For parents considering a move for their family, finding a home that's in a neighborhood with schools nearby has obvious benefits. There's the convenience of pickups and drop-offs. Students may find it easier to be active and engage in extracurricular and sports programs. Parents have the opportunity to build a community of their own, to make friends with other parents, to be more engaged in their children's educational pursuits, and to volunteer for activities, fundraisers, or the PTA.

But having a school in the neighborhood doesn't merely appeal to homebuyers who are — or plan to be — parents. A local school may offer amenities to the public, like sports fields, courts or gyms. Neighborhood residents may appreciate having a perpetual source of sporting events to attend, plays, concerts, art exhibits and educational seminars. And having a school nearby means that there's a school zone, which helps control and regulate traffic moving through the neighborhood. Most importantly, schools help create a sense of community.

Patricia Pastor, a Realtor with William Raveis Real Estate in Niantic, is the listing agent for 22 Mullen Hill Road in Waterford — listed for sale at $339,900. This raised ranch and attached one-car garage is sited on a 0.72-acre lot. The house has three bedrooms and just over 1,100 square feet of living space, plus an expansive deck and screened porch overlooking the backyard. Pastor points out the location in the listing description, noting that the property is in a neighborhood setting, but convenient to shopping and local schools, including Friendship School and Waterford High.

The three-bedroom colonial at 10 Lookout Hill Road in Old Saybrook counts close-proximity to schools as one of its attributes. Sharon Linder of Berkshire Hathaway Home Services, New England Properties, is the listing agent for the 1.15-acre property, listed for $365,000. This home is less than a mile away from Old Saybrook Senior High School.

Another property listed for sale in Old Saybrook takes advantage of area schools: the four-bedroom Cape at 171 Old Boston Post Road. Annmarie Fortier and Rosemarie Smith of Coldwell Banker Realty are the co-listing agents for the 0.60-acre property. The house is situated among gardens and a professionally landscaped fenced yard. And it's within walking distance to Old Saybrook's center and area schools. The list price is $525,000, with the seller offering credits to the buyer for exterior improvements, per the listing agents.

Comfort and convenience

Greg Young is a Realtor with Berkshire Hathaway New England Properties, and he's representing the seller of 16 Lord Place in Old Saybrook. The three-bedroom Cape-style colonial has nearly 2,000 square feet of living space and is configured to accommodate one-level living. The second level of the home is plumbed and could be finished and leveraged as an expansive bedroom suite, the listing agent suggested, and the house has an attached two-car garage.

This property is within a five-minute walk to the center of Old Saybrook's village, restaurants and shops.

"This home is located less than a quarter-mile to the elementary school and just at a quarter-mile to the Old Saybrook Middle School," Young remarked on the location. "After-school functions are a breeze to get to — and no need to arrive early for a parking space."

For homebuyers with school-aged children, having a school close becomes a matter of practicality and time management.

"The comfort of knowing your children can easily walk to either school allows the parents to plan their work schedules without having to worry about getting their children on or off the bus," Young said. "Also, if there is a delay in the start to the school day or an early release it does not interfere with the parents' schedule."

The local public schools also afford some other perks — sports fields and playgrounds, for example. "Playgrounds are at both the elementary and middle schools for the toddlers, and full track field and basketball hoops are available at the middle school. No need to spend thousands on a playscape for your yard," he suggested.

St. John's Catholic School, the Acton Public Library Library and the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center are also in the neighborhood. The seller of 16 Lord Place, Old Saybrook, is asking $649,000 for the property.