Would you buy a house next to an elementry school?

[CBB]

We've been looking for a house for the last 6mo, and have been very depressed. Here at Boston, houses are ridiculously expensive and old (not to mention no AC in a lot of them). Last weekend, we saw a house that has one of the best school systems in MA (Wellesley, MA). The house is not nearly as perfect as we want, but we do like the neighborhood. The problem is the backyard opens to the field of an elementry school. In a way it's good because DD will have lots of place to play and run. But there is definitely a noise factor. We are planning on checking it out again when school is open. We are also concerned that we may have a problem saling the place few years later because of the school. I just want to hear you ladies' opionion. Would you buy a house if it's next to an elementry school?

Thanks very much!

[new_mommy25]

We don't live right next to a elementary school but we are within a 5 minute walk. We can sometimes hear them playing during recess but it's brief and has never bothered us at all.

ETA: I love that we are right by the school if we do decide to send DS to public school. It makes life a lot easier and I think it is a plus to live so close.

[jubilee]

I live very near an elementary school- my neighbor's house across the street backs up to the school. I've lived here almost 2 years and really like the proximity to the school. But here are the pluses and minuses as I see it:

PLUS-
-Walk to school (& walk to school events, it is always hard to find a place to park) and the kids are home quicker.
-school has a nice play structure, basketball hoops, and room to run.
-school has a track that I could walk or run on for exercise.
-in my state it is a BIG fine if you possess drugs in a school zone, so I am hoping that means less drug activity around here.
-people have to drive slower in a school zone, so my kids are safer playing outside.

MINUS-
-noise from playing kids, buses coming and going, etc. (it's actually not bad at my house though).
-school's soccer field is used by local kid's teams on weekends in the fall and spring. Leading to a bunch of traffic and people parking in front of my house.
-on 4th of July people use the school parking lot to light off fireworks, which could be a fire hazzard and is loud.

I'm happy where I am at, and thought being near the school was a big plus... and I don't have kids that go there! My oldest is in Middle School and it will be 4 years before my youngest goes there :)

[lukkykatt]

The only type of school I would consider living near is an elementary school. It sounds like your house is behind the school, as opposed to next to it, is that right? I think that is even better because you wouldn't have to worry about increased traffic on your street at pick up and drop-off time - I think that would be a concern to some people when you went to sell the house.

I would find out what time the school starts and also what time is recess and go back to the house at those times. That will be the times the noise would be the loudest.

[sbjf]

If it was on the same street as the house I would pause to think about it due to the traffic, but from what your set up sounds like that's not an issue. In that case I would seriously consider the house and not worry too much about the noise factor.

[StaceyKim]

p.s. I grew up in Wellesley! My parents still live there. Which school does it back up to? Feel free to PM me if you want.

ETA: I would definitely buy in Wellesley. We live in a similar town in another state. I didn't even look in another town because I wanted the school/town/location. My parents have been there for over 30 years and if I moved back to MA I would only live there!

[momathome]

Our house backs the field of an elementary school and it has not been a problem in the 3+ years we have lived here. It is nice to be able to walk the girls over to the playground there during the summer time and noise has really not been an issue. Given Boston real estate, I would jump all over a house in Wellesley - as you pointed out, schools there are excellent and it is a lovely area. :) Good luck!

[jk3]

That would not be a deterrant for me. We live a few blocks from an elementary school + it's great. Kids are always around + the park is nearby. The only problem will be at drop-off and pickup time but if your house backs up to the school you should be okay.

As a sidenote, I love Wellesley! Be sure to look into the Child Study Center at the college - a fabulous preschool. The town is beautiful + there are lots of amenities. If we move to Boston, Wellesley would be my top choice.

Jenn
DS 6/03

http://lilypie.com/baby2/030603/2/5/1/-5/.png

[momma_boo]

I don't know much about living near a school (elementary or others) but I'd definitely prefer an elementary over a middle or high school.

I actually went to Wellesley College and the town seems really nice (although it can be annoying to be in such an affluent town when you're a poor college student). Living in Wellesley, it would be easy to find good baby-sitters at the college (I baby-sat a lot while there). I think the Child Study Center's preschool is also highly regarded. (we used to go and observe the kids playing for my intro psych class).

[C99]

Yes. The house I grew up in was 1 house down from the elementary school yard (which took up 7/8 of the block) where I attended K-2 (it later closed and became a park). I was rarely at school on time because of proximity, but it wasn't a problem with kids, etc. I also live about 5 houses away from the highway here, and that is more of a problem with ambient noise, but I really do not notice it much during the daytime.

[jbowman]

An elementary school was built near my house when I was young (I attended the school for 4th and 5th grade). My parents still live in the same house. I've always thought of living near the school as a positive thing and it hasn't bothered my parents at all (except that my dad can't walk the dogs near the school during recess, LOL!). As a kid, I always liked the easy access to the playground!

[Moneypenny]

Our house is directly across the street from the playground of an elementary school and I actually quite like it. There is more traffic at drop off/pick up times, but consequently there are also more police watching for speeders in the school zone so local folks know not to go speeding down our street. The play equipment will be handy when DD is old enough to play, and I like not having to look out my living room window right into someone else's living room. The selling prices of the houses in my neighborhood have increased significantly since we moved in 8 years ago, so I don't think buyers consider the elementary school a deterrent. I'd go for it!

Susan
DD - Avery, born 8/5/04

[June Mommy]

I live directly across the street from the middle school in our town. The biggest cons for us are the traffic congestion at pick-up and drop-off times (hard to even get out of the driveway at these times), and the noise (recess, school bells.) DS's bedroom is closest to the street/school, so I always worry about the noise waking him in the morning or naptime. Granted, none of this is a problem in the summer! The proximity and placement of the house would make a big difference, so your house may not be faced weith these problems.

[miki]

I grew up across the street from an elementary school and DH's childhood home had it's backyard adjacent to the playing fileds of one. We both liked it. Super easy for our parents to send us off to school. I would not be so concerned about the noise. It will only be a limited amount before school, at lunch, at recess if they have that, and afterschool. It will be super quiet at night and I think that's when you really want things to be peaceful. I don't think you need to be worried about re-sale value with such a good school district.

[suribear]

If it's a desirable location it probably won't make a huge difference in resale. Having said that, I did turn down one house because it was near an elementary school. The entrance would have been around the corner. My main reason was traffic and parking (backing out of the driveway into a crowded street is not my idea of fun :)).

We now live 8 minutes walk to school on a different street. It's a perfect arrangement, as we are close but far enough that it doesn't affect us. I noticed that all the houses next to the school have the parking problem, as parents use all available street parking during pickup/dropoff and special events.

It sounds like you would be behind the school, so I don't think that would be a huge issue for you, if at all. Isn't there a fence? I ask because you're saying DD will be able to run around the field :)

Given your situation, I would go there again during school time and check it out. Maybe call the school and ask them when is recess. If noise isn't a factor, go ahead and make a bid. I think it's better to back up to a school than live right next to one.

Elementary schools are more desirable than other schools, IMO.

Kris

[HGraceMom]

We bought a beautiful victorian 3 doors down from a private elementary school (k-8) and love it - the neighborhood is full of children and young families who want to walk to school. The noise isn't bad - we only hear the children during recess.

The only thing that bothers me is the drop off in the morning, and even more, the afternoon pickup. The buses come and go quickly, so there isn't lingering noise or traffic, but the parents are a different story. Many many many parents ignore the school's parking lot system and instead park on neighborhood streets, walking to pick up their children down the block (or meeting their children at the car) all to avoid the carpool line. Unfortunately, pickup time is 2:45, right at the make it or break it time for DD's nap. If she can get past 2:45, she'll sleep until 4:00 - if not, well, it's a 30 minute afternoon for me. Car locks beeping, doors opening and closing, and slamming, parents honking to get their dawdling children's attention, etc. is really annoying for those 10-20 minutes.

I've complained to the principal, and though she acknowledges the problem, won't fix it by sending monitors off the school grounds to confront parents. Oh well...

Definitely check out the house during school hours, but especially during the half-hour surrounding dismissal. Otherwise, a school is a great neighbor, IMO.

[CBB]

Stacey, I PM'd you.

[toomanystrollers]

The Wellesley school system will sell your home over and over again - Go For it!! :)

[suribear]

I forgot to add, our elementary doesn't HAVE a parking lot!! They encourage a valet system, where parents drive by and their kid hops in. I can't imagine doing that until the kid is older, though. What if they miss each other? I guess I'm paranoid :)

I bought a house with a pool (that I didn't want, with the intention of filling it in!) so a good school district does make you think and act differently when it comes to house hunting.

Kris

[CBB]

Thank you so much for everyone's input. I'm relieved to read that most would consider living close to an elementry school. DH and I were first hesitant because 3-4houses were/are for sale on that street thinking people are moving away because of the school. We came to find out they were on sale for diff reasons: relocation, retiring, etc. The house right next to the one we are interested is for sale too, but a lot more $$$. Both families have moved already. Hopefully we'll have some bargaining power. The house's backyard is open to the middle of the playfield. The school is a few houses down. We are planning are driving there tomorrow during pick-up time to see how noisy and busy the street is. This is a school that was recently build. We heard it has state of art everything -- it even has AC, which I heard is pretty rare in MA. I would definitely love DD to go there. The house is old, expensive, and would need some work done. But we are definitely considering it.