Moving Here? Need Advice? Help Us Help You. (Birmingham, Tuscaloosa: cheap house, where to live)

[Tourian]

Yes, a grocery store map of the 3 Sprout's, 2 Fresh Markets, almost 2 Whole Foods and the TJ's will keep you in the nicest parts of town. All the 15 or whatever Publix's are in decent and/or nice neighborhoods, just that the ones out in Hueytown and Bessemer you have to drive through the west side which is not as nice. But if you use the interstates and drive straight to them, you won't be going through any scary neighborhoods.

[steveklein]

You can also just go to Birmingham's city-data page and scroll down to the map:

http://www.city-data.com/city/Birmingham-Alabama.html

Plug in average household income. Generally speaking, he higher the incomes, the nicer and more desirable the area. As you might expect, these areas are strongly correlated to a higher percentage of whites, lower crime rates, and better schools.

[NhiNguyen]

Wow. That' s sound great. I hope that I can arrive there in the recent time...Sure

[Fleura123]

Alright! First of all: hello to everyone here on this thread.
I'm Fleur, 35 years old; born and raised in France, I'm now living in Israel.
I've been in love with the USA ever since I was a little girl, and especially the South - been to Alabama (Birmingham, the Shoals area, Huntsville), Tennessee (mainly East Tennessee, had a summer job there back in 2001 and 2002), Atlanta, GA, and love this part of America.

I have about $60,000 that have been sitting in the bank for years now; have decent income from my job and my partner has a stable, relatively well-paying job. We're both very conservative with our finances and live rather frugally.
However, from time to time, I find myself day-dreaming and asking myself why not finally do something with the money sitting unused in the bank and fulfill an old dream of having a place I can call my own in America.

So, here (finally) comes my questions:
- what should one expect to pay for buying a small (studio or 1-bedroom) apartment in a safe part of Birmingham? Buying price + maintenance fees.
- which neighborhoods are safe and have decent public transportation that make it possible to somehow get by without a car?
- what's the tenant community like in Birmingham? Are there a decent pool of "good" renters in town for small apartments, or is it more trouble than it's worth?

thanks to everyone who's read this, and I'm looking forward to your opinion/advices/suggestions.

[Tourian]

Hello.

There arent many lofts/condos for sale in downtown Birmingham and those that are are going to be at least 130k and up and some way more than that. You will find many new apartments available to rent that are very new that will run around 1000 per month. Downtown and southside are safe and where it is easiest to live without a car.

[Fleura123]

Hi Tourian,

Thanks for your reply. If I understood your reply correctly, $130,000 - $150,000 is a more realistic starting budget for a small condo in an ok area.

What can one buy with $60,000 in Birmingham?

[Tourian]

60k will get you a small fixer upper in Crestwood which is about the nicest close in neighborhood. Or you could get in to Norwood or maybe Avondale which are emerging gentrifying neighborhoods.

Understand that this is just me scanning quickly over zillow. While these neighborhoods are generally okay they can be edgy and not so nice just a few blocks in the wrong direction. You are going to have to beat the pavement and determine what is worth it. Because these same neighborhoods are much more expensive in certain areas where the trendiness has caught on and the houses have been refurbished.

[Fleura123]

Alright, so $130,000 - $150,000 for a safe, unpack-your-bags-and-enjoy small condo. And $60,000 can still be doable but will require some work. (correct me if I got it wrong)

One last question: which neighborhoods are simply unsafe and should be avoided?

If that makes any difference: I'm caucasian (with light skin, hair and eyes), my partner is of Persian jewish heritage (with slightly brownish skin). We're both fluent in English, and the polite/friendly type.

[Tourian]

I dont know what condition those condos are in. They may be messy foreclosures that need work. The prices vary so wildly down there it is just something you will have to investigate. Avoid the west of 65 in general, and avoid the areas adjacent to the airport. You generally will want to stay as close to downtown as possible or anything south of downtown (southside, Highland park, Forest park) is nice. To the east most of Crestwood, south and central Avondale are okay. Norwood just north of the BJCC is generally okay but it isnt as trendy as Avondale.

Kingston, Inglenook, Wahouma, Gate City in the east are to be avoided.

[Fleura123]

Thanks a lot for your insights, Tourian. I appreciate it.