Everything changes when you have children

As adults begin having children, life as they’ve known it ceases to exist.

“It all changes once you have kids. At that point you think less about clubs, restaurants, and soy lattes, and more about schools, a bigger home, friendly neighbors (hopefully), and room for the kids to run around,” said Brad Silverberg, co-founder of Fuel Capital and Partner at Ignition Partners, in his recent answer to the question Why do people want to live in the suburbs? on Quora.com, a question-and-answer website based in Palo Alto, Calif.

“In many cities, the public schools are lousy and then you have to decide whether to send your kids to private schools, if you can afford it, or what other sacrifices need to be made so you can,” Silverberg added. “And it’s not just the money, it’s the whole environment of growing up for your kid — their friends will likely not be right in the neighborhood (if in private school).”

When it comes time for families to buy a home, they want to live in the neighborhoods closest to the best schools for their children. Safety and high-quality schools top the list of the most sought-after community attributes according to “Where Americans Want to Live,” a May 2013 Urban Land Institute report. Property taxes and levies on new homes build and enrich schools, so it’s only logical that many of the highest quality schools are in the suburbs close to or in master-planned communities.

Since the economic recovery, communities all over the country are poised for greater growth from all sectors of the home-buying public and quality schools are in the limelight. In Dublin, Calif., 35 miles east of San Francisco, Toll Bros. has created a community of tightly packed homes within walking distance of a most important feature: award-winning schools.

Families who reside in Southern Nevada master-planned communities have the advantage of living in an area with many of the highest-ranking schools in the nation in close proximity according to a Redfin report in September that compiled 2014 data from GreatSchools, an organization that compares schools based on test scores and other available data, including student academic growth and college readiness. According to the GreatSchools compilation there are 14 area schools that totaled an average of 7 to 10, with 10 being the highest rating. These included three elementary and middle schools from Green Valley Ranch, seven elementary, middle and one high school from Summerlin North, and three elementary and one high school from Westgate (Mountain’s Edge), Henderson.

Real estate professionals have always known that housing prices are higher in areas with good public schools.