EMERYVILLE, Calif.,
July 1, 2014 /PRNewswire/
-- ZipRealty, Inc. (http://www.ziprealty.com) (NASDAQ: ZIPR),
a leading online residential real estate brokerage and provider of
technology and marketing solutions, today released its second
annual ranking of the 10 Best Places for Families to Live: Top
School Districts with the Most Affordable Housing. The list was
compiled by analyzing the highest-rated public school districts in
23 metros nationwide and the median price per square foot for real
estate in that district. To be considered, at least 10 home sales
must have closed in that region's school district in 2013.
Minneapolis, Austin and Portland made the list for the second
consecutive year.
"This annual study is part of our ongoing effort to use
ZipRealty's technology and data capabilities to provide home buyers
with the most relevant and accurate neighborhood information," said
Lanny Baker, ZipRealty's CEO. "In
particular, the School Score shown within our mobile apps and on
our website helps families decide which school districts and
neighborhoods are best for them."
ZipRealty's School Score ratings measure the performance of each
school district, including elementary, middle and high schools, on
a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest. ZipRealty calculates
the School Score based on test-score data. Cross-referencing those
School Scores with housing information such as per square foot
sales prices gives consumers a window into the most affordable
areas with the strongest local education systems.
The 10 Best Places for Families to Live, based on the quality of
the local school district and median price per square foot,
are:
METRO
AREA
|
SCHOOL
DISTRICT
|
SCHOOL
SCORE
|
PRICE/SQ.
FT.
|
Minneapolis
|
Delano Public School
District
|
9.2
|
$101
|
Charlotte
|
Fort Mill School
District
|
9.1
|
$102
|
Dallas
|
Lovejoy Independent
School District
|
9.1
|
$114
|
Chicago
|
St. Charles C.U.S.D.
303
|
9.0
|
$122
|
Boston
|
Harvard Public
Schools
|
9.1
|
$179
|
Portland
|
Lake Oswego School
District 7J
|
9.8
|
$192
|
NYC/Long
Island
|
Nanuet Union Free
School District
|
9.0
|
$199
|
Austin
|
Eanes Independent
School District
|
9.1
|
$237
|
Orange County,
Calif.
|
Los Alamitos Unified
School District
|
9.2
|
$321
|
Seattle
|
Mercer Island School
District 400
|
9.1
|
$344
|
Delano, Minn. Takes Top
Honors
"There has always been a tradition of excellence in
our public school system, which has been cultivated by a very
supportive community," said Delano
Public Schools Superintendent Matthew
Schoen. "And we are proud of that tradition, and are honored
to receive this recognition."
In Delano, families can buy a
bigger home that meets their needs, and do not have to live in a
community where they have to compromise on their child's education,
Mr. Schoen noted. "If you stopped a young couple in downtown
Delano and asked them why they
moved here, you would find that 99% of the couples would say they
moved here for the school district."
Search for Homes by School District
In an effort to
further assist families in finding the right home, ZipRealty also
recently improved its mobile experience. "Now home buyers can
search for homes on the map search section of ZipRealty's iOs and
Android apps," said Jamie Wilson,
Senior Vice President of Technology for ZipRealty. "We've greatly
improved our mobile experience for consumers looking for homes
within specific school district boundaries."
ZipRealty's iOS and Android apps give users:
- The ability to get more details about individual elementary,
middle and high schools, including addresses, student/teacher
ratios, test scores and other historical data.
- Prominent pop-up viewing of School Scores by specific
boundaries, including elementary, middle, high schools and school
districts.
A similar experience exists on ZipRealty's website, where
consumers can easily find all of the information on home listings,
prices and schools, just by typing in the name of a school
district, noted Mr. Wilson.
www.ziprealty.com
About ZipRealty, Inc.
ZipRealty is a leading national
real estate brokerage and provider of proprietary technology and
comprehensive online marketing tools for the residential real
estate brokerage industry. For home buyers and sellers who
increasingly want control, choice and a seamless, customized
service, ZipRealty offers Internet-enabled, state-of-the-art
technology and complete access to accurate, timely information via
its website and mobile applications, which real estate
professionals can combine with their own local knowledge and
personal expertise to offer an exceptional start-to-finish client
experience. For real estate professionals who seek more productive
ways to conduct business, ZipRealty provides technology and online
marketing tools to enhance their online sales channel, including
lead generation, conversion and service of their clients.
ZipRealty's technology and online marketing products serve its
full-service, owned-and-operated residential real estate brokerage
business in 19 markets nationwide, as well as its Powered by Zip
network of leading third-party local brokerages in 21 markets.
Media Contact: Stacey
Corso
510.735.2667
scorso@ziprealty.com
SOURCE ZipRealty, Inc.