The five must-haves for a real estate website are: who, what, when, where and why. Day two of this series on the 5Ws of Internet marketing answers the "what"—'what about the schools?'

“Everyone always asks the same question at open houses:  what about the schools?” said Christina Ng, a broker associate at Alain Pinel in Burlingame, CA.

“If it’s not the right school, they turn around and leave.  They don’t even come in and look at the rest of the house.”

Point of Pain

With private school tuition costing as much as $28,560 in Burlingame, young parents are willing to buy homes for more in public school districts with high state test scores. Real estate agents can benefit from taking a Pain Killer Marketing approach by aggregating test scores and parent reviews on their websites.

According to Santa Clara County Assessor Larry Stone, homes nearby sought-after schools are selling faster and at higher prices than similar quality homes in other districts. “There could be two districts -- one perceived as excellent, one mediocre -- divided by a street. The same hypothetical house built by the same developer on either side of that street could fetch $100,000 more if it feeds into great schools,” he told the San Francisco Chronicle.

When it comes to peninsula real estate, local schools with high state test scores drive home value.  The Academic Performance Index (API) score is key for many parents assessing schools.

“There's no question that home prices and test scores are linked," said Linda Strean, managing editor at greatschools.net in San Francisco, a nonprofit that provides information on schools nationwide.

Homework for Home Buyers

1. Academic Performance Index (API) Reports
   
2. Research & Compare Private vs. Public Schools
3. Parent Ratings