Where to buy a house near Birmingham?

[FreddoBaggyMac]

We have just found out that DH's job is moving to Birmingham and the likelihood is we're going to have to move pretty quickly - before the end of the year. It's going to be hard for us as we have four small children (all under 6)and no family or friends around there and we don't know the area at all, and also DD1 is really settled at her primary school here which is just a few minutes walk from our house...

Anyway, we need to look to the future and I'd be really grateful for any advice anyone can give me about buying a house in that area. Which areas are good, which to avoid etc... we have no idea at all as we've never even been there.

We basically want to be in a nice area for our DCs to grow up in and as short a commute to Birmingham as possible for DH. We need three bedrooms and a study and would like a garden. Most important, we need to be walking distance to a good Catholic primary school. We prefer older style properties (Victorian or earlier) but we need somewhere that doesn't require any renovation (or preferably even decorating!) as we just won't have the time for at least five years! Our budget is going to be around £250k.

Have heard that Bournville is nice - but there seems to be lots of areas within Bournville, I think Bournville village is going to be too expensive for us. Have also heard good things about Edgbaston, Harborne and Moseley - but again I suppose all of these places have good and bad areas within them... Have also thought about living further out (Whitwick, Malvern?) but perhaps the commuting time would be too long?

I'd be completely grateful for any advice from anyone as we're really stuck - we're not even going to have much opportunity to go and look at houses as we'll need to move quickly and have our DCs to consider (not easy to househunt trailing 4 DCs behind you!)
If anyone could provide me with links to houses for sale that might be suitable for us I'd be eternally grateful!!

Thank you in advance.

Captain Nancy .... I was trying to think back to which school some of the boys at my sixth form came from and could only think of Bishop Challinor. Is there a boy's equivalent to St Paul's then ?? I know St Phil's used to be a boy's RC school before it became a VI form.

TSM- cannot think of a boys equivalent- though there was Cardinal Newman just a little further up Hagley Road... but I don't know if it was boys only, don't think so- before my time I'm afraid.

x-posts with Cat64- couldn;t remember the circle size for KNG- I knew it was small though
I was saying 5% (well, about 4.7 actually) based on Bham cohort, but of course external candidates are successful at passing too.

Thanks again everyone - I really don't know how I'd be managing without you!!

We do need to contact the schools next definitely. We just want to hear official confirmation from DH's work so we can possibly be a bit more definite re dates etc... (I REALLY hope that is coming today - am so sick of being stuck on the starting block!) We're also trying to suss out the best way to approach it with the schools - we have a good friend who is quite a high up catholic priest in the area and who can vouch for us being practising catholics - so we're wondering if if might be better to ask him to ring the schools we're interested in for us... (a bit cheeky I know, but we are wanting a Catholic school for genuine religious reasons, not just because the results might be better!)

My current favourite is still Stourbridge (Norton/ old quarter) - where we are no DH leaves home at 8.15 and usually gets home around 6.15 (and we don't have much help here either apart from babysitting now and then) - so I don't think the commute from Stourbridge would be too much different for us, we may just have to get up a bit earlier!

We're also going to look at Bournville/ Harbourne/ Bearwood (interesting that Bearwood seems OK as we were looking at some houses round there last night that looked nice). I think it's going to be more difficult for us to suss out which areas are good round there though (not having any local knowledge) - houses that may seem a bargain may just be cheap because there is something wrong with that particular street. Do you think it will be fairly obvious to us when looking around Harbourne/ Bournville/ particularly Bearwood which seems to have more affordable houses and other places around there, which places are more desirable and which we should avoid?

Any comments on something like this in bearwood? A bit expensive for us but we might be able to stretch to it depending on what DH hears about salary..

That house is lovely! Your DDs would get into St Paul's from there too I would have expected.

Bearwood is quite variable I think. Personally I would try and rent first, then decide after I had a better feel for the area, but of course you'd be very unlikely to find a house anywhere near as nice as that!

Anywhere in the centre of Harborne or Bournville will be great- it is the areas on the edges, that call themselves Harborne but aren't Harborne proper that are not quite as lovely. If you're near the High Street, you can't really go wrong.
You must also take into consideration that areas within the boundary of BCC are more expensive than Sandwell, Dudley authorities etc. not really sure why, but they are.

I would never describe Bearwood as 'urban inner-city'! It is quite mixed (used to be very rent based, but now more young families and young professionals partly because of the proximity to city centre and partly because of cost.) It is hardly Lozells or Aston!

Yes I'd say in five years it has changed! No drive-by shootings to my knowledge

DRIVE BY SHOOTINGS!!!!!!!!!!!! .... Stourbridge here I come!!

I don't normally hang out with national front supporters, more usually other mums who go to my parish church... so hopefully Leonie, I'll avoid those drive by shootings

Bearwood is not as posh (or expensive) as Harborne but I still like it. I'd live there (I have lived there and have some very happy memories of the place). The High Street isn't as lovely as Harborne but it is no way anything like Nechells, Aston or Ladywood etc I'd take Bearwood over Erdington any day of the week.

Barclay Road is one of the nicest roads - I think it will become obvious from seeing the place which are the best bits. Generally speaking, the roads just off the High Street are roads of smallish Victorian terraces where a lot of young professionals live. The area going over towards Cape Hill, Smethwick is where it starts getting less salubrious (Rawlings Road, Beakes Road etc.) and the roads near Warley Woods and nearer Hagley Road/Quinton borders are the nicest ones (like Barclay Road).

There is no train option in Bearwood though. Its either bus/car straight up the Hagley Road (probably 20 mins travel time in rush hour).

Woolies has left a big gap in Bearwood High Street as well . I don't think anyone would move to any of these places for the shopping but tbh, you're so near to the city centre, it doesn't really matter. There's plenty of places on the doorstep to get the basics and then a quick hop in the car and you're into the second biggest retail centre in the UK

I lived on Barclay Road about 10 years ago and it is a lovely road - I have some fond memories. The woods opposite are wonderful - especially for children and I have to say that in the 5 years we were there we never experienced any issues with crime. The houses are quite large and the house you have looked at is at the better end of the road (closer to Lightwoods Hill). It has been on the market for a few months I think so you may get a bargain!
The high st isn't great but is ok for basics - I tended to drive to Harborne for most things which was only about 5 mins away by car.
Bearwood did (does?) have quite a large Irish community so the Catholic church (sorry forgot what it is called) and school are very popular.
When looking at Rightmove always check that the house is close to Warley Woods - this is the better end of Bearwood!

I also never had any problems with crime when living in Bearwood. I still have lots of friends there now (a few of whom are Catholic and there is a strong community round there - St Gregory's is it ??). The crime stats are a bit skewed because Bearwood is part of Smethwick and some of Smethwick isn't very nice. Even having said that, the crime stats are still lower than Erdington and Kings Heath and similar Birmingham suburbs.

I think you get a lot for your money in Bearwood and that is predominantly because the non catholic secondary schools aren't especially great. However, if you're in St Paul's catchment, they you're laughing (another reason why there's is a strong catholic community I think - they can take advantage of a good location without extortionate house prices and still get decent schools)

Warley Woods is fab - many lovely memories of going sledging there in the winter (not that we seem to get winters like that any more )

Anyway - I hope you manage to get some answers on the school's soon Freddo - and obviously firm info on your dh's job (it must be so frustrating being in limbo). I'm off on hols for a week tomorrow but will be happy to answer any questions when I get back if you want