John Tragiai, Sartell
For those who have lived in this community for the past 15 years like us, this isn’t the first time we’ve heard the words school levy. In fact, there have been multiple levy votes while we’ve called Sartell home. As my wife and I near the end of our three children completing their education in this district, our focus has switched from supporting the levies because our children attend school here to supporting the levies because it is a good real estate investment.
As someone that has been investing in real estate for over 20 years, the old saying “Location, Location, Location” couldn’t be truer. But what makes a good location? Is it lakeshore living? Is it the skyline from your top floor condo? Is it the famous stores that are within walking distance from your front door? The last time I checked, Sartell has none of these, so why would people actually choose to live here? It’s simple, our “Location” are our schools, teachers and leaders!
As a Realtor, I hear it all of the time “We like Sartell because of the school district.” “We know the taxes might be a little higher, but they’ve got better schools.” “We want to stay in the Sartell school district because of our kids.”
Yes, we’ve got a great community with many benefits, but people buy real estate in Sartell because of our schools. So how does supporting the levy equal a good real estate investment?
1. 26 percent of home buyers consider the quality of schools when looking for a new home.
2. People under 36 form the largest group of new home buyers and almost half have at least one child at home and say school districts play a big role in buying decisions.
3. Home values inside top-rated school districts were 49 percent higher than the national median home price.
Our school district is ranked No. 10 in the state of Minnesota and is the No. 1 school district outside of the metro area. I encourage you to continue to invest in Sartell. This is OUR location!