Good schools drive homebuyers

We bought our house almost 11 years ago, and it turned out to be a poor investment choice.

We tried to sell it last year to upgrade, and it was a bust. My 13-year-old daughter was so disappointed when we took it off the market she sent me the following text, “IDC about moving. Will u let me switch rooms?” I had to stop and Google what IDC meant (I don’t care), then explain to her the proper way to spell “you.”

As the housing market normalizes, I find myself researching ways to protect my investment, and my money.

I uncovered this on Trulia.com:

Walkability

Amenities

Historic charm

Unique homes

Schools

Wait — what was that last part? Schools, oh, right, because people don’t want to raise stupid kids. Period. The Washington Post reported a study citing that better school districts improve home values by 16 percent. If your home is currently valued at $300,000 voting the levy down could depreciate your net worth by $48,000. I know, I know. Breathe. It gets worse. The 28 percent pay cut that will hit one of our community’s largest employers (the school district) will also impact the surrounding businesses.

It’s one of the base principles of capitalism. Cash flow.

Cash flow to buy things like smart phones, which brings me to the plight of Lakewood’s youth. Kids these days can’t communicate any other way than through a text message; you may remember my own daughter can’t spell “u” correctly. Unless we pass the levy, we’re doomed to see emoji adopted as the official English language before too long. (Hashtag not funny … sorry, I’m trying).

Sarah Kummer

Stanwood

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