Should we pay more for a home near a primary school before checking the admission assumptions?
HousingThe agent tapped the brochure and said, "Within one kilometre, so school sorted." My partner started planning the walk. I started wondering whether the address alone could really settle admission.
We're considering two homes in Singapore. In our working comparison, the one advertised near our preferred primary school is $40,000 more expensive. We also like its layout, but we would be stretching further partly because of the school claim. Our child's registration exercise is still ahead of us. We haven't checked the official distance category, the phase for which the child would be eligible or the rules that will apply in that year.
[MOE's P1 registration guide](https://p1.placement.moe.gov.sg/) describes eligibility phases, home-school distance and balloting as parts of the admission process. That is more complicated than the brochure's promise. Current guidance can help us understand the questions without guaranteeing a future place.
What would be a reasonable basis for choosing the more expensive home? I would like a short school journey, but I also want to know that we could still live well there if the particular school plan didn't work out.