AS SCHOOLS vie for league table position, parents are increasingly selective as to which school their children attend, to the extent that many families move house specifically to live within the catchment area of their preferred school.

Mel Kennedy, from CJ Hole, tells us why there are benefits to buying outside of school catchment areas.

Property prices in such areas have typically risen faster than the national average, and property in the catchment areas of the country’s top 50 community primary schools is on average 33 per cent higher than property in the local surrounding areas*.

This provides an opportunity for those who do not have children, or whose children have moved on, to benefit from lower property prices.

Districts adjacent to school catchment areas are not necessarily inferior to those within catchment, and if you are a buyer falling into this category you might do well to question preconceptions as to what constitutes a “good area”.

Out-of-catchment homes are often better value than those close to the popular schools. “Better value” means different things to different buyers, but could mean that for the same price you could expect to find better accommodation, larger garden, nicer condition or additional parking.

So if schools do not figure in your life or your children attend an independent school, then take advantage of the hidden discount offered to those buying “on the other side of the street”.

For more advice on how CJ Hole can help you find a new home call 01934 512537.

*Source: Barclays