Schools & yard
Weights for a growing family
This is the Schools & yard preset already in the builder. Schools decide, the yard is next, and condition stays light on purpose. Use it if you will live with a renovation before you will live with the wrong district.
Who this is for
You are choosing a town for the years a child will be in school, and outdoor space is the thing you will not give up inside that town.
You can take on a kitchen, a roof, or an older system. The preset does not go looking for a turnkey house. Home age is 5, the lowest weight on the profile, because year built also feeds condition and you do not need it counted a second time.
The weights
These are the Schools & yard numbers in the builder (schools-and-yard). They add up to 100. Nothing else is changed when you start from this page.
| Factor | Weight |
|---|---|
| School qualityThe deciding factor. A 40-point school gap is 12 points on the total, which is enough to beat the value gap this profile allows. | 30 |
| Lot sizeSecond, so a top district with almost no yard loses to a slightly weaker district with a real one. The score caps once the lot is twice the living area. | 20 |
| Value for moneyHigh enough that a wild price per foot still hurts, and low enough that you can pay a district premium. It compares against a fixed town reference, not sold comps. | 15 |
| Community diversityOn the profile because the town is part of raising a child. On the default engine this is a stored city index, or 50 if the city is not on the list. | 12 |
| Commute accessA daily trip matters, and it does not outrank the district. Thirty minutes scores 50 on the default formula, so this weight will not chase the shortest possible town. | 10 |
| Condition and systemsLight, because the estimate is only year built and you are willing to renovate. A tired house in the right place can still rank first. Inspect it anyway. | 8 |
| Home ageKept on the report. A newer house picks up a few points and does not jump the line ahead of schools or the yard. | 5 |
Change it before you save
- Raise condition toward 25 if a project is not an option. You will drop schools or the lot to do it, and that is the right trade if a repair would blow the budget.
- Drop schools under 15 if the children will age out of the district before you would sell. Otherwise you are paying, in rank, for schools you will not use.
- Raise commute if both adults go to a specific office. This preset will accept a longer stored average to keep the district.
Read the factors this profile leans on
Other profiles
Start with this preset
The button opens the builder with these weights filled in. You still enter your details and requirements. The weights are waiting on the weights step, and Reset puts back the usual default. A builder link with no preset is unchanged.
Start with this preset