Move to Birmingham

[Gandalfsdaughter]

We’re looking to move to Birmingham next summer due to DHs job. Not been to Birmingham for 15 years and have no idea where to start!
Really appreciate any hints, tips, ideas and suggestions from people who know the city 🙏.

2 teens will need a nice secondary school, we like a pleasant neighbourhood, with good travel links.
DH will be based at B’ham university. We have a dog so like to be close to either a large park, or countryside.
We’re looking for a 4 bed house, absolute max budget of £500.000 , but preferable closer to £450.000… Where would you be looking?? X

Most of the places suggested on here aren’t even in Birmingham? 😂 It’s a huge city with so many differing areas, you really need to be up for city living and immerse yourself to enjoy it though. It’s v busy and can be exhausting but I loved it.

OP I would look at buying near a train station serving the cross city line if needing to get to UoB. You can wonder down a road of beautiful terraced million pound houses then turn a corner and stumble upon an (albeit lovely looking) crack den though so it’s always best to get a good feel for the area before making an offer.

My favourite areas of B’ham:

Harborne
Edgbaston
Cannon Hill area
Moseley Village
Bearwood/Warley Woods
Kings Heath

Generally S & SW B’ham are considered more affluent but there are absolutely stunning houses and lovely streets in the less desired areas of N B’ham e.g. Handsworth. They have the benefit of metro stations close by so I would consider areas that don’t come up on the popular lists too - every area has nice parts and there are strong community vibes across many areas in the city.

I grew up in the Birmingham suburbs. I’d be looking at Worcestershire.

I've lived in a lot of places on the thread, including Sutton coldfield, aldridge and lichfield funnily enough.

Aldridge and Lichfield are lovely, very friendly, (although very different, aldridge is obsessed with being a village and can be a little cliquey, lichfield is a small city, neither are massively multicultural). but a nightmare to get into birmingham. I used to have to get to Birmingham before 8 if I wanted to be at work for 9, any later and there was no chance. Sutton is expensive for what it is tbh and can be a bit snobby. I wouldn't choose to live in any of them and work in Birmingham to be honest.

If I was moving I would totally look at Kings heath, it had a great vibe, plenty to do and close enough to the city centre when needed.

You could look at California (no, seriously). It's the unfashionable end of Harborne near to Hillcrest School. It has very recently been inspected (you wouldn't believe how out-of-date some schools' reports are! ) and is a Good.

This (with OFF ROAD PARKING!!!) is within a mile.

Thought I'd mention that kings heath & Moseley are actually getting a train station soonish: www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/new-moseley-railway-station-plans-23967972#amp-readmore-target so definitely areas to consider!. If you know anyone from these parts it's a major point of pride (they have been campaigning for it for years!) and has been in the works for some time so I thought it would be wrong of me not to mention! 😂. Great community, alot of convenient shops and some ok schools. As with everywhere in brum there is good and bad. Bit too busy for me and not enough trees and green space (it does have a great park).

Ooh. That's a good find @Senua.
Though of course Hillcrest is another girls' school - there are quite a lot of them in Birmingham, OP despite what a pp said, there are plenty that aren't one of the grammars.

Let your husband rent for a year and look around the area .Your y11 DC should not be moved.

That's going to be very expensive, funding two homes not to mention splitting the family somewhat. Rentals don't come cheap plus associated bills.

Harborne, Edgbaston, Moseley & Hall Green are nice areas.

I would avoid Redditch personally

Literally zero chance of a 4 bed at that price in Barnt Green, slim chances in Alvechurch though is slightly more likely.
Harborne is OK but expensive and pretty busy.
Selly Oak is full of students.
You'll find that a lot of the nice areas in the city are close to/bordering not so nice areas.
Sutton Coldfield, Lichfield are the wrong side of the city for the university. Yes, there are trains, but it takes a while, and if anything happens with the trains it takes an age to drive.