The neighborhood school can make or break the sale of a home.

When asked what factors go into deciding what house to buy, Todd Roseberry, managing broker of Keller Williams Realty Intown Atlanta, says, "Every year the National Association of Realtors asks home buyers, 'What affected your decision to buy your house?' In 2006, the last year surveyed, 27 percent [of buyers] said 'quality of schools.'"

Christopher Oquendo/Special (ENLARGE)

Matt and Amy Leiter knew the DeKalb schools that would best suit their daughter, who has special needs. After eight months of looking, they found a house that filled the bill.

Christopher Oquendo/Special (ENLARGE)

Before their search for a home in Atlanta began, the Alis — parents Yumna (left) and Arif — researched and visited area schools for their two sons, Sajjad (left) and Imaad.

Christopher Oquendo/Special (ENLARGE)

Nicole (from left), Megan, Elizabeth and Brett Williams decided to put the money they would have spent on private school into a house in a great district.

iStockphoto.com (ENLARGE)

SCHOOL GUIDE: Find & Compare Schools • Search over 2,000 schools throughout Georgia

Schools aren't just a consideration for a family with kids. The choice is important for anyone who's considering resale, and that means everyone.

Donna Boynton of Harry Norman, Realtors works mostly in Druid Hills, Virginia-Highland and Morningside. "Many of our clients may not need the school for their household, but they want to know they're in a good school district for resale purposes."

But many clients look for homes solely based on their children's needs. "I find that my relocation clients in particular target school districts based on recommendations of colleagues and friends and information they gather from the Internet. If they have children, once they visit Atlanta, they tour the schools and interview the staff. Once the school district decision has been made, then we know where to look for a home."

Boynton finds that homes sell faster in good school districts as well. "In September to December 2007, over 100 homes were sold in one of the highest-rated elementary school districts in this area, versus 7 sold in the neighboring district. Prices, however, don't seem to be impacted in the same way."

Steve Palm of Smart Numbers, a service providing analysis and forecasting for the real estate business, says the impact of a school district on the price of a house depends on whether you're intown or in the suburbs. "Intown is all about location. School districts don't impact the price that much. In the suburbs, it's a different story. If you want to be in the district with a high school with higher test scores, you'll pay more."

A SCHOOL INSIDE THE PERIMETER

Yumna and Arif Ali and their sons Sajjad and Imaad moved to Atlanta from California, following Yumna's new job with the American Cancer Society. "We made the decision to move quickly," she says, "but with two children in elementary and middle school, we knew we had to take our time to decide on the right schools. I searched the Internet, particularly greatschools.net, a site I've used in the past. It was important to us to have the boys in public school."

• Deciding on a school district: Arif says, "We wanted to be inside the Perimeter. We like the convenience and accessibility to cultural activities." Yumna adds, "We didn't really know much about Atlanta, but friends suggested Buckhead, Sandy Springs, Druid Hills and the Virginia-Highland/Morningside area for their schools. We used the online AJC School Guide and Homefinder to look at those schools and the neighborhoods, too."

• The schools: "We contacted the schools ahead of time and made appointments to visit when we came to town. We went to Morningside Elementary and Inman Middle and liked those schools so much we didn't continue with our appointments in Buckhead. The administration and faculty members we met were really impressive, helpful and friendly," says Yumna.

• Finding a house: "My company put us in touch with Donna Boynton of Harry Norman, Realtors. She knew the area so well because she once lived here. But she showed us lots of parts of the city and really helped us narrow down where we wanted to live," says Yumna. Arif adds, "We ended up renting while we waited to find the right home. She helped us find that rental, and made sure that everything we looked at was in our targeted school district."

• What they bought: Rebuilt in 1963 apparently after a fire, their Craftsman-style home has six bedrooms and four baths with a completely renovated basement. After a few renovations of their own, the family looks forward to moving into their new Atlanta home, and the boys are already enrolled in their city of Atlanta schools.

THE BEST DISTRICT FOR SPECIAL-NEEDS DAUGHTER

Matt Leiter says, "We were living on Lullwater Road in the city of Atlanta in DeKalb, in a house we had renovated and expected to live in long term. But our eldest child, our daughter, has special needs, and at age 3, we were preparing to move into the public school system after completing a state program called 'Babies Can't Wait'."

Matt's wife, Amy, adds, "We are part of an organization called FOCUS – Families of Children Under Stress – and we talked with parents there about the services available through both city of Atlanta and DeKalb County public schools. Based on our needs, we felt strongly that our daughter would receive the most appropriate education in DeKalb County, so we needed to move to unincorporated DeKalb so she could be enrolled there."

• Finding a neighborhood: Amy targeted elementary schools they wanted and then searched online to narrow house listings. Matt says, "We fell in love with Emory Parc Manor. The houses are 4-5 years old, the neighborhood is secluded while being right off the main roads, and giving up a large yard on Lullwater, we liked the park that's right across the street within the neighborhood. We didn't give up much except the yardwork. The community has a very neighborly feeling, a lot of families with children and a lot of diversity."

• It took longer to find a new home: "We stalked the neighborhood," laughs Matt. "We looked at every house that came on the market. It took about eight months. Eventually we found this one with three bedrooms and two-and-a-half baths upstairs and an au pair suite and playroom downstairs on the terrace level, which opens right onto the pretty back garden with fountain and seating area. It's perfect for our daughter and son."

• The school: The Leiters' daughter is enrolled in Coralwood School, where about 54 percent of the children have special needs. Coralwood serves children 3 years old through kindergarten. Amy says, "Our daughter receives intensive therapy while she's in school, and she's in a class with six other special-needs children. Coralwood also has an inclusion program where special-needs and typical children attend classes together; eventually she will move to that curriculum."

• Their choice: "Our decision on where to buy a home was based on three factors: the school, the neighborhood and then the price," says Matt. "We probably spent more to be here, but you'll find that everybody who has special-needs kids has extra expenses. We make it our priority to support the schools and our kids."

MONEY SPENT ON A BETTER DISTRICT

Nicole and Brett Williams' two daughters, Megan and Elizabeth, aren't yet elementary school age, but the couple is already thinking high school.

"If we had stayed in our old home, we would have wanted to send the girls to a private high school," says Nicole. "We thought since our taxpayer money goes to support the public schools, we'd rather have our children in those schools, and instead of spending money on private schools, spend our money on moving into a better school district," says Brett.

• Researching schools: "I spent a lot of time on the Internet using the AJC School Guide, and our Realtor, Jack Strama of Jenny Pruitt & Associates, gave us a study published by the Atlanta Business Chronicle," says Nicole. "We toured schools and talked to friends who live in different areas."

• The finalists: Brett says, "I'm a partner in a public accounting firm, Grant Thornton, and I didn't want to be any farther than 45 minutes from my downtown Atlanta office, and of course, we wanted a good high school. There are many good elementary and middle schools, but they may not feed into a great high school. After researching, we chose Walton High School in east Cobb County because we feel it's comparable to many private schools in Atlanta."

• Custom building: "While we were shopping, Jack brought us to The Enclave at Adams Oaks," Nicole says. "We had never thought about custom building until we found this subdivision." Brett adds, "It's rare in the Walton school district to find a new 30-plus home community. Most are five or 10 homes. We were the first people to buy in so we were able to select just the right lot and site the house the way we want it."

• What they built: A two-story brick, stone and shake home with full basement, six bedrooms, five-and-a-half baths and two bonus rooms. Working with Doug Haymore Contractors, building took six months from customizing the basic plan to move-in. "Taxes are cheaper here than in our old home in DeKalb County, car insurance is cheaper, we're in a better school district," says Brett. "The area is family-friendly with everything we need within five miles of our house. It's been nothing but positive surprises since we moved in."

AT A GLANCE

The Enclave at Adams Oaks

• Address: 1280 Adams Oaks Landing, Marietta

• Information: 678-337-3290, www.adamsoaks.com

• Price range: $900,000s to $1.3 million

• Number of homes: 33

• Square footage: 4,000 to 5,200

• Developer: KST Development

• Broker: All Atlanta Realty, 770-565-7505

• Schools: Murdock Elementary, Dodgen Middle, Walton High