Are the Madison schools REALLY worth paying more for a house? (Huntsville: sales, real estate)

[clbtrojan]

Hi everyone....I've been reading this forum for a while and there always seems to be great information on here. I need input from some who may have been where I am now in regards to deciding where to buy.

We currently rent in Huntsville and have for a while, but we are looking to buy a house. We really like the Madison area and that side of the county after exploring different areas for a couple of years. I understand the schools are very good which is a consideration for us as we have kids, but we see comparable homes just outside Madison for $50000-$60000 less, sometimes more. That seems significant.

My question for others who may have also considered this....are the Madison schools that much better to warrant paying such a premium for a house? We have seen homes in the Providence school district that are much less than the same thing in the Madison school district. As far as conveniences, these homes seem just as "convenient" to things as the ones in the city limits.

So...is it really worth it? Is there that much differential in the quality of the schools (Madison versus say Providence or the west Madison county schools like Legacy, Endeavor, etc)? Is there something else obvious I am missing?

We are currently in the Huntsville schools and while we have been pleased overall with the schools, we just honestly do not like the areas we are in very much and really don't want to end up in an older home like we are currently renting. We really prefer a newer, more up to date home.

Appreciate anyone's input.

[pamnbam]

I live in the Huntsville City district and hate the schools. My child goes to a private school in Madison, though, so it's all relative. If I were purchasing a house solely based on school districts, I'd go Madison City. I personally feel Madison is way too crowded for my taste to live in but I'm willing to go up there for their private schools (if allowed to jump districts, I'd make the drive to a Madison City public school, too). If private schools were not an option for my family, I would consider buying in Madison anyway, though.

If there were any other factors besides school districts to base my buying decision on I would not move to Madison City just for the schools.

[RocketCityMama]

If I had to do it all over again I would choose Madison in a heart beat. We live in Huntsville and have been in Hsv City Schools since 2005, when my oldest started Kindergarten and in the fall will be attending high school. We are zoned for the Providence/Williams/Columbia district. She applied and was accepted to the magnet program at New Century. I have no direct issues neccessarily with the schools themselves but the way the HCS district is being run. We purchased our current home based on how close it was to our schools and we really did love Providence. That being said when the new super came in, he rezoned the entire middle school of Providence to Williams (way out down Zierdt Rd) practically in Madison but not. We went from less than a 5 min drive in the mornings to over 30 mins in traffic thanks to the arsenal traffic because he nixed any other building plans, such as Providence was going to get a dedicated middle school.

While prices are higher in Madison, it is the best school system in our area, it is well worth paying the extra. I wish that 6 yrs ago we had chose Madison but we were happy at the time. I do not know anyone personally in the city of Madison who isn't overall happy with the schools.

If the prices are to high for you to really consider, then I say look at the county, the schools there are great too and the prices are generally cheaper as are the taxes. If you are still interested in staying in Huntsville and there isn't anything wrong with it, look into Huntsville High or Grissom High zoned areas, however know the school zones could easily change at any given time with our current situation going on with the DOJ and HCS board right now.

[Wandering_Missourian]

Yes.

[RocketCityMama]

I also want to add if you want the best education for your children, definitely look at Madison. I have so many friends in the Madison City school district constantly posting about their children's school, events, academic, sports, etc they are doing, because it is smaller, it's more family like. Huntsville city schools are no where near that. Unless you are living in the areas that are away from the non failing label, there won't be any "fun" things for the kids. I realize school isn't about having fun but I can guarantee you there is a huge difference in north hsv schools vs the south hsv schools. If learning is fun the kids are interested in learning more, the kids in the less than affluent schools are being hammered with testing and more testing and more testing until they pass. It's really a sad situation.

Also, the school zone for Providence area is really like the red headed step child. I've seen it first hand for many years. We aren't failing schools but we aren't in the league with the best schools of Huntsville, so we pretty much get ignored. It has the potential to be great but there just isn't enough parent involvement, but hopefully that will change.

[SarahBellum]

Yes. Our son went to school in Huntsville until the 4th grade then we moved to Madison. The difference was incredible. We realized he had never been challenged and he had to learn to work for good grades instead of coasting and even he felt like he was really learning for a change.

[clbtrojan]

Thank you for the replies, very informative. It is good to hear from people in these schools.

For the record, its not necessarily about affordability for us in this decision, its more of the decision to pay $400000 + in Madison for what we want or stay considerably under that in these outlying areas for a similar house, the main difference being the schools. We have considered private, but the school we would probably choose would not be ver convenient to these outer areas, and that is a concern for my wife in regards to getting kids to and from school every day.

[HB2HSV]

Pam, RKTcitymama, and Sarah,

CD won't let me give you more reps but thank you for speaking up! Nothing like personal testimonies such as yours to make the point.

[LCTMadison]

Just something to consider....from a "real estate" point of view....

When you look at median sales prices in those outlying areas, it can be striking compared to median sales prices in Madison, and its not just that the prices are "higher". Sales in those markets are dominated by homes under $200k, and once you begin to reach the higher price points the sales drastically drop (naturally) and you see many very nice properties, priced well that are lingering on the market.

More of those higher priced homes are selling in Madison versus the areas north like HSV city/Monrovia. There are always going to be buyers who make the concession to go out of the city limits to get more house. You just have to determine is that concession worth it to you and your family.

So, from a resale perspective, Madison is a much better investment and its pretty easy to illustrate. I know a lot of people initially don't consider resale, but everyone should and it is heavily tied to the school zoning in our area. You never know when you will have a life event that will prompt you to have to pack up and move. I've sold a lot of "forever" homes that turned into 3-4 year homes due to job relocation, job loss, etc.

[RocketCityMama]

Originally Posted by clbtrojan

Thank you for the replies, very informative. It is good to hear from people in these schools.

For the record, its not necessarily about affordability for us in this decision, its more of the decision to pay $400000 + in Madison for what we want or stay considerably under that in these outlying areas for a similar house, the main difference being the schools. We have considered private, but the school we would probably choose would not be ver convenient to these outer areas, and that is a concern for my wife in regards to getting kids to and from school every day.

Totally understand That's why I mentioned the county areas, because you get the same size house for less as well. I know many who live in Huntsville and send their children to private school and if we could afford it that would be an option for us. If you do stay in Huntsville, I would only consider Huntsville or Grissom school districts and I would probably even venture in to saying go check out Hampton Cove, I believe they are zoned for Huntsville High, while a longer commute for mom and/or dad to work, it's great schools from my understanding as far as the younger grades go.