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BOND ISSUE #5: Support Local Schools? But what's In It For You?


“House Symbols Display Houses For Sale” by Stuart Miles via freedigitalphotos.net


If you're sick of hearing about Issue #5 here in the Willoughby/Eastlake district, well, join the club. While it personally doesn't bother me, because I know it's what needs to be done for awareness, it might be irking you 'til no tomorrow.


Speaking of tomorrow... it's a big day.


What do you think?

Is Issue #5 about you or not?

Are you a parent with kids in the district? Of course you're the one with the sign in your yard, 'Vote YES on 5!' But what if you are a single parent or on a fixed income? Maybe you are retired or elderly? Your children might be all grown up and your grandchildren don't even attend school locally...


I get it. You probably don't see the worth in voting YES? It won't do any good for your kids or your grandkids, and at this rate, it's only going to increase your bills right? (Well, it will increase at least one.)


Well, let's look at this from a completely different perspective. I like real estate, I grew up the granddaughter and daughter of landlords. I toiled away on weekends since I was little, helping clean, paint and renovate apartments so my dad and my grandparents could re-rent their buildings.  I shopped the market for my first property to build on and my husband and I got an incredible parcel with a killer house for way under the budget. Then it was time to shop for apartments after my divorce and then recently I purchased my own home for the first time.


The business of it all has always fascinated me! And honestly, I think I kinda know my stuff after spending so much time surrounded by it, so here's my opinion:


When we built our house, we lived in a nice community and were beginning to homeschool our little one, but we moved into a community with great schools, just in case. 10 years later, when I was moving from CT to Ohio, I was still  home schooling but chose to move into Willoughby Eastlake (just in case). And I'm glad I did. Circumstances 6 years later led us into the schools and I haven't been disappointed.


When I bought my house I stayed in the town my kids were going to school. It was hard to find the right property for us, but we didn't want to leave the schools.


So what does this all have to do with you? Well...


#1-  If you want to sell your home in the future, you'll want good schools. 
Yep, take it from me, people do not stay in, or move in to, communities if schools (or their buildings) suck. And when school ratings plummet, home values do too (and fast).
#2 -  Communities with great schools, establishments and teachers have opportunities to serve their communities!
They are generally more positive and prideful and feel taken care of and supported by their community.
#3 - The best news is that home values are down (I know! That's always been BAD news! But it's not in this case!).
At this point the increase of $11.64 per month (per 1k of home value) is possibly not even the amount you'll pay! And if it is, that's a mere $139.68 a year....! That's not a lot of money when you put in perspective your home's value later on by the changes our district could make with enough support.


What's YES on #5 mean for you?

  •  Sustained property values (over a potential and immediate decrease)
  •  Better property values in the near future as market increases and buildings, improvements done
  •  Help moral in the community
  •  Help keep a solid rating for your local schools
  • Support a community you love so that you and your neighbors can continue to enjoy it


Think about it.
It's not just about 'the kids', it's about you too.



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