Help me find a place to live in the W. Midlands

[Whereshallwelivee]

Currently in Dudley. Hate it. Dh from here originally, we had to move back a few years ago for many horrible reasons which made it difficult to go anywhere else. we were 160 miles away and I was v ill and LL sold up, in laws found us a place to rent here and then we bought a place to do up which has worked out V well for us as prices have risen here dramatically as well as the work we have done to the place.

We now find ourself tied to Birmingham for work for a while.

So, where can we move to that is nicer? Schools here are shocking. Got a year 5 child, who I don’t want to go to secondary here. Very bright so will be taking 11+. i know we don’t have much chance here of getting into a grammar but she wanted to do it and really enjoys the prep work (if I hadn’t given birth I’d swear she wasn’t mine!)

Top budget is 350k. We need 3 beds (toddler and an adult child at home as well as dd). We are currently in a 4 bed which is perfect for us as mainly work from home so smallest room is office space, but you get quite a big house here for the money, you wouldn’t get that somewhere nicer.

It’s predominantly schools which are my concern, secondary ones - youngest will be home educated.

I’d rather not be in W midlands at all, but we could never afford to go back to where we were living and we ar tied here for a bit with 3 of us working here now.

Sutton coldfield and worcester are places I don’t mind.

Please help!

Sutton Coldfield - Boldmere / Wylde Green and Walmy are all nice, so is Mere Green / Four oaks but might be a bit more expensive. Schools are mostly good and include some grammar.

You could just move over to Stourbridge or even Hagley? Much better schools and on the train line to Birmingham.

I’ve spent a lot of time in Stourbridge for various activities and I can’t put my finger on it but I really don’t like it. I don’t know why.

It just seems “too close” to Dudley in my head as well.

The frustrating thing about Sutton Coldfield is that half the houses on rightmove are for over 60s only. Seems like some company has bought a shedload of the housing stock.

Codsall is a nice place to live , good road and rail links to Birmingham and Shrewsbury . Wolverhampton Girls High 10 minute drive away .

Just wish I had a crystal ball to see if she passes the 11+ and gets in! Honestly, if I knew she would and she got in to that school we would probably suck it up for a few years and stay here and really hammer the mortgage.

I know of a few girls in the surrounding roads where we are that go to that school.

We really love our house, just not where it is.

Avoid Birmingham itself because the council are broke.
A fair few of my friends have moved to Walsall because the house prices are cheap- would you consider there?

good train and bus links into Birmingham

Could you move to Stafford? A nice town with good train links to Birmingham and you should be able to find a property within your budget.

Tettenhall in Wolverhampton is lovely with a real village-y and very handy for the Girls High if she does get in

A little further out than Codsall, have you looked at Shifnal? On a train line (45 mins into Birmingham), quite a nice little town surrounded by lots of countryside. Not sure of schools though!

Bewdley, love visiting and would love to live by the river and the forest..

Or maybe somewhere like Penn/Wombourne - easy access for Wolverhampton Station and Girls' High School.

Lichfield/aldridge/tamworth/streetly/stonnall

What do you want in an area @Whereshallwelivee?

Shirley?

If you put B73 (Sutton Coldfield) into rightmove there are loads of options for £350k. However check distance from school (primary and secondary) as they are very oversubscribed here.

Also look at areas close to John Willmott and Fairfax secondary schools as the areas are less sought after than four oaks/ mere green. Avoid falcon lodge itself though!

Also Lichfield might be a good option. Birmingham residents are going to get screwed over with increased council tax for fewer services shortly. Yay!

Surprised no one has mentioned Solihull. Pricier than Birmingham but some v good schools. And a nice place to live comparatively with good transport links.
Or do you want to be the other side of Birmingham since most of those suggestions are?

11+ is mainly catchment in Birmingham now, though you can get in from outside the city boundary but it's much harder.
Birmingham's bankrupt council is not an attraction.

Secondary schools mainly.

I want to live in the centre of a small town, or walking distance to.

That’s why I like Worcester, we could live city centre.

The only thing is ds is emergency services. So funny shift times. He’s learning to drive. at the moment, I drive him into c Birmingham where he’s based one way and he gets a taxi home. Expensive but due to his shift times, public transport is a pain.

Worcester a little far until ds drives. he had no plans to leave home yet and I don’t really want him too, he’s saving well.

Dh and I both LA workers - lots of LAs are going to go bust around Birmingham, the whole region is a bit screwed in that respect.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/142335545#/?channel=RES_NEW

Twycross is lovely

We’re from London. I miss that “villagey” feel of an area, little high street to walk to (which I know sounds nuts but if you are from London, you’ll know what I mean 🤣)

Lichfield? Quite a number of houses in your price range and easily walkable to the city centre. It’s got good transport links to Birmingham and London, and it’s a really nice city centre with a lot of independent shops, coffee shops, restaurants etc.

If we were going to go that far out, I think I’d prefer Worcester.

Bloody ds, I wish he’d learn to drive before now.