Many families are seeking affordability and stellar schools. And if that’s the case, they might want to consider a move to Blue Springs, Mo., a suburb of Kansas City, which topped HomeUnion’s list of best places for families based on housing affordability and school quality. The median home price in Blue Springs is $159,700, making it an affordable find.
“For the past two years, we have been tracking metros with the lowest housing affordability and best school districts,” says Steve Hovland, director of research for HomeUnion. “As home prices continue to increase in many coastal markets, particularly in the western U.S., we are seeing the best opportunities for first-time home buyers with families in the center of the country. These areas are also good places for single-family rental buyers to invest in housing. In fact, we are particularly bullish on Chicago, Cleveland, and Indianapolis for SFR investors, and ZIP codes from all three of these metro areas earned spots within the top 10.”
For its rankings, HomeUnion included the most affordable ZIP code in each metro area that had an average school rating in the 80th percentile or higher.
The following cities topped the list for best markets for families, based on housing affordability and school quality (listed with the median home price):
- Blue Springs, Mo. (Kansas City metro): $159,700
- Tuttle, Okla. (Oklahoma City metro): $165,000
- Fenton, Mo. (St. Louis, Mo. metro): $167,000
- Boca Raton, Fla. (Palm Beach metro): $167,500
- Aurora, Ill. (Chicago metro): $168,000
- Brownsburg, Ind. (Indianapolis metro): $184,100
- Cranberry Township, Pa. (Pittsburgh metro): $274,000
- Broadview Heights, Ohio (Cleveland metro): $200,000
- Horsham, Pa. (Philadelphia metro): $217,500
- Buford, Ga. (Atlanta metro): $220,000
Source: “Where Are the Best Places for Families to Live Based on Quality Schools and Home Prices?” HomeUnion (2017)
