Schools and Home Values in El Cerrito and Albany

When I meet with new buyers, I conduct a “buyer interview” so I can get a clear notion of their minimum house needs, such as bedrooms, baths, yard, garage, style, location, etc., as well as their financial capability.

When discussing location, invariably the two main questions have to do with the schools and the desire to be either in the hills with a view, or close to shops and transportation. When it comes to schools, most buyers who have school-age children have done lots of research on their own, reviewing test scores and sites like the Berkeley Parents Network. 

During the fall 2008 campaign for West Contra Costa Unified School District Board, I had the opportunity to meet with two of the new candidates running for the board, during which I shared with them some interesting data about median home values for single-family residences in Albany as compared to El Cerrito.

At the time, the median price in Albany was $634,000, while in El Cerrito it was 9 percent less, at $575,000. In 2010, the difference was even greater, with El Cerrito 12.6 percent less, at $520,000, and with Albany at $595,000.

What I explained, from my personal perspective informed by 20 years of selling residential real estate locally, is that Albany has a reputation for great schools, while El Cerrito suffers from an uneven school district with a big void in terms of the middle school.

They were both quite surprised and a little shocked by this information about relative home values between these two communities!

So, does it matter that  has been relocated from its condemned former home to temporary quarters, with the  still on the drawing board?

My humble opinion is absolutely. 

Middle school is tough enough given the ages of the children, let alone being in a less than ideal school building. Between a colleague and me, we know of 10 families who have left El Cerrito or Kensington over the years because of the schools.

People also move or rent out their homes when kids reach middle school. This also affects El Cerrito High School when families move out. Kids tend to want to stay with their friends, so once they move, they don't come back to El Cerrito.

I am not advocating that the new middle school be at any specific site, such as the pending conversion of Castro into a middle school, but rather that El Cerrito is at risk if it doesn’t have a good middle school within its borders. 

One of the concerns people have is a perceived notion that being in proximity to a school will lower property values. This could be true for the relatively few homes that are immediately impacted by a school drop-off zone or directly across from a school.

Yet people love to be able to either walk their kids to school, or know that they are in close walking distance for their children to walk on their own. When King Middle School in Berkeley was being refurbished, there was serious concern about the impact on home values in the neighborhood. Well, that didn’t happen, at least in any broad way that is measurable. 

The sooner a final plan is in place with an opening date for an El Cerrito-based middle school, the better for home values. Simply knowing if, when and where a new middle school will be can help parents make a judgment as to whether they have enough years before their kids go to middle school and can thus either stay in El Cerrito without fear of needing to either move or send them to private school. 

And, for prospective buyers new to El Cerrito, this knowledge can help.

See more from Ron Egherman .

About this column: Ron's 20-year career as a Realtor and now co-owner of follows two earlier callings as a licensed architect and an art museum director. His life has been informed by traveling the world, serving in the Peace Corps and raising "two beautiful daughters." He has served as the president of the Berkeley Association of Realtors and currently chairs El Cerrito’s Environmental Quality Committee.