Location, location: buying property in a good school catchment area

Everyone wants to give their kids the best in life, and ensuring kids have access to a good education is one of the top priorities for many parents. 

If you’re planning to send your kids to a private school, then location doesn’t play as big a role in your decision around which areas to live.

However, in the case of public school, where you live is usually the deciding factor as to which school your child can apply to go to. So, for many families, a home in the catchment zone for a top public school is highly sought after.

In the Perth suburb of Subiaco for example, the announcement of a new $68 million state-of-the-art local-intake secondary school is adding further appeal to the well-heeled suburb.

Opening for 250 Year 7 students in 2020, the new Inner City College will grow to accommodate a total of 2000 Year 7 to 12 students by 2025, and offer world class equipment and facilities. The school will also share access to Subiaco Oval for its recreational space.

The development of the school will come at the same time as work steps up to revitalise the Subiaco Oval precinct into a new community hub, with plans for residential and mixed-use development, including new apartments and townhouses as well as community facilities close to transport.

“The Australian dream is evolving now where buyers no longer mainly focus on the quarter acre big house and land. What is more important is lifestyle and facilities. People want easy and convenient access to social networks, medical services, good schools and facilities,” said Ironfish Perth Managing Director, Helen Qin.

While school catchment zones tend to be a significant influence on the purchasing decisions of owner occupiers, for investors, if an investment property falls within the catchment area of a top local school, this can be a great way to widen the potential tenant pool.

Especially since we are now seeing more and more ‘rent-vestors’ or families who choose to rent out their own homes and then rent a home in a premium school catchment area.

“The data shows us that properties located within good school zones have experienced higher growth than properties in lower ranked school zones,” said Ms Qin.

“The general trend seems to be that more and more buyers – across all cultural backgrounds – are attracted by these type of properties.”

If you would like more information on education opportunities in Perth, or are trying to decide on which education pathway to take for your child, book your seat at our free event on Feb 11th in our Perth offices. Hear Glen Ong, Managing Director of Blue Education consulting agency speak on the benefits of private Vs public education for your child.

 
To find out the catchment zone for your home or investment property in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide or Perth, you can use the following tools:

Perth /WA  
Adelaide / SA
Melbourne / VIC
Brisbane /QLD
Sydney / NSW

Compare different schools and their rank/ performance using the following tool:

https://www.myschool.edu.au/