Real estate professional Stephen Wert knew Battle Ground was a different animal a decade ago when he saw a competitor prominently display a “vote no on schools” sign.

“It was a surprise to me to see a business not actively supporting schools,” said Wert, an agent with Prudential Northwest Properties. “Levy failure is a bad thing for real estate.”

Local home builders and sellers can’t predict the outcome of Battle Ground Public Schools’ $38.3 million, three-year maintenance and operating levy, which appears on the Feb. 6 ballot. But they say a sharp cool-down in northeast Clark County’s white-hot housing market is not related to last year’s double levy failure. And they haven’t seen much fallout — yet.

“I’ve never had anyone say anything,” said Danielle Schilling, sales associate for New Tradition Homes. “I do tell everyone they’re in the Battle Ground district, then refer them to the Web site.”

New Tradition is building hundreds of homes, both near downtown Battle Ground and on former farmland on the school district’s southern flank in Brush Prairie. A shiny new office stands barely across Northeast 117th Avenue from Prairie High School, where teacher layoffs and departures have impacted students, reducing course options and increasing class sizes.

Many of the homes are priced in the low- to midmarket range, making them attractive to young families. The prevailing mood is guarded optimism the levy will pass, said Mandi Kostman, a Windermere real estate agent working exclusively with New Tradition.

“I think it’s more, ‘We’ll hope for the best,’” Kostman said. “The (buyers) who aren’t as concerned about the schools are the ones who are already (Battle Ground district residents).”

New Tradition has endorsed the school levy. It has joined Quadrant Homes, Sun Country Homes, Columbia Rim Construction, the Clark County Association of Realtors and the umbrella group Building Industry Association of Clark County in lending support. Battle Ground Mayor John Idsinga also is strongly pro-levy.

Meantime, home values keep climbing.

Most customers have done their homework on local schools before shopping, real estate agents say. Battle Ground realty broker Ron Bertsch said one client of his agency expressly ruled out a home in the district “because they would not pass their levies.” But he calls the overall effect “minimal.”

“Most of the questions, if (buyers) are not going to investigate themselves, they just ask, ‘Are they good schools?’” said Bertsch, broker-owner for Coldwell Banker. “And I think most of the schools in Clark County are good schools.”

Wert leans on his long Battle Ground tenure to paint a brighter picture, even during levy lapses.

“We kind of have a history of failing them, but we eventually get around to passing them,” Wert said. “It sounds stupid,” but he often points out a majority of voters do support levies, just not always the 60 percent supermajority required, he said.

Police coverage and job commute are priorities for home buyers, but schools always run near the top, Wert adds. “When we don’t pass a levy, I quit talking about it. Unfortunately, my clients don’t.”

Home sellers predict the wave of new residents, many of them with children, will turn the Battle Ground district’s electoral tide.

“I’m hopeful,” Kostman said. “With the new construction coming on, I hope we’ve got some parents who care.”

Howard Buck covers schools and education. He can be reached at 360-759-8015 or howard.buck@columbian.com.

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