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.

Solihull and environs is on the flightpath for Bham airport.

It's great that your getting so much information here Freddo, but I really think that you need to get yourself down here and drive/walk around a few of these areas. If you hate the area, it doesn't matter whether the school has spaces or not, you're never going to move there, are you!

Go on - make a trip down south to see us . Perhaps we could arrange for a mumsnetter in each proposed area to act as your tour guide and show you all the best and worst bits of each area so you can make a truly informed decision.

Just a thought - is the catholic primary school a deal breaker? What about an area which has a good catholic secondary school but no primary?

Yes, but Wychbold, Solihull has a John Lewis. Surely that must cancel out the negative points of the aeroplane noise

Ah yes, but I can easily do day trips to JL and then come away and leave the aeroplanes behind me.

Littlefish - we will be making a visit or two and you are right we do need to see the areas. However, we are around 4 hrs drive away and will have not much time to get everything sorted, plus househunting with four small children is not ideal! I want to narrow it down as much as poss so when we do visit we can concentrate on looking properly at a small number of areas rather than wondering around aimlessly. You are right though, there is lots of info here! I feel like I know Bormingham really well considering I've never been there

Yes Littlefish, the school is the most important thing to me really. At the moment the school is 2 mins walk away and I love being able to drop DD off and pick her up with minimum hassle. It's also probably going to be the best way she (and me) can make friends near to where we live.

Whoops - I mean BIRMINGHAM - better at least learn to spell it

You need to be very careful with seconadry schools in Bham.

the grammar syatme is very strong here, and there are areas (such as Moseley and edgbaston Iknow) not sure about others such as Bournvillle and Harbourne where if you don't get into thegrammar alot of poeple go private as the comps in some areas are dire.

I can tell you about sutton if that helps:

Good catholic primariea and v good catholic comp. Catholic primaries very oversubscribed though you may have trouble getting in.

Town centre is crappy but adquate (Solihull so much better).

Good links on train to new street and lichfield.

Areas with lots of lovely victorian houses. (I live in a victorian house, 2 mins walk to a station and Dc's go to a Catholic school!).

It is full of Brummies made good, who wouldn't score highly on the MN ponce factor, but I'm newish around here and have found the people great.

Can fel like just part of the city and not leafy, suburban or separate, but depemds where you are in Sutton.

Sutton park is huge and fab.

I'd defeintly not consider living anywhere more i the city suchas Edgabston or Moseley, the separation between these nice areas and dives of Bhmam are neglible.

We wantde to lve in LIchfield, but no perios properties, so the house enede up being the deal breaker for us.

I honestly don't think you'd afford a large enough property in Solihull...

As regards crime... you are looking at essentially inner city areas in Birmingham, but areas such as Harborne and Bournville have a much more suburban feel, and are quiet, friendly areas. There are not in the main yoofs hanging around on street corners for example (because they're all at home being harangued into their cello practice ).

Birmingham is odd though- areas can be very mixed- eg Moseley which can have millionaire's homes on one street, with almost slums on the next!

Umberslade Rd does seem to be changing- yes it is mainly student houses, but I think people with families are moving back to the area as they are priced out of Harborne, Moseley, and Bournville. Its proximity to the university and major teaching hospital has a lot to do with that I think.

Thanks mrsbarbara and captain.

Very useful info re the secondary schools mrsbabrbara, secondary schools are not something I would have considered but it really seems I should be bearing them in mind. Seems like I would be fine in this respect in Sutton, Norton and kidderminster, but there might be more worries further in.

It's a bit of a dilemna as some people are saying live as close into birmingham as poss or the commute will be a nightmare while others are saying live further out because it's much nicer!

I think my choice would be to live further out, but I don't want DH to get all stressed by a horrible commute (and I also want him at home to help with getting the children ready in the morning and bathtime in the evening!)

I think if we find out he only needs to be in the office for three days rather than five (we don't know this yet) we'll concentrate our search further (Sutton, Kidderminster etc..) but if he has to be in five days a week the decision will be a bit more difficult.

Price is prob the reason Solihull wasn't on my list then CaptainNancy - I was wondering why I hadn't included it!

re commuting times... our commute this morning (3 miles to first drop-off) took 45 minutes.
As long as you stick to a trainline it will be easier.

Where are you from again CaptainNancy (it's getting v hard to keep track!)?

Check out Kidderminster secondary schools - my father's a governor at (IIRC) King Edward's (King something, anyway - Charles?) and they have someone whose job it is to phone parents whose children haven't turned up. So it's obviously a significant problem. Although my little sister was there and got good A-levels and went to a Russell Group university, as did her husband, so I guess it's just comprehensive in the real sense of the world.

Thanks Edam - I'd be looking at Catholic ones and I think someone said earlier that Kidderminster schools feed into the Catholic secondary at Hagley which is supposed to be good - will have to check that though.

We've got 2 sets of friends who moved from Hertfordshire to Sutton Coldfield (which I don't like at all) and Hockley Heath, which seems lovely. It's not a 'pretty' place but is surrounded by countryside and there's an excellent community spirit. Don't know about schools, though - my friends' boys have to catch a bus to the local grammar.

I grew up a bit further out the other way near the Lickey Hills and went to school in Barnt Green (not catholic but a lovely village primary school nonetheless)- we had squirrels in our garden and I never felt like I was growing up in a big city. I think it used to take about half an hour by train to get to the city centre

Why don't you like Sutton forty? Will have a look at Hockley Heath.

I want squirrels!!!!

Is that somewhere near Bromsgrove then weddingcake?

Squirrels are Not Good. We have baby beech trees all over the garden because of squirrels and their **ing habit of burying nuts.

We also have rabbits and horses and deer and buzzards and badgers and and ...

Anyone know anything about Rubery, Rednal about halfway between bromsgrove and birmingham? There is a Catholic school there, I'm wondering if it's more urban or rural?

Again, it's very variable. Depends which bit. Which road is the school in?

It's on leach heath lane

... and you have sold Bromsgrove to me with the deer and badgers

There doesn't seem to be any catholic primary schools around Hockley heath so I think that's out for us

Hagley is very sought after so suspect you'd be alright on that score (that's where my sister moved to). The primary's a bit full-on but you aren't concerned about that stage, anyway (gets good Ofsted by really cracking the whip to a ridiculous extent).