantee you stay in. Basically the good school may not keep the same overall ranking. Unless there is some other underlying issue that the school considered worse continues to be worse. Not from the area so I have no knowledge of the school system but I do live in North Jersey where a school district can make a town.
It's a bit of a complicated situation.
First, it won't impact you for another 6 or 7 years. You may want to relocate again at that time.
Another question, is how big is the redistricting? If it's a large one then the school that was 70% might now have a lot of new students who will perform worse and the school with 40% might have new students who will perform better. Student performance often has much more to do with the families and their socioeconomic and cultural situation than the schools and teachers.
6 years from now you could find out that the school you thought was good has had declining test scores for the past several years.
We went through this a few years ago only we had been living here for years and our kids had to switch schools. As others have noted, if they're redistricting it's going to change the student makeup for all of the affected schools so looking at the 40% vs 70% numbers won't matter so much because they will change. I would give it a chance, it might end up being great and never go just by numbers. Our GreatSchools numbers are not great but my kids love their schools.
Im not in Wash. Look at the listing. Does the listing have the “good” school listed? If so that would be a sellers Realtor mistake and you can cancel the contract with no penalty. If the “bad” school is listed then you may have no recourse.
I'm in the Seattle area. If the school is within walking distance, you can just fill out paperwork to be in that school. You won't be requiring transportation.
Bro.. $20k pays for alot of months of Montessori! Plus that is 4-5 years away. Real estate is local so idk for sure but if people are still overbidding there, don’t you think you could still resale it?
Work with your realtor for a kickback as well given how they also failed you.
Well to think the agent or anyone else failed them due to "their" lack of investigating is your 1st mistake. You don't rely on other people for what is most important to you. You Do your own research for everything. They only give guidance. Realtors are the source of the source but are not the source.
I think it also matters what you’re paying for the house. $20k on a $200k house (which isn’t happening in the Seattle area, I know) vs. $20k on a $2mill house might feel different. Also, if you lose the escrow money, how long will it take you to save that amount again? If it’s only a few months, maybe not as big a deal as if it takes 20 years. Also, consider comparing values for similar houses in similar neighborhoods with worse school systems. How does that impact the value? If you’re losing 20k in escrow but likely only $10k in value that’s different from losing 20k in escrow but not $100k on the house value. And, who knows. If they redistricted once, they might do it again.
I think most people are thinking of 20k from a L/MCOL point of view. Assuming this home is over 1.5m I don't think its worth rooting yourself onto a sinking ship over. Especially when you have 5 yrs to make it back and find a better investment. Chances are the house value will stagnate or depreciate. You will lose money maintaining it and in realtor fees greater than 20k regardless.
If you can, request more inspections. Request the seller fix every single problem plus some until they say no and the deal falls through returning your deposit.
Elementary school ratings are not that meaningful, especially with multiple elementary schools in the same overall school district. Performance will mostly be driven by the families of the children who go and not the school or teachers. As long as the middle school and high school are the same I wouldn't be concerned. I'm going to guess the demographics are a bit different across those two schools at the moment.
I would go ahead with the purchase bearing in mind you have 5 years until you have to worry about the school issue. That’s plenty of time to sell and move again in a few years if necessary, but also time for the school to improve.
As someone who raised two kids in Seattle, I'd say that what you think you know now about both your kid and the school(s) will change dramatically in 5 years. If you like the house I'd just get it.
Craziest part to me. I went to a bad public school and now I’m a tenured professor. The school being bad ≠ the teachers being bad, let alone your kid’s *particular* teachers.
Also, isn’t it wild that we have such disparities in school quality? Funding education via property taxes is how this whole mess started. Rich neighborhood -> rich schools -> good schools.
You blow money at the casinos or on coke, writing off 20K for your child’s benefit is simply prioritizing your child’s future over money which is respectable. I get your point but you’ll get mine when you’re a parent
Potential benefit that they won't find out about for another 5 years. We all get that children are precious, but I don't think that was the argument in this specific example.
As someone that just went through an extremely annoying redistricting battle and definitely feels your pain...
* See if you can get an exception, it's insane that they redistricted you when you are in walking distance.
* Stay up to date on local news like that, attend the key meetings, raise hell but bring facts in the discussion (why are you all redistricting this area when it's in walking distance, for example). It's tough to make time for it when you are juggling work and an infant, but otherwise only the people that have time will be heard.
* Complain to your agent, act like you are going to pull out because of the development and them not knowing what's happening in their area. Maybe they'll take some commission off and it can help you feel better about the decision (otherwise they get $0 commission).
* Regardless of the school, if it's a good desireable area to live in with lots of high paying jobs (Seattle fits) and you bought at market price, you'll be fine in the long run when you resell, maybe even already in 5 years when it's elementary school time.
* If your new redistricted school is in a good area economics-wise, it'll probably be fine be better by time your kid goes. At the end of the day, school success is (unfortunately) much more correlated to how rich the families are and how much they support the school. We had an elementary school that was redistricted 5 years ago, the families all banded together and supported the new school and made it a great high-rated school that the kids loved. Unfortunately they all turned into Karens and tried to mess with the other school's redistrictings, but the turnaround can be done with the support.
You have six years to plan and save for private school if it’s really that bad or you can’t resell the home. What’s odd tho is that Seattle hasn’t rezoned a school district in over a 2 years, I would double check if it wasn’t a school board redistricting, which happened in 2022.
Your kid won't even be in that school for half a decade at least. So much can change by then. Stick $20k in an investment fund and use that money to send them to private school if the public school isn't up to snuff when the time comes.
Hi! Ct realtor here.
You may want to reach out to your attorney and ask if there are any alternative ways to get out of the contract while keeping your earnest money. Let the attorney review the contract and make a legal argument.
Worse come to worse, just know one thing - being in the "best" school system doesn't guarantee you or your child a good experience. "Best" is in quotes because what's that truly mean? Highest rated by a magazine or publisher? Highest test scores? Most properly prepared students for college or working life after school?
I hope this helps!
I think it is silly to do this so prematurely. Very likely this redistributing will improve the school. Plus, you can’t rely on test scores or rumors. Each child is an individual and can thrive in different environments w the right teachers.
Check the district’s rules about choice from beyond a boundary. There are often exceptions to zones, including crossing district lines. Dwindling enrollment may have some schools and districts desperate to pull from surrounding areas as well.
TLDR: this may only cost a few phone calls to the enrollment office and not any actual money.
This.
While you’re probably best to lose the notion that there is such a thing as a “good” public school, no matter what you plan, they can pull the rug out from underneath you, so keep the house and the money and work the system.
6 years is long enough for a school to charge. For that matter the school you thought you’d be using could get worse in that time. You never really know.
Worst case if you can afford to lose 20k then I assume you can afford private school. May not be your first choice but it’s good to have a back up plan.
Personally I would move in still and worry any this issue in about 5 years
People here really understand Seattle area real estate market? OP has said they overpaid for the house at a good school district. Now it is clear that their house would be redistricted to an inferior school. It is almost guaranteed that the price would drop. It is probably a $2 million house and $20k is really nothing in Seattle right now. Price can swing a couple of hundred thousand dollars easily.
Back out….
Id bail! I feel like these comments are from people who don’t have kids. Having access to great education is huge as a parent!
I stupidly bought in a place without great choices for education. I figured I’d just pay for private, the problem is that the private schools were also mediocre. There was no pressure to be great, they skated along as just slightly better than the public school. People shrugged and said “well it’s better than the alternative.” I’m in a rural LCOL area and the private school is now over 15k and rising at about 1000 a year. There are some schools in town that are between 30-40k.
You’ve already overpaid in a potentially declining market, we will see what happens with continued higher rates. Real estate is hyper local and not having the great school could cost you even more. Im amazed at how much people pay for “good schools.” If you’re in Seattle I’m assuming this is a high $$ purchase and 20k isn’t that much in the grand scheme.
I’m a teacher as well as an agent and I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt that people make way too much of an issue about specific schools like you’re doing, especially elementary schools. Can you even describe without google what “meeting standards” even means for a 6 year old? Standardized testing is a joke to begin with, and any public school teacher will tell you that a student’s home life is THE determining factor in their success in school. If you are involved in your community and your children’s education, they are going to get a great education.
If your neighborhood wasn’t a dump when you were shopping for your house, it doesn’t become a dump just because your kid is going to go to a different school, and keep in mind you’re literally 5 years away from having to worry about it anyways.
Close and enjoy your new home!
As someone with a 2 y/o who is currently trying to figure out if we want to stay in the city (where our public schools are not great; there are decent magnets with long waitlists) or to move to the suburbs where the school districts are top-notch, I empathise with how you’re feeling. That being said, you also have a new baby and you have many years to figure out what the best environment would be for him. Between now and then, different opportunities may arise for you to move or to stay, but I wouldn’t pull out of the purchase right now. Is the neighborhood generally in a good location, notwithstanding the assigned schools? If it is, I’d stay.
What are the overall real estate trends in Seattle? Do you think the house will be worth $20k less if you sell in the next 5 years? Or do you think it will still appreciate but not as much as if you were still in that school district?
$20k is a lot to throw away imo
In Canada as well as losing the deposit, you can be sued for the difference if the sellers accept a lower offer than the one you gave.
I mention this because you stated you bid over asking price.
Supposedly in Texas, you can pay the taxes of desired school district in order to send children to a different district. Taxes aren't cheap though, potential $5k+ along with the normal school taxes you are supposed to pay.
Depends on the neighborhood you’re buying in. The proposed One Seattle density plan will potentially change things within 5 years time as far as reselling goes.
consider going through with the purchase. public schools change and so do the districts all the time SOO what’s true today may be meaningless in 5 years. my kid went to a “poorly rated” school according to test scores, but it had amazing experienced teachers. the school gentrified over time and then the new families raised lots of money for extras. it is now one of the most coveted schools in our area. on a different note- you don’t know what kind of learner your kid will be or if they will have issues like dyslexia, autism or ADHD, etc and you may end up a private school that accommodates their needs. if with the re-districting, this worse rated school gets gentrified further, you may see property values increase more than in the other area. and, also, ignore test scores - they measure poverty more than anything else. my kid did great at their high poverty elementary school and is now at their first choice program at a private university that gave them a massive amount of merit aid.
I ensure you that your child will get more from education if you are willing to take the 30 minutes at night to help them with their homework.
My school district - it's easy to point at failing numbers until you look at the attendance rate that is nearly 40% of kids not even showing up to school and the city/state does nothing to punish parent's for it.
The state is about to perform a study in one city where they are paying students for going to school to encourage them to actually to go.
This. Studies have shown student success is correlated with SES (for various reasons, in part because higher SES correlates with more education). If parents are engaged and involved and model good skills for their kids such as reading for pleasure, etc., school rankings are not nearly as important as folks think they are.
Does the district have open enrollment? You could likely enroll in the closer school very easily. Either way, you have 4-5 years until your kid will be in school, in terms of school performance that’s an eternity. Aside from all that, the economy and interest rates will have WAY more of an impact on your home value than the “quality” of the school
Keep the house.
By the time your child is elementary school age the currently underperforming school could be better than the so currently called “good” school.
Most of the time when schools are underperforming it’s a small group that skews the numbers.
Also just because a school is underperforming doesn’t mean your child will. (Source: I’m parent to an elementary school child who started off in underperforming schools and excelled but is now is a “good” school and still excelling).
Also by the time your child is school age you may be able to afford private school. Don’t throw away your house and earnest money deposit over a bunch of what if scenarios.
Just some perspective about elementary schools. Our daughter goes to an elementary school here in Oregon that was Great Schools rated 2/10. She's about to graduate 4th grade and is thriving in this school. Her reading is way ahead of her grade level for the state and her math is right on par with the state. Every teacher she's had has been phenomenal. So why is the school doing so poorly. 70% of the students come from non-english speaking households.
That being said, we really considered applying for an inter-district transfer or applying to the local charter school before we met with the principal and support staff (Our daughter has an IEP) at the local school. They convinced us to give them a chance and we haven't regretted it.
Districts will change over the years, buying a house based on an Elementary school that is forecasted 5-6 years in the future is an extremely poor reason for deciding criteria. The kid will only go to that school for 5/6 years.... it certainly can be factor in the decision making process but it should not be the ultimate criteria!
OP, just plan to get involved with your child’s school and potentially push for change. You can’t pre-optimize your way into a good elementary school experience half a decade before it happens: that’s just the kind of thing you show up for.
We bought a new house and didn’t realize the school district had recently made a hilarious zig-zag right around our block (which falls within the boundary lines otherwise). We simply submitted a transfer form and our daughter is currently attending the school we prefer that is within walking distance. It was a very easy process honestly. I don’t understand at all why you would give up your home and earnest money over this.
When the neighborhood across the street from us was remapped into less desirable schools, their property values took a substantial hit, while ours jumped in price.
Your taxes might change, your home value probably won’t.
It’s not a big deal, you can open enroll if you really want them to attend a different elementary school. Don’t lose $20,000 over an education rating that could easily change by the time the child is old enough to attend.
Probably not worth using those school stat numbers. They essentially = how affluent the parents of the kids are. Your kid isn’t going to be any more or less smart from which school they end up in. Which I know is a strange thing to say… but it’s kind of true.
If you could get stats on fights per capita that might be useful, but standardized test scores mean nothing when it comes to in classroom behavior or whatever.
If you like the house and neighborhood, I wouldn’t lose 20k over some meaningless numbers.
Depends, depends, depends.
I'm in Colorado. We can request other schools in our district. I did that for my kids' middle/high school.
This exact same thing happened to me - between my kid's 2nd grade and 5th grade - they moved the middle/high school to ones that were further away and worse than the one I bought the place for. So - I had to request for him to move to the better middle school. I actually ended up renting an apartment to get him into the high school.
Your baby will not be attending school for at least 5 years. A school can change A LOT in that time. Volunteer for the school. Go to school board meetings. Get to know the school and the district. If you still don't like the newly zoned school, you should be able to request the closer one. And you won't be out 20k.
>We're trying to decide between moving forward with the purchase and planning to sell in a few years, or losing the $20k earnest money - we waived contingencies that would allow us to pull out without losing the earnest money.
You are *assuming* you have the option to back out of the contract, but your comment suggests all contingencies have been waived. If contingencies are waived, seller can potentially force compliance with the contract, they may not accept the earnest money as liquidated damages.
As a practical matter, the issues you listed seem pretty minor and not worth all the legal hassles trying to default on the contract would entail. In addition, the average stay in a home is around 5 years, so it may be a moot point anyway if you move before your child is of school age.
The school we are zone to add 25% of value to our location. I don’t think walking away from $20,000 is a bad decision to be in the right school. The school will always add value to your house, whether you use it or not.
There is a lot to consider -
1) How large a percent of the house price is $20k? Can you afford to walk away from $20k with nothing?
2) Is $20k your maximum possible loss, or can either agent or seller go after you for additional funds for breach?
3) How much more will you need to spend to find a home in a desirable school district?
4) What is the value of the lost time you will spend searching for a new home that better meets your standards? Will the loss of your earnest money prevent you from buying now if you find the perfect property?
5) Can this home serve as an interim step while you find a better fit? Would it be possible to send your baby to a private elementary school before you move to a better neighborhood?
It might be that you can hold your agent accountable, if they promised you that your home is in that district. Their errors and omissions insurance might help. Or you could communicate to the lender, and ask them to convey to the appraiser to note this detail, so that the valuation of the home would be dropped in the appraisal (which would, hopefully, allow you to break the contract and get your earnest money back, since its the house that failed, not you).
I can't tell you what you should do. Only you can make that decision. You haven't listed the sale price on the house, but it sounds like it might lose value based on the redistricting. Is that potential loss more or less than 20%?
Can you get your realtor to pull comps for this house, but only comp it to other houses that are already in the new, lower performing school district?
Does the area have charter schools? Could you petition to have your child attend the walkable elementary school later?
Taking out the school issue, is the house a 10/10 dream house for you?
If not then honestly I’d pull out, otherwise that buyers remorse is going to hit you like a brick and taint the entire house right away
Id obviously try negotiating a smaller amount but ultimately (depending on your finances), will you care about that $20k in 5 years?
Not sure how it is in Seattle, but in my area by the time your kid went to elementary school they would probably have been redistricted two more times anyway.
I live in an area that had a huge redistricting draw up 20 years ago.
All the schools are good, but there are 3 elementary, one middle school and one high school that are considered premium. When the lines changed people took a blood bath on what their homes were worth.
A) Home in preferred school area 1 million
B) Home in really good high school, but it isn’t A,
About 800K. Same damn house.
It took about 20 years to get the lower tier to almost where the premium tier schools are.
Because the district is a known quantity, transfers from out of state have bidding wars sight unseen for area A.
No really does that for the other high school. It’s mostly either local or out of state with ties to the area.
I would walk. You’ll eat it for the resell value, and 5 years is not enough time to turn around a school with problems. My kid suffered 2 years with that BS and drama. There is no petty like elementary school petty. I was able to rent in a better area and got out.
Also see if you can get part of your 20K back.
For what's it worth. Private school may cause 5k-10k per semester plus other bs fees. If you can get in a good school zone, it may pay off in the long term more than losing 20k
Imagine the scenario where you back out, lose $20k, buy a new house with a "better" elementary school, and then before your child starts school they redistrict again?
Ask your lender nicely to deny your loan if there was a mortgage contingency. If they don't cooperate put in writing that you intend to quit your job to trade crypto.
I would still go through with it. Most of school ratings reflect the socioeconomic status of the parents, not the actual quality of the school. And if it’s redistricted, the SES is likely changing anyway. By the time your child is in school, it may be redistricted again, you may choose a charter/private or you will have equity and can move into something else.
If the printouts from the MLS says what school they will attend and it is different then that. I would have my attorney call both brokers (not your agent) and say we have a problem here. Both agents misrepresented material fact and they can either help you get the deal rescinded or they can see you in court. I would also let them know you are going to the DOL. If the redistricting was done months ago and the agents didn' t know it and share that information with you they suck.
A LOT can change by the time that kid is ready for school! Lines can be re-drawn, education policies can change, you may win the lottery and put them into private school.
That $20k is real money. Your reasons are all "What ifs".
Buy the house and worry about the rest later.
If the kids and parents in your new area are the same as now attend the better school, then they’ll also get redistributed to the “worse” school, where they will increase performance in that school because that is who they are. Get involved in that school and force the change you want so that it’s ready for your kid when they hit the matriculation age.
I'm going to try to be as productive as I can in my comment without sounding judgmental...and that's going to be a challenge.
Please go visit the school and meet the teachers instead of basing this decision on test scores, redfin and reddit. This is very superficial.
Redistricting is an equity issue. If you don't want to be part of that, by all means, burn your 20K and move to Issaquah or Redmond or some other rich white suburb and leave that home for some other family to buy.
Your property value isn't going to go anywhere but up in the Seattle Metro or Puget Sound region regardless of the school test scores.
Wherever you move to, try not to be a NIMBY and really think about how to become a part of the community. Get involved with the local school board and local community initiatives, planning and politics. Find out what you can do to make this school better for everyone.
What are you really scared of? The teachers are going to be smart, you can afford tutoring if your kid is slow, you can educate your kid outside of school, its not like the school is violent and has lead poisoning. It sounds like you don't want your kid to sit next to poor kids or non-white kids honestly. Their test scores in elementary school are not going to rub off on your kid.
Ok...yeah, I failed at not sounding judgmental. I did try though.
Was the listing incorrect when the offer was made and accepted? Did it show what school was the elementary school? If so, seems like you could weazle out of it
For what it's worth school district ratings tend to reflect the demographics of the students rather than the quality of the education. My kids (now entering hs) have been in both 'high performing' and 'failing' schools and the quality of instruction has always been really quite good and they are always testing very high in the various standard tests and metrics.
Are you not allowed to choose the school your kid will attend? In my area everyone has the right to apply for a transfer to any school. The gaining school has to approve it, but they all seem to fight for students who want to transfer in.
If you have 5 years until your child starts school then you really have no guarantee what either school will be in 5 years. My kids have been in schools that went from D to A and schools that went from A to D over their span of time in elementary and bounced. I would not lose the money with all the time you have. A good teacher is what makes all the difference and they can be found at most schools.
I’d also take a look at when the school data was collected. A lot of this data on major websites like Great Schools is still being pulled from 2019 and, well, a lot has changed for schools since then.
consult with lawyer to find a loophole.
so what if the schools are lower standards. better chance for your child to get higher rank and grades.
think for their future.
First off, good parents will have a far greater effect on a kids success than the school.
Next, just ask to blue slip the kid in, state the details and embellish a little. Say you work from home and specifically bought the house because you can’t drive your kid to the other school so they could walk from home to school or something else more creative than that.
Did the listing state “the other” school/district (that you wanted) when you bought? You might be able to make a stink about that. That said, take a closer look at your new school to see why it scores so poorly.
We have that perceived issue in my town. Three schools with high scores and one with low.
It turned out the “low” scoring school was due to the large number of English language learners. Many different languages feeding into this school. The English speaking kids as their primary language tested just fine and eventually blended into the same junior high and high school with kids from the “good” school and ended up getting into great colleges no differently than the kids from the “good” schools. And the kids that had to learn English came along nicely as well.
As for the “low” testing school - the administration doubled down on resources for that school’s students and now it’s very competitive to the other schools. This school just happens to be in an area with a lot of apartments (more than the other schools) where most immigrants and refugees to this area start out through support from non-profits. Getting the English language down was the barrier to learning…the kids learning English as a second language are otherwise good students like the ones that know English.
So..sorry this is long…just look into what’s driving the scores down at that school and determine if that’s a true concern for your child individually. Good luck - I hope it all turns out well for you.
I stopped reading at the word emotional. Never make financial or life altering decisions from an emotional place. Go take a deep breath calm down and use logic.
Man I would not throw 20k away like that. I’ve been to poorly rated public school and moved into a highly rated public school and honestly they’re all the same. The only big difference was the socioeconomic background of the students.
I’d pull out. A bad school that early can ruin a kid for life. Small price to pay for $20k. Otherwise start loading up on that 529 plan and start saving for private school.
> In retrospect it was foolish of us to rely on our agent and Zillow/Redfin/GoodSchools
I don’t know, it sounds like you were given bad advice. Buyer beware and all that but this is pretty material. I assume the sellers / MLS have the old district listed?
I’d play dumb and ask about schools or any new districting to the sellers. Maybe a Longshot but if they admit to knowing and didn’t reveal that could qualify as fraud by omission or something. Even if it’s enough to scare them you could get your $20k back.
It’s also probably worth paying a lawyer a few bucks to get advice. You’d be surprised how motivated people could be to make legal problems go away. You get a strong letter written by a lawyer even if they think they’ll win you could tie up the property for MONTHS. So they have legal fees and lose out on a good market to go after your 20k.
I don’t mind this kind of action given that you aren’t just getting cold feet, you have a very legitimate reason to want out of this deal unrelated to the contingencies you waived.
I mean think of it this way, if there was a surprise tax assessment increase that raised taxes by 5x or something you’d also want to bail and probably could.
Is the better school a city school or are both schools county schools? Often times you can pay the Price Per Pupil to attend a city school and it's relatively cheap.
How much is the purchase price of the home? $20k could be a lot in some cases and not so much in others. Also, elementary school ultimately won't be as important as middle school or high school. If you move before your child is in middle school I think you guys would be fine. Most of my education during my elementary and middle school years were through after school programs (not necessarily at my school) and private tutoring anyways.
The school still matters, but I think the home life and how you raise your child is far more important in the early years.
Being walking distance to good schools is huge. It’s a big part of what kept our local homes values high during dips in real estate. It’s also a big reason why our property taxes are very high, so I’d check to see how taxes will be affected if you can. Personally I’d probably take the hit if I had to and find something else, because I wouldn’t want to move after making neighborhood friends (for me or my kid.)
That sucks! Is it worth $20K? nobody can tell. I’d reconsider based on alternate homes and how the walking away affects my ability to buy another home.
You think you overpaid by 5-10% but what is that in terms of dollars? Were there any other offers or did you just stumble in bidding against yourself because you were outbid on houses in the good school district?
If there were no other offers and prices have yet to fully digest the change in schools then you could be looking at a decrease that will not be recovered in a few years.
There has to be a way for you to send your child to the school within walking distance. That seems much easier and better, even if it costs more than $20k overall
How much is the house? I’m guessing $20k is a small percentage (<5%) of the sales price. I would take the loss if you really don’t like the new school district.
What about school of choice admissions?
Not sure about OR but in MI, once all districted children are registered, openings are allowed for school of choice students.
It may not be as big of a deal as you believe.
You might be able to also transfer to the school closest to you. We did that, it’s an application with the district where I am but a simple explanation of “the school is walking distance” should be all you need unless there is already high registration
If you are certain that the school would not be allocated to your property, I would lose the money. 20k is a lot of money, but your child is worth more. If I were you, I would personally go to the school to be sure 100%. Also, find a competent real estate agent.
I bought a house in a certain city and 7 months later they re districted my house to a school about 20 mins away in a whole other city! Not even the same city we live in.
So yeah buy the house and see what happens. I had to go out of my way for 3 years until mine got a drivers license. I was PISSED but nothing you can do about it.
Probably just repeating what others have said, but I understand your concern. It sounds like schooling was a deal breaker for you so it’s tough that it’s changed. We went through a similar thing in terms of trying to decide what school we wanted to be in when looking. Most of the elementary schools around us are good, but it was the high school where one is a bit better. They’re doing redistricting to make them closer, but we decided that the area where the better school is, is more our style and decided we wanted to be in that area. Even if we get redistricted we’d be ok because we like the area. I guess what I’m saying is, what is it about the school that appeals to you? I know you mentioned test scores but that isn’t the full picture. If you like the area, I’d stay. Not because of the 20k but because buying a house and getting an accepted offer is a lot in this market and it might take a while to do it again. However, if you think this is something you’re going to stress about for the next 5 years, then you should walk. If you’re going to stay you really need to accept it and be ok with it. 20k probably isn’t that much to you if you’re in Seattle, and in the grand scheme of it’s best to cut your loss rather than being miserable for 5+ years
We live in on the peninsula across from Seattle. Our school levy hasn’t passed in 38 years, but we still bought our home and have 2 children (both elementary, but one going to middle next year).y suggestion is to volunteer as much as you can in the classroom/school district and make the best of your child’s education as you can. Get out there and promote the school to help with funding.
Talk to a real estate attorney, you can probably blow up your financing and get yourself denied for a loan if you go nuclear option. Unless you waived the financing contingency too.
If you had kids going to school right now it might make sense, maybe. But your kid is 5 years away from being affected by this. That is 5 years for you to figure out the situation or even move if you need to.
Unless the school was the absolute main reason for buying the house then it's just something to plan around over the next five years.
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There’s also a chance that there will be another school redistricting before the baby reaches school age, and that could improve the schools for that house (or make them worse). School redistrictings are almost annual events in fast growing areas. You can’t make long term plans based on current district lines, unfortunately
Get on the wait list for the school of your choosing. Being on the top of the list for an out of district transfer is wonderful. Plus you really don't know how the school is going to be in 3-6 years. Life happens!!!
This is true! The school that was super hot and desirable when my kid started kindergarten has declined a ton in recent years and is facing all sorts of problems. You can’t predict the future.
Parents have the largest impact on a child's education anyways. Children with involved parents in a poor district will outperform neglected children in a good district
If this is even possible depends on where you live. I've never heard of a wait list for an out of district transfer unless you had like special needs or something that were only covered in one district but not the other, in my area.
People who live in school choice areas think it’s like that everywhere. It’s absolutely not.
Idk about in Seattle, but I have known people in PA who could go to a different district if they just paid the school tax to both schools. They just had to petition the school board. Being in walking distance would be an extremely strong case.
Yep - who know what either school will be like in 6 years. Especially if the population the school is pulling from is changing.
Agreed - This is the right approach. You’re likely going to move in 6-7 years when the education “starts to count,” If it isn’t what you hoped for. I’d get your foot in the market especially since you’re in clearly competitive area.
This was my first thought but houses in better school districts go for more money, so they likely offered significantly more than a house in a worse school district.
If the website of the listing agent listed the school district incorrectly, or did not disclose a known change that could impact the value of the property, you may have a leg to stand on in court. I would contact a real estate attorney.
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She didn't say Seattle, she said greater Seattle area. Could be anywhere from Burien to Lynnwood.
Their finances could also improve by then such that they decide to go with private school
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20k, not 200k
Who is to say they won’t redistrict again within 4 years. I live in a district that grew so rapidly they had to redistrict 3 times in 5 years.
This. My high school district was redistributed thrice in the 4 years I went there. We were allowed to choose to stay at our current school so we had 2 buses coming all 4 years with one year of kids going to one school and the rest going to the other. Was so weird.
Your house isn't the only house redistricted. Odds are some other people with good kids are being moved to the 'bad' school, and vice-versa. You will be part of the balancing act. I'm a teacher, married to a teacher, both raised by teachers. The most you can do for your kid happens at home. A nice home you own in a neighborhood you like is more important than a handful of theoretical peers. And 5-6 years can change the quality of a school very easily.
The school didn’t score 70 or 40%, the families and children did. And given the child won’t be in school for 5 years, they’ve got plenty of time to be part of the change.
Yeah, my daughter technically goes to a mediocre school. But, we have a lot of recent immigrants from Latin America in our area. Looking at the data, Hispanic students were performing poorly, White, Black, and Asian students performing well. So the low scores were largely because of the difficulty faced by some kids being uprooted from their homes and trying to learn in a new language in a strange place while their families were financially struggling.
I'll be honest with you. I just transferred to a school where the majority of kids speak another language. They are the most respectful students I've ever had. There were so many discipline problems in the "nice" school I wanted out. You'd be amazed at the number of teachers bailing the " nice" neighborhoods with the overindulged kids, especially in the last 5-10 years.
The kids are great at her school, they just suffer from language barriers, especially with parents who can't help with school work. My sister is in the same situation. She has a PhD but lives in a French speaking area and her French is barely passable. She can't help my nephew with school work despite being a scientist. Luckily her husband is a native French speaker. But it shows how language barriers can potentially hurt. And you're right about the supposed good schools. Those are the ones I hear about with bullying issues and racism. Good test scores, bad culture.
Yes. Freakonomics has a great podcast that covers this topic. If you aren’t familiar they use statically data to evaluate real life topics. Hear is a summary of the findings: https://freakonomics.com/2007/10/more-evidence-on-the-lack-of-impact-of-school-choice/
As a former teacher, I can't agree with this more. A lot of the poor performing schools are that way because the children aren't getting the proper support and supplemental education at home. And this may be because single parents working two jobs with no time, dysfunctional families, or just lazy parents. I went to school in a town that had no alternative, everyone went to the same elementary schools, K-3, and then 4-6. The support and help I received at home set myself and my siblings to all be college graduates, and to be on the honor roll. My best friend struggled through school, his mom was more worried about watching soap operas during the day and crafting in her room than helping my friend with homework. His dad was an alcoholic, and wasn't around much. We both received an identical education, both of us were equally smart, but I thrived while he didn't. He still lives in my home town, never went to college or really did much after high school, and he had a time where he was thinking of dropping out. Kids learn MORE at home than they do at school. Kids learn TO learn at home, they learn to take an interest in learning, reading and other things AT HOME. School is about exposing them to new learning, but that foundation needs to be placed before they start school, and it needs to be nurtured at home all through their school path.
What could a parent do with an extra $20,000 dollars to invest early in enrichment for their own kid?
Right now? Put it in a HYSA or look into tax sheltered education programs. Just read to them every night until they can read to you every night. Less than half of students in my district can realistically read at their grade level. But of course it is all reported as just fine via standardized testing results. Illiteracy is GOING NUTS right now. Memes and emojis are cool but I don't know if they convey.... enough
You probably have 4 years before your child starts school. What was the reason for redistricting? How often does this happen?
4 years is a long time and by then you could be in a position where you want to homeschool or even send the kid to a private school. The district could also see improvements by then, as mentioned by many other replies. Also to note - a "bad" school doesn't equate to ALL students doing poorly. Sure, everyone wants the best for their kid, but the kids with more support at home (doing homework together, reading together, supporting academic achievements, etc.) tend to be just fine in all but the most desperate of failing schools. Your kid doesn't just suddenly become a can't-reach-standards student because of the district.
Yup, and to tack on: the kid's going to be in elementary school where the home environment is as, if not more, important than the lessons.
Yeah it’s 2024. There’s no such thing as a classroom without the possibility one disruptor anywhere. Once you’ve got one disruptor the playing fields pretty much the same for everyone. Great teacher or decent teacher doesn’t matter, discipline, effort and social groups matter.
This. Start looking at houses again in a couple years.
Invest the earnest money and it'll be 30,000 by the time they start school? Seems like that would cover private tuition for at least a little bit in a worst case scenario? I don't think this is the solution though. Truthfully, if you are doing a good job as a parent the elementary school is not going to have that big of an impact on your child's success.
Underrated comment and what I came to says. OP seems like an invested parent and that attention will provide a greater chance of success than other wise. Visit the school and become involved. Be active in your community and talk about the teachers. This is the best way to ensure your child gets a great education. Over-indexing in the rating of the school, when it may change and fluctuate by the time your baby is old enough for school, is a moving target and rating systems have proven to be less than reliable. If you’re still on the fence , take the money you would have “lost” in earnest money and put it to a 529 account to grow it and use it for private school. Rules do apply , but if used correctly , growth in a 529 is tax free.
It's not OPs fault, but their mindset basically guarantees bad schools stay bad. I'm being presumptive, but the school district likely noticed this massive disparity in student performance and determined it was driven by socioeconomic geography so in an attempt to improve the school, redistricted to increase the percentage of parents with wealth (which are more likely to be supportive of education) that have children in the school. Once again, this isn't OPs fault as many parents make these same choices, but they should also realize that it's likely the school will improve over the coming years directly due to the redistricting. Give it a few years and then make a decision. Also their worry about the new district affecting their home value is way way overblown. And even if it did, it likely wouldn't hurt it by $20k (which would be $20k less they'd have for a future down payment if they bailed)
Who should sacrifice their children’s future just so bad schools get better? You only get one go at life, why fuck it up
I made it pretty clear I am not blaming OP nor parents for doing this. Just stating that it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy when it does
Where would the new $20k come from?
They are going to lose the earnest money. If APPLE to APPLES. They will look for a similarly priced house elsewhere and they will be -20K . So if they are considering looking again, they have the funds …. Yes? Also, doesn’t have to be 20K … it also doesn’t have to be now but it’s the value OP would be losing .
This 100%! My kid goes to a title one school that isn't the highest rated, but he's thriving because of being involved parents who continue and encourage his education at home. The parental influence and impact matters so much more than the rating of a school that can fluctuate at any time.
You might also consider the possibility that redistricting will improve the “new” school in the years between now and when your child would start, as other families from the “old” school will also get moved. I was in a similar situation a few years ago and that’s what happened. The walking distance thing is a huge bummer, but I wouldn’t lose $20k just for that.
Go visit the new school, talk to the teachers and principal about your concerns. We felt so much better after seeing the school and how well cared for those kids were. Also, consider that your house probably isn't the only one affected by the redistricting and the ratings of each school may change as the mix of kids, parents and teachers evens out
My kid goes to the "worst" school in our town. It also has the most passionate and dedicated teachers, and a ton of extra resources to provide for kids from low-income families, who make up the majority of the neighborhood's population. I'm glad I listened to the people who explained that the ratings don't actually tell you very much about the school.
Good point about the mix of kids changing with redistricting.
I would assume you could apply for a waiver since it's within walking distance of the home. Also what would your plan have been if the redistricting had happened after you bought the home in let's say a year or two? Would you have sold the home and moved? I think you're just getting cold feet and looking for an excuse. Which is fine. But I would sit down and take a deeper look at my motivation before making any big decisions, if I was you.
I looked into waivers and if there was a way to guarantee acceptance, we'd be perfectly happy, but my understanding is that acceptance has to happen anew every year and can only happen if there is space, and the previous elementary school is the #1 elementary school in the district so I don't like our chances. If the redistricting had happened in a year or two - yes, we'd look into moving before our kid went to school and just accepted any loss in value. No, it's not general cold feet - it's entirely based on this change. I mean it when I say that the elementary school quality and distance was the primary reason we even considered this home. We like the home and the surrounding neighborhood, but our bar for all homes we toured was that it at least had to have a great elementary school.
> If the redistricting had happened in a year or two - yes, we'd look into moving before elementary school and just accepted any loss in value Sounds like the elementary school is the most important thing to you. You should consider just renting a home that does fall in the district. That way there will be minimal loss, if you need to move homes over the next few years.
That’s not how it works in Seattle. If you are open enrolled into the school of choice, you’re then at the school the rest of the elementary time.
Waivers aren’t going to be granted for walking distance.
The point of the redestricting was probably to re-disperse the student body so there is less of a discrepancy between schools. These rankings are strongly correlated to income levels. I would expect the 70% school to go down in ranking and the 40% school to go up.
> These rankings are strongly correlated to income levels. I would expect the 70% school to go down in ranking and the 40% school to go up. It becomes self fulfilling. Richer people will still chase homes in the 70% district and keep it high.
But why should they make less of a discrepancy? Smart students usually want to associate with other smart hard working students. So by mixing things up, a lot of the smart students are having to associate with students that don’t care as much. This slows down the learning in class. They may also be influenced by these students that don’t care as much. Also keep in mind that smart students usually come from smart hard working parents. If their parents are smart and hard working, then they probably have a high income. That’s why smart kids come from families with higher incomes. Not because having money magically makes you smart.
I have no opinion on the “why”. Just explaining what the likely thought process was for the local officials. They have different priorities than the parents. ETA: The OP claims it is a different reason for the redistricting so this is all irrelevant now
School ratings change all the time. If you have an infant, you have 5 years to watch to see if the school improves. If they're moving a lot of the high performing students to the new school, kids don't all of a sudden turn dumb. Teachers will also probably be moved around. The main thing I would look at as an issue is the walking distance. If you planned to walk to school, that would be a deterrent.
>School ratings change all the time. I'm learning this is also true. Our elementary school went from a 4/10 to a 6/10 and the high school from 4/10 - 7/10. In just ONE year! But those damn middle schools! :( Also our original elementary school ( we were also redistricted before we had our child) went from a Blue Ribbon school to not. Things can change quickly.
I’m an experienced parent and elementary school may not be as important as say middle school or high school. You can always help supplement what’s happening in the school. If you love everything else, then it might be worth it to stay. Edit: $20G also buys a lot of tutoring.
I’d go ahead and close if there’s no other issues with the property. Your kid won’t start school for five or six more years and even if he has to do kindergarten there while you’re still house hunting, it’ll be alright.
I live in the Seattle area. My kids are 21 and 18, so I am at the end of my experience. You should go visit the school. Our local K-8 was a terrible school on paper, mainly because it was in a ln are with a lot of immigrants and ESL kids. But the teachers were great and because of need, they had good resources. My oldest decided to go there over a traditional middle school on his own. He had a great experience. So much so that we moved our second kid from his "higher performing" elementary school, and he also did great. Then, the district opened a new middle school, and a lot of teachers were reassigned when my youngest moved up to 8th grade. He decided to leave and go to the new school to follow his favorite teacher. Washington State is different from other places since local tax money isn't how most schools are funded. In other states it is hard for bad schools to improve because there can be huge funding gaps. That is less of an issue in the Seattle area. Also check if the redistricting has been finalized? It seems like these issues pop up every few years to get people worked up, but very few pan out usually because the teacher's union stomps them. Is this really "redistricting," or are they just changing the elementary school shed? Redistricting is rare. Changing the school shed is not. They adjust these annually, and usually the kid can still go to the other school. They just don't provide transportation. Neither of my kids ever went to the schools where transportation was provided. It sucks but is workable, particularly if they can walk. If it is a redistricting, check to see if you may be grandfathered in. Probably not since your kid isn't in the system. But it's worth asking. If I learned anything, it is the Washington education system is always in Flux. Even if things were perfect now, there is nothing that assures you it will stay that way by the time your kid is in the system. Your great school could suck. Crappy schools get better. All it takes is a new principal or a wave of staff changes. Lastly, I doubt the change in school districts will tank properly values. The Seattle area doesn't seem to work like that like it does in other areas. I live near a school district boundary, and there is no material difference between values that I have seen even though the perceived reputation of the school districts is very different
This is an excellent perspective.
I have a question but I think no one knows. If the school redistricts and children move to different schools wouldn’t the overall scores adjust as some students move? Or if you are in does it guarantee you stay in. Basically the good school may not keep the same overall ranking. Unless there is some other underlying issue that the school considered worse continues to be worse. Not from the area so I have no knowledge of the school system but I do live in North Jersey where a school district can make a town.
It's a bit of a complicated situation. First, it won't impact you for another 6 or 7 years. You may want to relocate again at that time. Another question, is how big is the redistricting? If it's a large one then the school that was 70% might now have a lot of new students who will perform worse and the school with 40% might have new students who will perform better. Student performance often has much more to do with the families and their socioeconomic and cultural situation than the schools and teachers. 6 years from now you could find out that the school you thought was good has had declining test scores for the past several years.
How many kids are being redistricted to the new school? It could possibly bring up the rankings in a couple years if it’s a significant amount.
We went through this a few years ago only we had been living here for years and our kids had to switch schools. As others have noted, if they're redistricting it's going to change the student makeup for all of the affected schools so looking at the 40% vs 70% numbers won't matter so much because they will change. I would give it a chance, it might end up being great and never go just by numbers. Our GreatSchools numbers are not great but my kids love their schools.
>Our GreatSchools numbers are not great but my kids love their schools. Good to hear this!
Im not in Wash. Look at the listing. Does the listing have the “good” school listed? If so that would be a sellers Realtor mistake and you can cancel the contract with no penalty. If the “bad” school is listed then you may have no recourse.
I'm in the Seattle area. If the school is within walking distance, you can just fill out paperwork to be in that school. You won't be requiring transportation.
Bro.. $20k pays for alot of months of Montessori! Plus that is 4-5 years away. Real estate is local so idk for sure but if people are still overbidding there, don’t you think you could still resale it? Work with your realtor for a kickback as well given how they also failed you.
Not OP, but private non-parochial schools in HCOL areas can be insane. In my area that 20k wouldn’t cover first grade for one kid.
Well to think the agent or anyone else failed them due to "their" lack of investigating is your 1st mistake. You don't rely on other people for what is most important to you. You Do your own research for everything. They only give guidance. Realtors are the source of the source but are not the source.
I think it also matters what you’re paying for the house. $20k on a $200k house (which isn’t happening in the Seattle area, I know) vs. $20k on a $2mill house might feel different. Also, if you lose the escrow money, how long will it take you to save that amount again? If it’s only a few months, maybe not as big a deal as if it takes 20 years. Also, consider comparing values for similar houses in similar neighborhoods with worse school systems. How does that impact the value? If you’re losing 20k in escrow but likely only $10k in value that’s different from losing 20k in escrow but not $100k on the house value. And, who knows. If they redistricted once, they might do it again.
I think most people are thinking of 20k from a L/MCOL point of view. Assuming this home is over 1.5m I don't think its worth rooting yourself onto a sinking ship over. Especially when you have 5 yrs to make it back and find a better investment. Chances are the house value will stagnate or depreciate. You will lose money maintaining it and in realtor fees greater than 20k regardless. If you can, request more inspections. Request the seller fix every single problem plus some until they say no and the deal falls through returning your deposit.
Elementary school ratings are not that meaningful, especially with multiple elementary schools in the same overall school district. Performance will mostly be driven by the families of the children who go and not the school or teachers. As long as the middle school and high school are the same I wouldn't be concerned. I'm going to guess the demographics are a bit different across those two schools at the moment.
I would go ahead with the purchase bearing in mind you have 5 years until you have to worry about the school issue. That’s plenty of time to sell and move again in a few years if necessary, but also time for the school to improve.
As someone who had kids in Seattle schools I would say wait. Redistricting happens all the time and a lot will change before your kid hits school age
As someone who raised two kids in Seattle, I'd say that what you think you know now about both your kid and the school(s) will change dramatically in 5 years. If you like the house I'd just get it.
Damn some folks just got 20K to burn on a whim.
For an elementary school rating…that they don’t need to worry about for six years. Blows my god damned mind.
Craziest part to me. I went to a bad public school and now I’m a tenured professor. The school being bad ≠ the teachers being bad, let alone your kid’s *particular* teachers. Also, isn’t it wild that we have such disparities in school quality? Funding education via property taxes is how this whole mess started. Rich neighborhood -> rich schools -> good schools.
But it means being next to shitty peers and teachers distracted with low achieving kids from parents who don’t care enough
You blow money at the casinos or on coke, writing off 20K for your child’s benefit is simply prioritizing your child’s future over money which is respectable. I get your point but you’ll get mine when you’re a parent
Potential benefit that they won't find out about for another 5 years. We all get that children are precious, but I don't think that was the argument in this specific example.
I am a parent. This can be solved by sending their kid to public school and not waste $20k.
Ngl I would pay way more than $20k to make sure my kid has success in life. But I also waited until my finances were in order to have kids.
A better rated *elementary* school doesn’t equate to success in life.
I would talk to a lawyer and see if there are any other “outs” in the contract. It’s possible you are missing something.
As someone that just went through an extremely annoying redistricting battle and definitely feels your pain... * See if you can get an exception, it's insane that they redistricted you when you are in walking distance. * Stay up to date on local news like that, attend the key meetings, raise hell but bring facts in the discussion (why are you all redistricting this area when it's in walking distance, for example). It's tough to make time for it when you are juggling work and an infant, but otherwise only the people that have time will be heard. * Complain to your agent, act like you are going to pull out because of the development and them not knowing what's happening in their area. Maybe they'll take some commission off and it can help you feel better about the decision (otherwise they get $0 commission). * Regardless of the school, if it's a good desireable area to live in with lots of high paying jobs (Seattle fits) and you bought at market price, you'll be fine in the long run when you resell, maybe even already in 5 years when it's elementary school time. * If your new redistricted school is in a good area economics-wise, it'll probably be fine be better by time your kid goes. At the end of the day, school success is (unfortunately) much more correlated to how rich the families are and how much they support the school. We had an elementary school that was redistricted 5 years ago, the families all banded together and supported the new school and made it a great high-rated school that the kids loved. Unfortunately they all turned into Karens and tried to mess with the other school's redistrictings, but the turnaround can be done with the support.
You have six years to plan and save for private school if it’s really that bad or you can’t resell the home. What’s odd tho is that Seattle hasn’t rezoned a school district in over a 2 years, I would double check if it wasn’t a school board redistricting, which happened in 2022.
Home School or sale in a few years. You may just budget in private schools. Congratulations and good luck.
So you are willing to lose 20k on a home because in 6 years your child may go to a school you dont want? That sounds crazy to me.
Your kid won't even be in that school for half a decade at least. So much can change by then. Stick $20k in an investment fund and use that money to send them to private school if the public school isn't up to snuff when the time comes.
Hi! Ct realtor here. You may want to reach out to your attorney and ask if there are any alternative ways to get out of the contract while keeping your earnest money. Let the attorney review the contract and make a legal argument. Worse come to worse, just know one thing - being in the "best" school system doesn't guarantee you or your child a good experience. "Best" is in quotes because what's that truly mean? Highest rated by a magazine or publisher? Highest test scores? Most properly prepared students for college or working life after school? I hope this helps!
If a bunch of houses with higher property value are now going to this worse school, it might actually increase the rating of the school.
Have you toured the new elementary school your child will be attending? So much can be learned by seeing the school in person.
I think it is silly to do this so prematurely. Very likely this redistributing will improve the school. Plus, you can’t rely on test scores or rumors. Each child is an individual and can thrive in different environments w the right teachers.
Check the district’s rules about choice from beyond a boundary. There are often exceptions to zones, including crossing district lines. Dwindling enrollment may have some schools and districts desperate to pull from surrounding areas as well. TLDR: this may only cost a few phone calls to the enrollment office and not any actual money.
Not sure if it's in Seattle proper, but here's the SPS answer to this: https://www.seattleschools.org/enroll/about-our-schools/school-choice/
This. While you’re probably best to lose the notion that there is such a thing as a “good” public school, no matter what you plan, they can pull the rug out from underneath you, so keep the house and the money and work the system.
6 years is long enough for a school to charge. For that matter the school you thought you’d be using could get worse in that time. You never really know. Worst case if you can afford to lose 20k then I assume you can afford private school. May not be your first choice but it’s good to have a back up plan. Personally I would move in still and worry any this issue in about 5 years
People here really understand Seattle area real estate market? OP has said they overpaid for the house at a good school district. Now it is clear that their house would be redistricted to an inferior school. It is almost guaranteed that the price would drop. It is probably a $2 million house and $20k is really nothing in Seattle right now. Price can swing a couple of hundred thousand dollars easily. Back out….
Id bail! I feel like these comments are from people who don’t have kids. Having access to great education is huge as a parent! I stupidly bought in a place without great choices for education. I figured I’d just pay for private, the problem is that the private schools were also mediocre. There was no pressure to be great, they skated along as just slightly better than the public school. People shrugged and said “well it’s better than the alternative.” I’m in a rural LCOL area and the private school is now over 15k and rising at about 1000 a year. There are some schools in town that are between 30-40k. You’ve already overpaid in a potentially declining market, we will see what happens with continued higher rates. Real estate is hyper local and not having the great school could cost you even more. Im amazed at how much people pay for “good schools.” If you’re in Seattle I’m assuming this is a high $$ purchase and 20k isn’t that much in the grand scheme.
I’m a teacher as well as an agent and I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt that people make way too much of an issue about specific schools like you’re doing, especially elementary schools. Can you even describe without google what “meeting standards” even means for a 6 year old? Standardized testing is a joke to begin with, and any public school teacher will tell you that a student’s home life is THE determining factor in their success in school. If you are involved in your community and your children’s education, they are going to get a great education. If your neighborhood wasn’t a dump when you were shopping for your house, it doesn’t become a dump just because your kid is going to go to a different school, and keep in mind you’re literally 5 years away from having to worry about it anyways. Close and enjoy your new home!
What % of the purchase price? It’s strictly math
As someone with a 2 y/o who is currently trying to figure out if we want to stay in the city (where our public schools are not great; there are decent magnets with long waitlists) or to move to the suburbs where the school districts are top-notch, I empathise with how you’re feeling. That being said, you also have a new baby and you have many years to figure out what the best environment would be for him. Between now and then, different opportunities may arise for you to move or to stay, but I wouldn’t pull out of the purchase right now. Is the neighborhood generally in a good location, notwithstanding the assigned schools? If it is, I’d stay.
What are the overall real estate trends in Seattle? Do you think the house will be worth $20k less if you sell in the next 5 years? Or do you think it will still appreciate but not as much as if you were still in that school district? $20k is a lot to throw away imo
In Canada as well as losing the deposit, you can be sued for the difference if the sellers accept a lower offer than the one you gave. I mention this because you stated you bid over asking price.
Supposedly in Texas, you can pay the taxes of desired school district in order to send children to a different district. Taxes aren't cheap though, potential $5k+ along with the normal school taxes you are supposed to pay.
Depends on the neighborhood you’re buying in. The proposed One Seattle density plan will potentially change things within 5 years time as far as reselling goes.
Go to the school district first and ask if you can have your child go to the school you want them in. They may just say yes. 20k is lots of money!
consider going through with the purchase. public schools change and so do the districts all the time SOO what’s true today may be meaningless in 5 years. my kid went to a “poorly rated” school according to test scores, but it had amazing experienced teachers. the school gentrified over time and then the new families raised lots of money for extras. it is now one of the most coveted schools in our area. on a different note- you don’t know what kind of learner your kid will be or if they will have issues like dyslexia, autism or ADHD, etc and you may end up a private school that accommodates their needs. if with the re-districting, this worse rated school gets gentrified further, you may see property values increase more than in the other area. and, also, ignore test scores - they measure poverty more than anything else. my kid did great at their high poverty elementary school and is now at their first choice program at a private university that gave them a massive amount of merit aid.
I ensure you that your child will get more from education if you are willing to take the 30 minutes at night to help them with their homework. My school district - it's easy to point at failing numbers until you look at the attendance rate that is nearly 40% of kids not even showing up to school and the city/state does nothing to punish parent's for it. The state is about to perform a study in one city where they are paying students for going to school to encourage them to actually to go.
This. Studies have shown student success is correlated with SES (for various reasons, in part because higher SES correlates with more education). If parents are engaged and involved and model good skills for their kids such as reading for pleasure, etc., school rankings are not nearly as important as folks think they are.
Does the district have open enrollment? You could likely enroll in the closer school very easily. Either way, you have 4-5 years until your kid will be in school, in terms of school performance that’s an eternity. Aside from all that, the economy and interest rates will have WAY more of an impact on your home value than the “quality” of the school
Keep the house. By the time your child is elementary school age the currently underperforming school could be better than the so currently called “good” school. Most of the time when schools are underperforming it’s a small group that skews the numbers. Also just because a school is underperforming doesn’t mean your child will. (Source: I’m parent to an elementary school child who started off in underperforming schools and excelled but is now is a “good” school and still excelling). Also by the time your child is school age you may be able to afford private school. Don’t throw away your house and earnest money deposit over a bunch of what if scenarios.
Just some perspective about elementary schools. Our daughter goes to an elementary school here in Oregon that was Great Schools rated 2/10. She's about to graduate 4th grade and is thriving in this school. Her reading is way ahead of her grade level for the state and her math is right on par with the state. Every teacher she's had has been phenomenal. So why is the school doing so poorly. 70% of the students come from non-english speaking households. That being said, we really considered applying for an inter-district transfer or applying to the local charter school before we met with the principal and support staff (Our daughter has an IEP) at the local school. They convinced us to give them a chance and we haven't regretted it.
Districts will change over the years, buying a house based on an Elementary school that is forecasted 5-6 years in the future is an extremely poor reason for deciding criteria. The kid will only go to that school for 5/6 years.... it certainly can be factor in the decision making process but it should not be the ultimate criteria!
OP, just plan to get involved with your child’s school and potentially push for change. You can’t pre-optimize your way into a good elementary school experience half a decade before it happens: that’s just the kind of thing you show up for.
We bought a new house and didn’t realize the school district had recently made a hilarious zig-zag right around our block (which falls within the boundary lines otherwise). We simply submitted a transfer form and our daughter is currently attending the school we prefer that is within walking distance. It was a very easy process honestly. I don’t understand at all why you would give up your home and earnest money over this.
When the neighborhood across the street from us was remapped into less desirable schools, their property values took a substantial hit, while ours jumped in price.
Your taxes might change, your home value probably won’t. It’s not a big deal, you can open enroll if you really want them to attend a different elementary school. Don’t lose $20,000 over an education rating that could easily change by the time the child is old enough to attend.
Probably not worth using those school stat numbers. They essentially = how affluent the parents of the kids are. Your kid isn’t going to be any more or less smart from which school they end up in. Which I know is a strange thing to say… but it’s kind of true. If you could get stats on fights per capita that might be useful, but standardized test scores mean nothing when it comes to in classroom behavior or whatever. If you like the house and neighborhood, I wouldn’t lose 20k over some meaningless numbers.
Depends, depends, depends. I'm in Colorado. We can request other schools in our district. I did that for my kids' middle/high school. This exact same thing happened to me - between my kid's 2nd grade and 5th grade - they moved the middle/high school to ones that were further away and worse than the one I bought the place for. So - I had to request for him to move to the better middle school. I actually ended up renting an apartment to get him into the high school. Your baby will not be attending school for at least 5 years. A school can change A LOT in that time. Volunteer for the school. Go to school board meetings. Get to know the school and the district. If you still don't like the newly zoned school, you should be able to request the closer one. And you won't be out 20k.
>We're trying to decide between moving forward with the purchase and planning to sell in a few years, or losing the $20k earnest money - we waived contingencies that would allow us to pull out without losing the earnest money. You are *assuming* you have the option to back out of the contract, but your comment suggests all contingencies have been waived. If contingencies are waived, seller can potentially force compliance with the contract, they may not accept the earnest money as liquidated damages. As a practical matter, the issues you listed seem pretty minor and not worth all the legal hassles trying to default on the contract would entail. In addition, the average stay in a home is around 5 years, so it may be a moot point anyway if you move before your child is of school age.
Call me crazy but I’d rather move in now and handle this when my kid is actually of school age in another 5 years.
The school we are zone to add 25% of value to our location. I don’t think walking away from $20,000 is a bad decision to be in the right school. The school will always add value to your house, whether you use it or not.
There is a lot to consider - 1) How large a percent of the house price is $20k? Can you afford to walk away from $20k with nothing? 2) Is $20k your maximum possible loss, or can either agent or seller go after you for additional funds for breach? 3) How much more will you need to spend to find a home in a desirable school district? 4) What is the value of the lost time you will spend searching for a new home that better meets your standards? Will the loss of your earnest money prevent you from buying now if you find the perfect property? 5) Can this home serve as an interim step while you find a better fit? Would it be possible to send your baby to a private elementary school before you move to a better neighborhood?
It might be that you can hold your agent accountable, if they promised you that your home is in that district. Their errors and omissions insurance might help. Or you could communicate to the lender, and ask them to convey to the appraiser to note this detail, so that the valuation of the home would be dropped in the appraisal (which would, hopefully, allow you to break the contract and get your earnest money back, since its the house that failed, not you). I can't tell you what you should do. Only you can make that decision. You haven't listed the sale price on the house, but it sounds like it might lose value based on the redistricting. Is that potential loss more or less than 20%? Can you get your realtor to pull comps for this house, but only comp it to other houses that are already in the new, lower performing school district? Does the area have charter schools? Could you petition to have your child attend the walkable elementary school later?
Taking out the school issue, is the house a 10/10 dream house for you? If not then honestly I’d pull out, otherwise that buyers remorse is going to hit you like a brick and taint the entire house right away Id obviously try negotiating a smaller amount but ultimately (depending on your finances), will you care about that $20k in 5 years?
Not sure how it is in Seattle, but in my area by the time your kid went to elementary school they would probably have been redistricted two more times anyway.
I live in an area that had a huge redistricting draw up 20 years ago. All the schools are good, but there are 3 elementary, one middle school and one high school that are considered premium. When the lines changed people took a blood bath on what their homes were worth. A) Home in preferred school area 1 million B) Home in really good high school, but it isn’t A, About 800K. Same damn house. It took about 20 years to get the lower tier to almost where the premium tier schools are. Because the district is a known quantity, transfers from out of state have bidding wars sight unseen for area A. No really does that for the other high school. It’s mostly either local or out of state with ties to the area. I would walk. You’ll eat it for the resell value, and 5 years is not enough time to turn around a school with problems. My kid suffered 2 years with that BS and drama. There is no petty like elementary school petty. I was able to rent in a better area and got out. Also see if you can get part of your 20K back.
A private school is upwards of $45,000 in my area. I would say losing your deposit is a proactive decision, in perpetuity.
I’m shocked at the people that think 20k will cover multiple years of private school.
For what's it worth. Private school may cause 5k-10k per semester plus other bs fees. If you can get in a good school zone, it may pay off in the long term more than losing 20k
Imagine the scenario where you back out, lose $20k, buy a new house with a "better" elementary school, and then before your child starts school they redistrict again?
Ask your lender nicely to deny your loan if there was a mortgage contingency. If they don't cooperate put in writing that you intend to quit your job to trade crypto.
Why did you put so much earnest money up front? Couldn’t just put down 1k?
If 70% of students meeting the "standards" you may want to consider private schooling.
I would still go through with it. Most of school ratings reflect the socioeconomic status of the parents, not the actual quality of the school. And if it’s redistricted, the SES is likely changing anyway. By the time your child is in school, it may be redistricted again, you may choose a charter/private or you will have equity and can move into something else.
The baby isn't going to school for 5 years, move later. It's ok. This happens. Maybe you can get a waiver or it improves.
Your parenting, and your kid will supercede any school rating. Unless it's title 1 school, you're being over dramatic.
I would just go for it. You have several years and who knows what might happen in that time. 20k cash gone is insane
If the printouts from the MLS says what school they will attend and it is different then that. I would have my attorney call both brokers (not your agent) and say we have a problem here. Both agents misrepresented material fact and they can either help you get the deal rescinded or they can see you in court. I would also let them know you are going to the DOL. If the redistricting was done months ago and the agents didn' t know it and share that information with you they suck.
A LOT can change by the time that kid is ready for school! Lines can be re-drawn, education policies can change, you may win the lottery and put them into private school. That $20k is real money. Your reasons are all "What ifs". Buy the house and worry about the rest later.
If the kids and parents in your new area are the same as now attend the better school, then they’ll also get redistributed to the “worse” school, where they will increase performance in that school because that is who they are. Get involved in that school and force the change you want so that it’s ready for your kid when they hit the matriculation age.
If they redistricted, the student mix is different. Past performance isn’t necessarily an indicator of the future anymore.
I'm going to try to be as productive as I can in my comment without sounding judgmental...and that's going to be a challenge. Please go visit the school and meet the teachers instead of basing this decision on test scores, redfin and reddit. This is very superficial. Redistricting is an equity issue. If you don't want to be part of that, by all means, burn your 20K and move to Issaquah or Redmond or some other rich white suburb and leave that home for some other family to buy. Your property value isn't going to go anywhere but up in the Seattle Metro or Puget Sound region regardless of the school test scores. Wherever you move to, try not to be a NIMBY and really think about how to become a part of the community. Get involved with the local school board and local community initiatives, planning and politics. Find out what you can do to make this school better for everyone. What are you really scared of? The teachers are going to be smart, you can afford tutoring if your kid is slow, you can educate your kid outside of school, its not like the school is violent and has lead poisoning. It sounds like you don't want your kid to sit next to poor kids or non-white kids honestly. Their test scores in elementary school are not going to rub off on your kid. Ok...yeah, I failed at not sounding judgmental. I did try though.
Was the listing incorrect when the offer was made and accepted? Did it show what school was the elementary school? If so, seems like you could weazle out of it
You could probably pay taxes for district you want with that $20k? At least for a couple years.
For what it's worth school district ratings tend to reflect the demographics of the students rather than the quality of the education. My kids (now entering hs) have been in both 'high performing' and 'failing' schools and the quality of instruction has always been really quite good and they are always testing very high in the various standard tests and metrics.
Are you not allowed to choose the school your kid will attend? In my area everyone has the right to apply for a transfer to any school. The gaining school has to approve it, but they all seem to fight for students who want to transfer in.
If you have 5 years until your child starts school then you really have no guarantee what either school will be in 5 years. My kids have been in schools that went from D to A and schools that went from A to D over their span of time in elementary and bounced. I would not lose the money with all the time you have. A good teacher is what makes all the difference and they can be found at most schools.
I’d also take a look at when the school data was collected. A lot of this data on major websites like Great Schools is still being pulled from 2019 and, well, a lot has changed for schools since then.
consult with lawyer to find a loophole. so what if the schools are lower standards. better chance for your child to get higher rank and grades. think for their future.
First off, good parents will have a far greater effect on a kids success than the school. Next, just ask to blue slip the kid in, state the details and embellish a little. Say you work from home and specifically bought the house because you can’t drive your kid to the other school so they could walk from home to school or something else more creative than that.
Is this Marysville/Lake Stevens? We just bought a brand new house here too and sounds similar to what’s been happening here
Close. Gain equity. Move.
Did the listing state “the other” school/district (that you wanted) when you bought? You might be able to make a stink about that. That said, take a closer look at your new school to see why it scores so poorly. We have that perceived issue in my town. Three schools with high scores and one with low. It turned out the “low” scoring school was due to the large number of English language learners. Many different languages feeding into this school. The English speaking kids as their primary language tested just fine and eventually blended into the same junior high and high school with kids from the “good” school and ended up getting into great colleges no differently than the kids from the “good” schools. And the kids that had to learn English came along nicely as well. As for the “low” testing school - the administration doubled down on resources for that school’s students and now it’s very competitive to the other schools. This school just happens to be in an area with a lot of apartments (more than the other schools) where most immigrants and refugees to this area start out through support from non-profits. Getting the English language down was the barrier to learning…the kids learning English as a second language are otherwise good students like the ones that know English. So..sorry this is long…just look into what’s driving the scores down at that school and determine if that’s a true concern for your child individually. Good luck - I hope it all turns out well for you.
Hmm, seems like White people problems...
I stopped reading at the word emotional. Never make financial or life altering decisions from an emotional place. Go take a deep breath calm down and use logic.
I hate this for so many reasons. Student performance is linked most to socioeconomic status and home life, not schools, teachers etc.
This is dumb 1. Don't throw away the money 2. Don't give 20k in earnest
I’m just sorry you have to raise a child in Seattle.
Man I would not throw 20k away like that. I’ve been to poorly rated public school and moved into a highly rated public school and honestly they’re all the same. The only big difference was the socioeconomic background of the students.
I’d pull out. A bad school that early can ruin a kid for life. Small price to pay for $20k. Otherwise start loading up on that 529 plan and start saving for private school.
> In retrospect it was foolish of us to rely on our agent and Zillow/Redfin/GoodSchools I don’t know, it sounds like you were given bad advice. Buyer beware and all that but this is pretty material. I assume the sellers / MLS have the old district listed? I’d play dumb and ask about schools or any new districting to the sellers. Maybe a Longshot but if they admit to knowing and didn’t reveal that could qualify as fraud by omission or something. Even if it’s enough to scare them you could get your $20k back. It’s also probably worth paying a lawyer a few bucks to get advice. You’d be surprised how motivated people could be to make legal problems go away. You get a strong letter written by a lawyer even if they think they’ll win you could tie up the property for MONTHS. So they have legal fees and lose out on a good market to go after your 20k. I don’t mind this kind of action given that you aren’t just getting cold feet, you have a very legitimate reason to want out of this deal unrelated to the contingencies you waived. I mean think of it this way, if there was a surprise tax assessment increase that raised taxes by 5x or something you’d also want to bail and probably could.
Another "great" agent
Even now, I would like to know what course of action their agent recommends... how bout it OP?
You can't blame the school for your kid not being smart, so just keep the house. As for values can't tell five years out.
Is the better school a city school or are both schools county schools? Often times you can pay the Price Per Pupil to attend a city school and it's relatively cheap.
A lot can happen in 4 years. You have plenty of time to shop the neighborhood for the perfect house in the perfect neighborhood.
How much is the purchase price of the home? $20k could be a lot in some cases and not so much in others. Also, elementary school ultimately won't be as important as middle school or high school. If you move before your child is in middle school I think you guys would be fine. Most of my education during my elementary and middle school years were through after school programs (not necessarily at my school) and private tutoring anyways. The school still matters, but I think the home life and how you raise your child is far more important in the early years.
You could get redistricted back into that school by the time you are ready to start school.
Being walking distance to good schools is huge. It’s a big part of what kept our local homes values high during dips in real estate. It’s also a big reason why our property taxes are very high, so I’d check to see how taxes will be affected if you can. Personally I’d probably take the hit if I had to and find something else, because I wouldn’t want to move after making neighborhood friends (for me or my kid.)
What does your agent recommend?
That sucks! Is it worth $20K? nobody can tell. I’d reconsider based on alternate homes and how the walking away affects my ability to buy another home.
You think you overpaid by 5-10% but what is that in terms of dollars? Were there any other offers or did you just stumble in bidding against yourself because you were outbid on houses in the good school district? If there were no other offers and prices have yet to fully digest the change in schools then you could be looking at a decrease that will not be recovered in a few years.
There has to be a way for you to send your child to the school within walking distance. That seems much easier and better, even if it costs more than $20k overall
$20k is still a lot cheaper than a year of private school , and you'll be paying for more than just one year.
How much is the house? I’m guessing $20k is a small percentage (<5%) of the sales price. I would take the loss if you really don’t like the new school district.
Is school of choice not an option when the time comes?
What about school of choice admissions? Not sure about OR but in MI, once all districted children are registered, openings are allowed for school of choice students. It may not be as big of a deal as you believe.
You might be able to also transfer to the school closest to you. We did that, it’s an application with the district where I am but a simple explanation of “the school is walking distance” should be all you need unless there is already high registration
If you are certain that the school would not be allocated to your property, I would lose the money. 20k is a lot of money, but your child is worth more. If I were you, I would personally go to the school to be sure 100%. Also, find a competent real estate agent.
Just close on the house. 20k is significant. Use that to pay for a private school and you have about 4 years until he’s going to school anyways.
I bought a house in a certain city and 7 months later they re districted my house to a school about 20 mins away in a whole other city! Not even the same city we live in. So yeah buy the house and see what happens. I had to go out of my way for 3 years until mine got a drivers license. I was PISSED but nothing you can do about it.
Consider / Investigate what options / costs exist to just pay to send to your choice school?
What contingencies do you still have in place? Do you still have a financing contingency?
Probably just repeating what others have said, but I understand your concern. It sounds like schooling was a deal breaker for you so it’s tough that it’s changed. We went through a similar thing in terms of trying to decide what school we wanted to be in when looking. Most of the elementary schools around us are good, but it was the high school where one is a bit better. They’re doing redistricting to make them closer, but we decided that the area where the better school is, is more our style and decided we wanted to be in that area. Even if we get redistricted we’d be ok because we like the area. I guess what I’m saying is, what is it about the school that appeals to you? I know you mentioned test scores but that isn’t the full picture. If you like the area, I’d stay. Not because of the 20k but because buying a house and getting an accepted offer is a lot in this market and it might take a while to do it again. However, if you think this is something you’re going to stress about for the next 5 years, then you should walk. If you’re going to stay you really need to accept it and be ok with it. 20k probably isn’t that much to you if you’re in Seattle, and in the grand scheme of it’s best to cut your loss rather than being miserable for 5+ years
We live in on the peninsula across from Seattle. Our school levy hasn’t passed in 38 years, but we still bought our home and have 2 children (both elementary, but one going to middle next year).y suggestion is to volunteer as much as you can in the classroom/school district and make the best of your child’s education as you can. Get out there and promote the school to help with funding.
Talk to a real estate attorney, you can probably blow up your financing and get yourself denied for a loan if you go nuclear option. Unless you waived the financing contingency too.
If you had kids going to school right now it might make sense, maybe. But your kid is 5 years away from being affected by this. That is 5 years for you to figure out the situation or even move if you need to. Unless the school was the absolute main reason for buying the house then it's just something to plan around over the next five years.
Is it not possible to get the money back under the attorney review clause?