Sixty percent of US homebuyers looking to purchase home within two years say school boundaries will play major role in their homebuying decisions, with 53% willing to go over budget to live within school boundaries, finds survey by NAR's Realtor.com

Allison Oesterle

SAN JOSE, California , July 29, 2013 (press release) – Survey finds more than 44 percent of respondents throughout the country will even go over budget by up to 10 percent for homes in preferred school boundaries

Realtor.com®, operated by Move, Inc. (NASDAQ: MOVE), today announced the results of its Back to School survey that ran on realtor.com® from July 18-22 and analyzed how much impact school boundaries have on buyers looking to purchase a home within two years. Realtor.com® found that 3 out of 5 home buyers surveyed said school boundaries will impact their home purchasing decision.

Key Survey Findings:
A majority of home buyers who said school boundaries will have an impact are willing to pay 1 percent to 10 percent above budget to live within school boundaries:

23.59 percent would pay 1 percent to 5 percent above budget
20.70 percent would pay 6 percent to 10 percent above budget
8.98 percent would pay 11 percent to 20 percent above budget
40.33 percent would not go above budget

"Our survey demonstrates the large impact school boundaries have on those looking to purchase a home. In April, realtor.com® launched its new mobile school search functionality which allows buyers to search for listings in specific school and district boundaries," said Barbara O'Connor, chief marketing officer at Move, Inc. "This data shows how compelling this new feature is to consumers and the impact it has on their home purchase experience. School search demonstrates realtor.com®'s commitment to innovation and expansion of features based on the needs of users and customers. We will also be launching a section on our realtor.com site focused on back to school tips which will provide more information to help those whose housing decisions are influenced by school boundaries."

For those home buyers who said school boundaries will have an impact on their decision, the majority indicated school boundaries will be an important consideration:

90.53 percent said school boundaries are "important" and "somewhat important"
2.04 percent were "neutral" around importance of school boundaries
7.43 percent said school boundaries are "unimportant" and "very unimportant"

Home buyers who said school boundaries will have an impact on their decision also indicated that they would give up several amenities to live within school boundaries of choice:

62.39 percent would do without a pool or spa
50.60 percent would give up accessibility to shopping
43.96 percent would pass on a bonus room
41.99 percent would offer up nearby parks and trails

Home buyers indicated that they would like to be within a certain distance of school boundaries:

45.19 percent want to live within school boundaries
33.67 percent want to live within a few miles so their children can ride the school bus
17.20 percent want to live within a mile so their children can walk to school

With realtor.com's search-by-school functionality, users can hone their home search based on school or district boundaries and discover valuable information on schools and districts of interest. Users can filter listings by public schools, districts and private schools in just one tap. To search for homes by school on your favorite mobile device, download the realtor.com® mobile app for iPhone, iPad or Android: http://www.realtor.com/mobile.

About realtor.com®
Operated by Move, Inc., (NASDAQ: MOVE), realtor.com® helps connect people with the content, tools and expertise they need to find their perfect home. As the official website of the National Association of REALTORS®, realtor.com® empowers consumers to make the smartest decisions when it comes to finding a home by leveraging direct connections with more than 800 MLSs to deliver the most accurate and up-to-date listing information in neighborhoods across the country, and by making timely and meaningful connections between consumers and REALTORS®. Whether through desktop, mobile, or tablet versions, realtor.com® is where home happens.

About Move, Inc.
Move, Inc. (NASDAQ: MOVE), the leader in online real estate, operates: realtor.com®, the official website of the National Association of REALTORS®; Move.com, a leading destination for new homes and rental listings, moving, home and garden, and home finance; ListHub™, the leading syndicator of real estate listings; Moving.com™; SeniorHousingNet; SocialBios; Doorsteps, TigerLead®; and TOP PRODUCER® Systems. Move, Inc. is based in San Jose, Calif.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release may contain forward-looking statements, including information about management's view of Move's future expectations, plans and prospects, within the safe harbor provisions under The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the results of Move, its subsidiaries, divisions and concepts to be materially different than those expressed or implied in such statements. These risk factors and others are included from time to time in documents Move files with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to, its Form 10-Ks, Form 10-Qs and Form 8-Ks. Other unknown or unpredictable factors also could have material adverse effects on Move's future results. The forward-looking statements included in this press release are made only as of the date hereof. Move cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Finally, Move expressly disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.

SOURCE realtor.com

RELATED LINKS
http://www.realtor.com

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