Realtor.com Launches New 'Search by School' Feature

The home search process just got easier for families with school-age children. Realtor.com today released a new feature that allows consumers (and their agents) to search for properties within the zoning boundaries of specific schools.

To use this new feature, realtor.com visitors can simply type the name of the school they're looking for, and the site will display a list of matching schools in the search dropdown list:

Once buyers select the desired school, they're taken to the search results page on Realtor.com, which will display only those homes that fall within the zoning boundaries of that specific school, as well as a special pin that designates the location of the school:

Buyers can click into the details page of any property to view ratings data for nearby schools, as seen in the image below. Each school name in this section is a clickable link that takes you to a school details page that offers information like school ratings from GreatSchools, parent rating, number of students, test scores overview, contact information, number of homes within the school's zoning for sale and for rent, and more. See this school details page for an example of what this looks like.

Meeting Buyer Needs with School Search

Schools are a major factor for families searching for a new home. In fact, NAR's most recent Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers found that nearly half of all buyers with children under 18 consider school quality when deciding on an area in which to live.

Proprietary research from realtor.com reveals that over 40 percent of buyers with kids would use a school search feature. "Searching for homes by school has been the top requested feature by our users and showcases the importance of schools on home buying decisions," said Chung Meng Cheong, chief product officer for realtor.com®. "Our new school search feature makes it easy for those who are already familiar with a community to find homes within specific district boundaries. It takes us one step further in our mission to make all things home simple, efficient and enjoyable."

Realtor.com's new feature will make it easier for your real estate clients that need to move, but want to keep their kids in the same school. It will also simplify the search process for consumers wanting to move to a new area with well-rated schools, or those whose housing choice is dependent on what school their child would attend.

Other Significant Updates to Realtor.com

School search is just the latest enhancement to Realtor.com. Other recent updates include:

• Integration of Yelp reviews of neighborhood amenities, including shopping and restaurants
• Inclusion of Matterport 3D virtual tours on select listings
• Enhancements to local community pages, including market trends, commute times and recommended homes

Your turn: what do you think about the new school search feature? Will it be useful to your clients? Let us know by dropping a line to [email protected].