Birmingham - where's good and where's bad?

[purenarcotic]

I don't live in kings Norton but it seems like some bits are nice, others are 1960s big concrete towers (though I think the hawkesley estate is getting knocked down and rebuilt soon).
It's on the rea valley route though so good for commuting by bike into the city centre.

Kings Norton still has a lot of problems. So much so we actually had a lecture dedicated to the Three Estates and the associated social problems. I got a bit ranty about Thatcher in that one.

No doubt this has coloured my view of the area, I'm sure it does have lovely bits.

 

[Red Cat]

erm, ok. So what isn't a surburb? And why do people have things against suburbs? I mean, Harborne's almost walkable to the centre of Town. Is Edgbaston a suburb?

I think of Harborne as a suburb. It's a middle-class residential area with a Waitrose and a few cafes on the high street. It's not town and it's not inner city, it's a suburb that's not that far from town.

Kings Norton is further away from town and has a lot of poverty alongside some very nice houses and green spaces and proximity to the countryside. It has a nice green and a nice park. It doesn't have cafes apart from greasy spoons, I don't think, although it now has a monthly farmers market. It's a poorer and further away suburb.

Edgbaston is also a suburb being largely residential although it's true that the University takes up a lot of space.

I don't have anything against suburbs.

 

[Red Cat]

What's your interpretation of 'bleak'? I mean, I've been looking at Stirchley online and I'm not sure it's the right kind of place for me. It looks quite densely populated, crowded, noisy etc. I want to get away from all that! Just not too far away though...

Stirchley is closer to town and has less green space than Kings Norton. I live on a very quiet 1960s estate which I'm sure isn't your thing but we like it. We have green space with a playground for the kids, an allotment a five minute walk away and the Rea Valley cycle route (urban green corridor) is less than five min bike ride away at the bottom of our road almost and the canal is 5 minutes away. The River Rea is no Amazon but it has ducks. Some of Stirchley is run down, the high street is the high street that time forgot (apart from our wonderful new bakery and bike co-op) that also doubles as a major road out of Birmingham with tons of lorries etc. and there's a fair bit of derelict land waiting for the next supermarket to try and gain planning permission. It's a largely working-class area although it attracts lower-middle class people too because it's affordable and it doesn't have that aspirational middle-class stuff that other places have. It has a very strong sense of community and I really love living here but I wouldn't expect anyone to visit and go this is where I want to be, it's just not that kind of place.

 

[Sapphireblue]

I get confused when people talk about the 'surburbs'. What actually are the 'suburbs' and why are they so bad? I grew up in Harborne and thought that was a surburb. What makes Harbone not a surburb and Kings Norton a suburb?

for me a suburb is a family-friendly 'nice' area which is mostly made up of houses. i know technically Harborne is a suburb but it is sometimes described as a village, and for me, the distinction is that it has a defined centre where all the good stuff (pubs/shops) are.

i would never live somewhere that isn't easily walkable to a high street. but i know that's not usual and don't have a problem with people choosing suburbs. also i assume some places i think of as suburbs probably have a centre that i'm not aware of.

i wouldn't call Edgbaston a suburb. i don't know why! too near to town probably.

 

[Hellsbells]

Stirchley is closer to town and has less green space than Kings Norton. I live on a very quiet 1960s estate which I'm sure isn't your thing but we like it. We have green space with a playground for the kids, an allotment a five minute walk away and the Rea Valley cycle route (urban green corridor) is less than five min bike ride away at the bottom of our road almost and the canal is 5 minutes away. The River Rea is no Amazon but it has ducks. Some of Stirchley is run down, the high street is the high street that time forgot (apart from our wonderful new bakery and bike co-op) that also doubles as a major road out of Birmingham with tons of lorries etc. and there's a fair bit of derelict land waiting for the next supermarket to try and gain planning permission. It's a largely working-class area although it attracts lower-middle class people too because it's affordable and it doesn't have that aspirational middle-class stuff that other places have. It has a very strong sense of community and I really love living here but I wouldn't expect anyone to visit and go this is where I want to be, it's just not that kind of place.

yeah, it's obviously difficult for a new person to get a proper feel for a place. I'm not rushing into anything. I probably wouldn't move to B'ham unitl next summer & then I'd like to rent for several months after that. Knowing what I'm like, I'll probably end up viewing hundreds of houses in every single part of B'ham!

 

[Red Cat]

yeah, it's obviously difficult for a new person to get a proper feel for a place. I'm not rushing into anything. I probably wouldn't move to B'ham unitl next summer & then I'd like to rent for several months after that. Knowing what I'm like, I'll probably end up viewing hundreds of houses in every single part of B'ham!

I wouldn't!

When I moved from London 4 years ago I knew we couldn't afford to buy in Kings Heath (those houses that you think you can afford in Kings Heath will be Maypole or miles away from the high street) but my partners friends lived there and Stirchley so we didn't want to go too far. I did a lot of research around KH, Stirchley, Cotteridge, Kings Norton as to where we could afford and where had ok schools. I think in the last thread I recommended the Pineapple estate which is B30 and sometimes described as Stirchley but is just about within walking distance of KH high street and also not far from Rea cycle route.

Like I said, the first Kings Norton house you linked to is in a good location in terms of what you say you want and assuming you're not loaded. There are often houses for sale on that road.

 

[Hellsbells]

Wish me luck. I'm house hunting tomorrow And seeing a 'financial advisor'. How scary. I feel old and grown up.

 

[Red Cat]

Where are you hunting?

 

[Hellsbells]

Kings Norton, for now. I may come back another time and explore another area if I don't like it. Been researching & have discovered where the nicer parts of Kings Norton are.

 

[Red Cat]

Where? Where? You are being too coy!

 

[Kidda]

Are you set on Birmingham?

Halesowen is about 8/9 miles out of the city centre but has got transport links and the benefit of Clent hills.

 

[Hellsbells]

Well, yesterday's house hunting was interesting and kind of wierd. I was quite amazed at the kind of house I could get for my money. There are some real bargains in B'ham - prices that wouldn't even get you a garden shed in London!

However.....I also totally get now what people have been saying on this thread about Kings Norton. We drove through alot of it - some of which is very bleak and very depressing. Huge tower blocks, endless identikit houses on endless estates, & nothing else around for what seemed like miles, & all on very busy, main roads.

The houses I looked at were in slightly less bleak areas but it still kind of felt, I don't know, slightly depressing, isolated... There's not much around and it just seemed like endless roaring traffic. Everywhere.

I'm going to go back again in a couple of weeks to look at some other areas & other parts of Kings Norton.

What are Billesley & Yardley Wood like?

 

[Hellsbells]

Are you set on Birmingham?

Halesowen is about 8/9 miles out of the city centre but has got transport links and the benefit of Clent hills.

Halesowen sounds nice in theory, especially being near the Clent Hills. But it would really depend on where I can find work. I don't drive & wouldn't want to spend huge amounts of the day travelling into central B'ham.

 

[blossie33]

I'm from north Birmingham, Perry Barr originally and then Handsworth Wood and I don't really know most of the areas people have suggested although I did work in Kings Heath for a while.

Billesley and Yardley Wood are probably ok but they are areas that always seemed a long way out of the city centre to me.

I can't offer any useful suggestions I'm afraid as I've lived in London since 97.

 

[Hellsbells]

No worries, I've lived in London since 1999. B'hams changed alot since then! And when I used to live in B'ham I never actually went to any of the places I'm now considering buying a house in!

 

[blossie33]

yes, I don't know where I would choose to look at places to buy if I were to move back (not likely!) but I suppose I'd go for north Brum as I know it. Handsworth Wood is nice though not very exciting but at least you're only 15/ 20 minutes bus ride frm the city centre.

 

[Red Cat]

The houses I looked at were in slightly less bleak areas but it still kind of felt, I don't know, slightly depressing, isolated... There's not much around and it just seemed like endless roaring traffic. Everywhere.

Where did you look at houses?

 

[Hellsbells]

Where did you look at houses?

Monyhull rd & Rednall Rd. It was the traffic on these roads more than anything that I struggled with. I just found it really stressful.
Have decided a quiet road is a top prorioty!

 

[Red Cat]

What are Billesley & Yardley Wood like?

Perhaps a bit less bleak than some of Kings Norton but they're very residential with roads and roads of houses that all look the same.

Birmingham is a very working-class city. It has a few pockets of loveliness but it has a lot of housing estates, most people drive and a lot of people are very poor. That's Birmingham. You get used to it when you're here though - a place gets a lot warmer when you've got friends.

I'm going to say it again. The Pineapple estate will give you a decent house that's close to the Rea Route, Kings Heath park and the beautiful Highbury Park. You can walk through the park to the north end of KH high street and even Moseley. If you're moving from London and you don't know anyone you don't IMO want to be far away from somewhere that has a bit of life on the streets or decent public transport. When I first walked down Pineapple Road I thought it was pretty bleak and it seemed like the longest road in the world (Sunday and no one around, so different from London) but now I live in Brum I quite like it, it's tree-lined, some of the houses have great gardens, and we know quite a few people who live there.

Horrible outside but look at the size of the garden. You could have an allotment at the bottom of that.

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-28070232.html

I like the look of this one. Really close to both parks and you could walk to KH high street. I'm surprised it hasn't gone already. Needs some work. Looks like it has a conservatory/ lean-to thingy.

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-40147144.html

 

[Red Cat]

Monyhull rd & Rednall Rd. It was the traffic on these roads more than anything that I struggled with. I just found it really stressful.
Have decided a quiet road is a top prorioty!

err yes.

Lindsworth Rd is quieter.

 

[Hellsbells]

Those 2 houses don't look bad atall. Will definitely do some research round that area.

There were a couple of houses I really liked on Lindsworth Rd but they'd both gone by the time I'd got to B'ham!

The house I looked at yesterday on Rednall Rd was incredibly cheap - 108K!! 3 beds, huge living room, conservetory, and even some land at the side of the house in addition to the garden. I couldn't sleep last night for thinking about it because it was such an amazing bargain. But today I realised I just really couldn't imagine myself living there. Plus there were a few odd things about the house - like the fact it didn't have central heating but some kind of hot air vent things....

 

[blossie33]

Was it a house built in the 60's?
My parent's house has that hot air central heating system, not sure how economical it is compared to radiators but it works well. We thought it was brilliant when we moved there as we didn't have central heating in our old house!

 

[Hellsbells]

Was it a house built in the 60's?
My parent's house has that hot air central heating system, not sure how economical it is compared to radiators but it works well. We thought it was brilliant when we moved there as we didn't have central heating in our old house!

Not sure, possibly. It was an elderly couple who'd been living there. They had some very odd taste in decor. The whole house was REALLY old fashioned, but they'd had the kitchen done up all extra modern, black and shiny with flashing neon lights!!

 

[blossie33]

Not sure, possibly. It was an elderly couple who'd been living there. They had some very odd taste in decor. The whole house was REALLY old fashioned, but they'd had the kitchen done up all extra modern, black and shiny with flashing neon lights!!

Wow, that sounds a bit bizarre!

 

[Sapphireblue]

Halesowen sounds nice in theory, especially being near the Clent Hills. But it would really depend on where I can find work. I don't drive & wouldn't want to spend huge amounts of the day travelling into central B'ham.

if you don't drive then i wouldn't go for as far out as Halesowen. the Hagley road into/out of Birmingham is a real bugger.

 

[moomoo]

If you're looking as far south as Kings Norton, you might as well look at Redditch. Direct train into Brum, countryside, shopping centre and it's dirt cheap!

 

[moonsi til]

I would be wanting to live near as possible to Moseley/Kings Heath, want at least 3 beds, on a side street with no buses going down, detached, semi or end terrace, central heating, double glazing, reasonable sized garden and able to have a log burner. Ideally I would want it to be a kitchen diner. I liked the 2nd house Red Cat posted just up there better than the first but both seem good finds.

 

[Red Cat]

The 2nds a good one. It's a great location at a really good price. It's been on a while though which makes me wonder why. I'd deffo go and see it.

Closer to Kings Heath you're looking at Victorian/early Edwardian terrace houses off KH high street are more expensive and usually have a small front/back room. People knock through less than you'd imagine. You won't get a kitchen diner unless they've extended the galley kitchen sideways (expensive).

 

[moonsi til]

Yes..go and see the second one..I want to know what's upstairs! I have a terrace house and have moved the bathroom upstairs losing a bedroom and when money permits I'm knocking out a wall plus other stuff and having a kitchen diner. In the second house they have the 'garden room' that looks like the dining table could be in there.

 

[Hellsbells]

If an agent advertising a property says there's no confirmation whether the property is freehold or leashold & that the buyer needs to find this out through their solicitor - is this something you have to pay for? And is it common? I don't really understand how any of this works. I'd only want to buy somewhere freehold and wouldn't want to pay a load of money to find this out!

Sorry if these are really stupid questions, which I'm sure they are!