MORE than a third of parents in the North-East have moved house to be in their desired school catchment area, a new survey has found.
A total of 37 per cent of families in the region are willing to pay around an £18,000 premium on their house price to get their most desired spot.
Nationally, 24% of parents with school age children have either already bought or rented a new property to secure an address near where they want their child to be educated, Santander Mortgages found.
Those families willing to move are prepared to pay a 12% premium for their desired catchment area, equivalent to an extra £26,800 in the current property market.
This is just under the average full-time salary in the UK, at £28,2133, Santander said.
Just over half of families who have moved to be within a catchment area had sold their previous property, but 30 per cent said they had bought a second home.
Nearly a fifth of those who moved to be in a catchment area rented a property to secure their desired address.
Miguel Sard, managing director of mortgages at Santander UK said: “Living within a certain school catchment area is top of the wish list for many families but often these addresses come at a premium.
“Our study highlights the significant financial and lifestyle sacrifices that parents are making to be within the catchment area of a desired school.
“Buyers need to do their research as properties in catchment areas often come with a hefty price tag, especially in London where competition for school places is fierce.”
More than 4,000 people were surveyed for the research.
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