LITTLE ROCK, AR – We’re hours away from decision time for the state and whether it will take over the Little Rock School District.
Many eyes are looking forward to the Arkansas Department of Education’s potential decision on whether it will take over the Little Rock School District.
Some of those eyes are coming from the world of real estate as education often plays a part in where buyers want to live.
Real estate agents aren’t supposed to steer people in certain directions based solely on schools.
That doesn’t change the fact however, that the state of a school or district could impact the decisions of the buyers looking for a home and writing the checks.
“I think this is the first time in my experience that it’s been such a heated debate,” Mollie Birch said.
In her fifteen years in the business of real estate Birch, an associate broker with the Charlotte John Company, has seen the business change.
That includes how homes are shown, all the way down to how they get in the door.
One thing that hasn’t changed though are the factors that play into where people decide to move.
Arguably topping that list for some buyers, schools.
“That is their number one priority, even above price,” Birch explained.
With a looming decision to be made by ADE, brokers are watching closely.
As principal broker of his own company, Steven Blackwood supports a change however it gets there.
“When something’s broken you have to fix it,” the Blackwood Team leader remarked. “I would be supportive of whatever it takes in order to make the progress that the children deserve and a cooperative effort between the State Department of Education and the Little Rock School District hopefully can be met at some point.”
Because, some realtors say, when it comes down to picking a home, that may-or-may-not sit near one of the six academically distressed schools forcing the state’s potential decision, the future of the district can carry quite a bit of weight.
“We all agree that something needs to change for the better,” Birch added. “If it doesn’t, then it’s gonna impact everybody, not just the real estate business.”
They didn’t have a comment yet but the Little Rock Realtors Association did send a letter to members several weeks ago urging them to call LRSD school board members to let them know if they favor “change within community’s school district.”
ADE meets Wednesday.
Many eyes are looking forward to the Arkansas Department of Education’s potential decision on whether it will take over the Little Rock School District.
Some of those eyes are coming from the world of real estate as education often plays a part in where buyers want to live.
Real estate agents aren’t supposed to steer people in certain directions based solely on schools.
That doesn’t change the fact however, that the state of a school or district could impact the decisions of the buyers looking for a home and writing the checks.
“I think this is the first time in my experience that it’s been such a heated debate,” Mollie Birch said.
In her fifteen years in the business of real estate Birch, an associate broker with the Charlotte John Company, has seen the business change.
That includes how homes are shown, all the way down to how they get in the door.
One thing that hasn’t changed though are the factors that play into where people decide to move.
Arguably topping that list for some buyers, schools.
“That is their number one priority, even above price,” Birch explained.
With a looming decision to be made by ADE, brokers are watching closely.
As principal broker of his own company, Steven Blackwood supports a change however it gets there.
“When something’s broken you have to fix it,” the Blackwood Team leader remarked. “I would be supportive of whatever it takes in order to make the progress that the children deserve and a cooperative effort between the State Department of Education and the Little Rock School District hopefully can be met at some point.”
Because, some realtors say, when it comes down to picking a home, that may-or-may-not sit near one of the six academically distressed schools forcing the state’s potential decision, the future of the district can carry quite a bit of weight.
“We all agree that something needs to change for the better,” Birch added. “If it doesn’t, then it’s gonna impact everybody, not just the real estate business.”
They didn’t have a comment yet but the Little Rock Realtors Association did send a letter to members several weeks ago urging them to call LRSD school board members to let them know if they favor “change within community’s school district.”
ADE meets Wednesday.