It’s no secret that every parent wants the best for their kid and tries to give them a head start in life.

For some, this means sending their child to a chosen primary school. And in true Singaporean ‘kiasu’ fashion, many parents will spend hundreds of thousands (even millions) to move to a property within a kilometer (km) of their chosen primary school to increase their child’s chances of getting in.

The question is – is it truly worth it to make a move?

While it’s too late to move before the Primary 1 registration for 2022 on 30 June 2021, those planning for kids or have a soon-to-be-enrolled little one can start planning with these four simple considerations and tips. Check them out!

1. Cost versus Convenience: Define which matters most

While living near your choice primary school is convenient for commuting (and affords your child more time to rest), it may also come with inconveniences such as congested traffic in the morning. Plus, if you’re eyeing ‘branded’ schools, they tend to be in prime districts where the property is expensive. For example, ACS Junior is in Newton, which is dominated by private properties priced between S$3-7 million.

💡 Tip: Find out what schools are nearby your current home with MOE’s Distance tool. You can also leverage property search filter features that allow you to easily search for homes nearby schools, including PropertyGuru’s Property for Sale page.

2. Assess the property’s market price to minimize loss and maximize profit

If you found a home within 1km of your chosen primary school, chances are that someone else who was previously in your shoes will come searching – which is good news for your home’s value and rentability. That said, an NUS study revealed 1.4% and 6.9% price declines of private and HDB homes, respectively, within 1km of a school that relocates. So, distance to school aside, it is important to assess a property’s size, age, and nearby amenities to ensure you can reap up a tidy profit if you decide to sell or rent it out eventually.

💡 Tip: For owners of private properties, engage licensed appraisers who are members of the Singapore Institute of Surveyors and Valuers to determine your property’s valuation. HDB homeowners need not worry about valuation cost as they can get a valuation report on their unit from the HDB office.

3. Understand that priority admission is not guaranteed

Remember that staying near your kids’ preferred school does not immediately guarantee you a place in the school – which is why many parents also volunteer and make donations in hopes of improving their chances. If you can’t get into the school of choice and have no alternative options nearby, that could mean facing a “lock-in” period of at least three to five years as part of your home loan agreement. Plus, if you manage to successfully secure a place for your child through the distance category, you will also need to stay at the address for at least 30 months from the start of the registration exercise as required by MOE.

💡 Tip: If you fail to get your child a spot despite moving nearby to his/her preferred school, you can try writing in directly to the school to appeal.

4. Let the big-fish-little-pond effect sink in. It’s all about your child’s interest and needs

We all want the best for our little ones, but it’s also important to consider what type of school best matches your child, especially because he/she will be spending six years of his/her life there. This means picking a school that will help develop his/her strengths based on his/her interests – be it in academia, sports, art, or music.

💡 Tip: Visit (virtual) open houses to get a better sense of the school’s culture and learning environment before you make that big decision of moving homes.

This article is contributed by PropertyGuru.

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