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re: Moving to the Birmingham Area. **updated**
Posted on 4/25/16 at 10:19 am to Flanders
Posted on 4/25/16 at 10:19 am to Flanders
quote:
Everyone's responses have been very helpful. I never ventured much north of hoover in my teenage years so I don't know what's out there.
Where do you plan on working? Helena area is nice and they have their school now, but if you are going to work downtown I-65 is a pain. We live in Vestavia Hills and getting TO work isn't that bad,but the drive home is horrible. Junction to Green Springs Ave can take 20 minutes.
2
Posted on 4/25/16 at 12:06 pm to I-59 Tiger
If I were your age and in your situation, I'd look at buying a house that will be a good investment.
Helena, Alabaster, and parts of Hoover are easier on the wallet and get you more bang for your buck up front, but don't expect those areas to necessarily be a great long-term investment. Any areas where there are new houses and new subdivisions going up all the time are never good investments. While you may get a nice, brand-new house at a very affordable price... when you go to sell, its very difficult to convince buyers to buy a "used" home when they could essentially get their own brand-new house for close to the same price.
This is why buying in an established area is always best from an investment standpoint. Zillow price estimate increases over the past year for each of the areas that have been discussed are as follows:
+10.1%: Homewood
+8.1%: Mountain Brook
+6.0%: Vestavia Hills
+3.6%: Hoover
+3.1%: Alabaster
+2.6%: Helena
+1.5%: Pelham
Homewood and Mountain Brook are the only cities on that list in which there are no new neighborhoods being developed. Vestavia is mostly established, but does have new homes going up in Liberty Park. Hoover and the ones below it are continuing to see new homes go up all the time.
Zillow expects these trends to continue. They forecast that home estimates will continue to increase most rapidly in Homewood (+5.9%), Mountain Brook (+4.7%), and Vestavia Hills (+3.5%) over the next year ahead.... while Hoover (+3.0%), Alabaster (+2.9%), Helena (+2.9%), and Pelham (+2.9%) will grow at a slower rate.
Most people follow this real estate philosophy: Buy a newer, affordable home way out in the suburbs as a starter home... then move to a more expensive area with better schools when it comes time for the kids to go to school.
But in reality, the opposite philosophy is always better: Buy the cheapest house on the block in a more expensive area of town, with great schools. Once children start entering the picture, sell the home for a very nice profit and then move to the area you plan on settling down in and get a much bigger, nicer home than you would have otherwise.
Helena is a great place to raise kids. It has its own school now I believe. If this is where you want to be, consider buying in Mountain Brook or Homewood now. Enjoy being close to downtown while you are young, albeit in a much smaller home. Then in 7-8 years, sell that house for a pretty nice profit and you can get the 4,000 sf home out in Helena where you can spend the rest of your life if you want.
That's my 2 cents.
Helena, Alabaster, and parts of Hoover are easier on the wallet and get you more bang for your buck up front, but don't expect those areas to necessarily be a great long-term investment. Any areas where there are new houses and new subdivisions going up all the time are never good investments. While you may get a nice, brand-new house at a very affordable price... when you go to sell, its very difficult to convince buyers to buy a "used" home when they could essentially get their own brand-new house for close to the same price.
This is why buying in an established area is always best from an investment standpoint. Zillow price estimate increases over the past year for each of the areas that have been discussed are as follows:
+10.1%: Homewood
+8.1%: Mountain Brook
+6.0%: Vestavia Hills
+3.6%: Hoover
+3.1%: Alabaster
+2.6%: Helena
+1.5%: Pelham
Homewood and Mountain Brook are the only cities on that list in which there are no new neighborhoods being developed. Vestavia is mostly established, but does have new homes going up in Liberty Park. Hoover and the ones below it are continuing to see new homes go up all the time.
Zillow expects these trends to continue. They forecast that home estimates will continue to increase most rapidly in Homewood (+5.9%), Mountain Brook (+4.7%), and Vestavia Hills (+3.5%) over the next year ahead.... while Hoover (+3.0%), Alabaster (+2.9%), Helena (+2.9%), and Pelham (+2.9%) will grow at a slower rate.
Most people follow this real estate philosophy: Buy a newer, affordable home way out in the suburbs as a starter home... then move to a more expensive area with better schools when it comes time for the kids to go to school.
But in reality, the opposite philosophy is always better: Buy the cheapest house on the block in a more expensive area of town, with great schools. Once children start entering the picture, sell the home for a very nice profit and then move to the area you plan on settling down in and get a much bigger, nicer home than you would have otherwise.
Helena is a great place to raise kids. It has its own school now I believe. If this is where you want to be, consider buying in Mountain Brook or Homewood now. Enjoy being close to downtown while you are young, albeit in a much smaller home. Then in 7-8 years, sell that house for a pretty nice profit and you can get the 4,000 sf home out in Helena where you can spend the rest of your life if you want.
That's my 2 cents.
Posted on 4/25/16 at 12:10 pm to Flanders
Birmingham downtown has improved a lot in the past decade.
All the affluent satellite cities are still trucking along with the exception of Centerpoint which now resembles west birmingham with more traffic.
All the affluent satellite cities are still trucking along with the exception of Centerpoint which now resembles west birmingham with more traffic.
Posted on 4/26/16 at 10:40 am to I-59 Tiger
I have interviews set up with companies that span from Alabaster all the way up to Irondale. So I could end up working any where along 65.
Posted on 4/26/16 at 5:29 pm to Aubie Spr96
quote:
No way they are gonna have a bunch of black kids bussed in. We fought this when they annexed down Overton Rd.
What's the problem doing that?
Posted on 4/26/16 at 5:30 pm to Flanders
quote:
I have interviews set up with companies that span from Alabaster all the way up to Irondale. So I could end up working any where along 65.
What do you do? Or what are you trying to do?
Posted on 4/26/16 at 7:11 pm to stomp
Have you been to Mt Brook? 
Posted on 4/26/16 at 7:53 pm to stomp
Sorry. We fought to get our house annexed and they couldn't because of some court case regarding them bussing kids.
Posted on 4/28/16 at 10:54 pm to JamalSanders
quote:I am an engineer technician. Specialized majority in Geotechnical engineering. Some experience on the construction materials side with project management and third party over sight.
What do you do? Or what are you trying to do?
ETA: here in south Louisiana our biggest clients are in the energy sector, speaking mostly for oil & gas. There's not much of that to speak of for the companies in Alabama. They specialize in industrial and what looks like state and DOTD projects.
This post was edited on 4/28/16 at 10:57 pm
Posted on 4/29/16 at 7:57 am to Flanders
quote:
I am an engineer technician. Specialized majority in Geotechnical engineering. Some experience on the construction materials side with project management and third party over sight.
ETA: here in south Louisiana our biggest clients are in the energy sector, speaking mostly for oil & gas. There's not much of that to speak of for the companies in Alabama. They specialize in industrial and what looks like state and DOTD projects.
Got you. If you get the job near Irondale your office will be across the street from mine.
Posted on 4/29/16 at 8:55 am to JamalSanders
I was at Saw's last night. Plenty of houses for sale around there. People cashing in I suppose. Also, the talent level in the area is fricking top notch.
Posted on 4/29/16 at 9:30 am to Aubie Spr96
quote:
I was at Saw's last night. Plenty of houses for sale around there. People cashing in I suppose. Also, the talent level in the area is fricking top notch.
All those houses are listed for $230k, but the local talent is amazing. If you are young and single in Birmingham, move there and walk your (or someone elses) puppy between 4-6 in the evenings. You will pull more tail than Attilla the Hun.
Posted on 4/29/16 at 9:34 am to Aubie Spr96
Those houses have been pretty popular since I moved here in 2000. Wife's friend lived there and the day she put her house on the market in 2003, she had 3 offers. We looked at one around the same time, but it sold before we could even make an offer.
Posted on 4/29/16 at 9:36 am to Aubie Spr96
quote:
I was at Saw's last night
Same here
Posted on 4/29/16 at 9:46 am to fillmoregandt
Did you close it down? Got to drinking with some of my fishing buddies and stayed a little late...... 
Posted on 4/29/16 at 10:01 am to JamalSanders
quote:
All those houses are listed for $230k, but the local talent is amazing. If you are young and single in Birmingham, move there and walk your (or someone elses) puppy between 4-6 in the evenings. You will pull more tail than Attilla the Hun.
I think that area is about to see a hefty increase in prices. Young people with decent money looking to buy a starter home ($200K - $250K) right after graduation typically buy as close to Mountain Brook as possible, with the idea that they will make the jump into Mountain Brook once kids enter the picture. For years, these kids bought in Crestline Park (the area around Saws Juke Joint) and also in the Edgewood neighborhood of Homewood. These areas are both close to downtown and they are close to Mountain Brook/Downtown Homewood.
But in the past 5 years, Edgewood has taken off and its getting difficult for younger kids to find homes in that price range there. A basic lot (50' x 140') will run you about $200,000 in Edgewood... and that's for just the land so people can bulldoze the house and build a much nicer home in its place... and if its a slightly larger lot on a great street, lots are being purchased in Edgewood for upwards of $400,000. This has made Edgewood a bit too pricey for the 24 year-old kids right out of college.
The result of this is that Crestline Park is likely going to see prices increase in the coming years. There is just not enough inventory for houses close to downtown below the $250K range.
The only other areas are West Homewood and downtown itself... like Avondale... and I'm not sure those areas are quite where they need to be to attract the Mountain Brook kids yet.
Posted on 4/29/16 at 10:43 am to BHMKyle
Don't forget Cahaba Heights. Same thing is happening here. It's a bigger area with more amenities.
Posted on 4/29/16 at 11:09 am to Aubie Spr96
quote:
Did you close it down? Got to drinking with some of my fishing
Nah, drank a couple brews while ordering food to go
And I agree with the idea of Crestline Park becoming the new Edgewood. Especially if homes continue to be bought, renovated, and sold.
The standard approach is young couple buys home. Fixes it up and improves price. Sells home as family expands. It's a never ending cycle that is great for that area.
I hope something cool goes into the bike shop that's closing down.
Posted on 5/1/16 at 10:20 pm to BHMKyle
Bump..
I was in Helena for the weekend and got a decent preview of the potential traffic heading north. It definitely could suck.
I will be back in town the week of the sec baseball tourney. During this time I will be looking at specific areas and homes. I have been looking hard around crestline. I've always wanted to flip a home and there is potential there.
I was in Helena for the weekend and got a decent preview of the potential traffic heading north. It definitely could suck.
I will be back in town the week of the sec baseball tourney. During this time I will be looking at specific areas and homes. I have been looking hard around crestline. I've always wanted to flip a home and there is potential there.
Posted on 5/1/16 at 10:41 pm to Flanders
You can make some pretty good money flipping in that area. I don't see the real estate going anywhere but up there barring another crash.
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