Where to live in Birmingham?

[Taskmasterlover]

Only post on here to get some responses. Looking to possibly move to Birmingham sometime next year - want to be within a 30-40 minute public transport commute ideally. Budget is £450k for a 4 bedroom house, want a nice family friendly area, happy with new builds.

Any suggestions of areas? Thanks

@Maddathanmad

I think if the OP moves to a non Birmingham area like Knowle,only goes to the city centre for the shops and nice cocktail bars and never has to Go to inner city bham for work (or any other reason )she will be fine!!

Got that OP? Follow those instructions and you'll be fine 🙃

@HumunaHey
The OP asked for advice
Im sorry i dont have much to say thats positive

Looks like Kings Heath might be a good investment actually www.westmidlandsrailway.co.uk/about-us/news-desk/designs-unveiled-three-new-rail-stations-in-birmingham#:~:text=The%20Camp%20Hill%20Line%20will,times%20of%20around%2015%20minutes.
Also chatting to a colleague today and she said there was some sort of machete incident in Solihull yesterday?
I forgot I have visited Shirley, and Monkspath (I think, was a while ago), both seem like nice areas. Shirley with more traditional housing and Monkspath newer is how I'm remembering but I haven't been enough to make any quality statements 😂

[quote Maddathanmad]@HumunaHey
The OP asked for advice
Im sorry i dont have much to say thats positive[/quote]
Well then you don't need to say anything. You've made several comments when all the OP asked wasfir family frienfly places to live in Birmingham within her 450k budget. Your last comment was a bit silly.

I live in Sutton Coldfield having left London many years ago. It's a lovely area and very friendly although I agree the town centre is sad and run down. I'm hopeful someone may come in to redevelop it in time as there is no shortage of money floating around Sutton.

It's not exactly a party town but there are some nice bars and restaurants.

I'm close to Sutton park which is a huge asset. Could be better maintained. the council doesn't appear to like Sutton really.

Great schools but you need to move close to your preferred school. Some areas are black list areas for primaries. Especially Boldmere.

Definitely look at houses close to the cross city train line which isn't the best, I agree especially if you're used to London transport. But it's fairly reliable and frequent.

£450k for a 4 bed detached is doable but they're creeping up in price. Might struggle in some streets.

Look in n worcs, very reasonable compared to the city

Sparkhill, sparkbrook?

Lichfield is a lovely cathedral city, 35 mins on the train into Brum.

Just popping on to agree with the posters who have said Wythall, Hollywood and Shirley. And to strongly disagree with the snobby ‘it’s a shit hole’ comments - it’s a big place with good and bad areas like EVERY city.

@Pootles34

Prices are going up very fast around the train line in Sutton Coldfield, Four Oaks etc- I think partly because HS2 will make it more commutable to London. I'm not that fond of Sutton to be honest- the town centre is a bit wierd, you'd think it would be nicer for the amount of money there is around there but it's just... not! Same goes for Four Oaks and Mere Green.

I grew up around there and also moved away to Uni and haven't returned, despite the fact that all my family are there and more jobs. Although, as another poster points out, I've never lived there as a parent of course.

Sutton town centre suffered from Tamworth shopping centre expanding - free parking and better shops. It doesn’t help that the first thing you see when you walk onto the parade is the huge empty BHS unit! But on the plus side, because it’s on the end, it could be redeveloped without affecting the rest of the shopping centre.

@HumunaHey
I'm sorry but i dont think its silly at all. Anyone who's got 450K to spend and spends it in Birmingham is nuts.
They need to have a good drive around and look. Travel on the public transport.

Maybe I'm bitter as i dont live in one of the nice parts. Luckily not one of the awful either but if i was selling up (sadly can't afford to)but I'd be right of here.
And even Knowle or Dorridge wouldn't be far enough.

Hollywoodstar
None of those places you have listed are BIrmingham.

@Maddathanmad

Hollywoodstar None of those places you have listed are BIrmingham.

Wythall and Hollywood have B47 postcodes and Shirley is B90 IIRC. So Birmingham postcodes. Hollywood to Birmingham City Centre=7 miles.

@Maddathanmad

Hollywoodstar None of those places you have listed are BIrmingham.

And the OP asked for places within 30 Minutes of Birmingham and those are.

Wythall and Hollywood are Technically Worcestershire, but both border Birmingham .

I was worried my whole childhood had been a lie for a minute @hollywoodstar.

@Sparklingbrook

I was worried my whole childhood had been a lie for a minute *@hollywoodstar*.

I know! Had to step in there in case I was no longer able to call myself a brummie unless I was in Born in the rag market!!

I would also be tempted to look more Stourbridge/Worcestershire border way. Still reasonable commute to city centre. Very family friendly. Good train/road/motorway routes. Low crime rates. Lots of countryside and green belt within 10 minutes drive. Much more house for your money than Knowle or Sutton (I've lived in both and found them very pretentious and overpriced).

I've lived in various places around Birmingham/Warwickshire/Worcestershire. I also worked as a relocation agent and have given advice to a few people on threads on here over the years.

Consider looking Norton, Kinver, Oldswinford, Pedmore, Clent, Belbroughton areas

@hollywoodstar I rode that 50 bus route enough times to be an honorary Brummie IMO.

Barnt Green. It's a village just on the border with Worcestershire but has its own train station with a link into New Street within your time scale .
It has leafy lanes, a wood and some lovely little shops.
It's a bit pricey but has some amazing properties.
The primary school( if its the same as when I lived there many years ago, feeds on to Middle Schools in Bromsgrove and , subsequently onto excellent Secondary schools.

It was an incredibly desirable place to live .
Miss it.

[quote Maddathanmad]@HumunaHey
I'm sorry but i dont think its silly at all. Anyone who's got 450K to spend and spends it in Birmingham is nuts.
They need to have a good drive around and look. Travel on the public transport.

Maybe I'm bitter as i dont live in one of the nice parts. Luckily not one of the awful either but if i was selling up (sadly can't afford to)but I'd be right of here.
And even Knowle or Dorridge wouldn't be far enough.[/quote]
You do sound bitter to be honest. You don't live in a nice part of Birmingham so you've labelled all of Birmingham as undesirable and advised OP to avoid it and only go to the city centre for the shops, quite extreme and silly.

There are perfectly lovely areas in Birmingham, some not so nice, but that comes with living in any major city.

@Maddathanmad but she won't get a 4 bed in Knowle for that budget

[quote Maddathanmad]@HumunaHey
I'm sorry but i dont think its silly at all. Anyone who's got 450K to spend and spends it in Birmingham is nuts.
They need to have a good drive around and look. Travel on the public transport.

Maybe I'm bitter as i dont live in one of the nice parts. Luckily not one of the awful either but if i was selling up (sadly can't afford to)but I'd be right of here.
And even Knowle or Dorridge wouldn't be far enough.[/quote]
You don't know our reasons for moving there so how can you say we are nuts for considering moving there?

We are planning to visit in the summer, have a look around etc but just wanted an idea of places to look at.

We aren't stupid or naive, we live in a Northern city at the moment which has good and bad parts, just like any city.

Really appreciate all the positive and even the negative comments when people aren't saying we are nuts.

Sorry my posts do sound bitter

I know all cities have good and bad and towns. Well anywhere. I suppose i just dont like city life.
Birmingham isnt the same place i grew up in.
But yes i get its some peoples thing.
And to be fair all the places mentioned are bordering or in solihull/worcester/warwick,.so entirely different.

I used to love Central Birmingham back in the 80s, I went a year or so ago and it has changed beyond recognition and I didn't like it. But if I didn't know any different it's just the same as any city centre really.

In the OP it said
Looking to possibly move to Birmingham sometime next year - want to be within a 30-40 minute public transport commute ideally

Obviously 40 minutes by train can get you a long way out of Birmingham, hence the suggestions that came up.

I lived in Sutton Coldfield and went to school in Erdington many moons ago. Had a Saturday job in the old BHS when it was British Home Stores and on the opposite side of the road. Still visited regularly until DM fied s few years ago. Nothing particularly pretentious about the place, unless you lived in Four Oaks Private Estate, or Rosemary Hill Road, for which you would need megabucks.
There are many beautiful areas of Birmingham; perhaps when you start looking and spot a property you like, come back and ask opinions?