School districts do drive the market. Through an informal panel of Realtors in Northern Virginia, they all agree that they make the difference. People do their research for housing in those districts are willing to make sacrifices on size and cost to get the school they want. One even noticed a $50,000 swing in cost for those that wanted a specific district, Vienna for instance, and how that ties into the overall pricing and purchasing picture for the area.

Read more: Realtor Q&A: How much do school zones impact buyer preferences?