Chelsea vs. Helena vs. Trussville (Birmingham, Hoover: house, to buy, school districts)

[Threestep]

Originally Posted by 73mountaineer

I guess because it is commonplace back where I'm from in WV and also here in IL, it is puzzling to me that I have yet to see it in any listings down there. If not sq footage, at least room dimensions would be convenient & make it much easier to screen out many listings without seeing them in person. In WV it was often classified separately as finished area above grade and finished area below grade to make allowances for finished basements. I guess I never saw the liability side of the issue, though I have to admit that we have looked at houses and came away thinking, "there's no way that bedroom was the size that they listed".

- Steve

You list/sell at a certain footage. Consider the annual tax assessment in AL:>)

[Bravo35223]

Originally Posted by 73mountaineer

I guess because it is commonplace back where I'm from in WV and also here in IL, it is puzzling to me that I have yet to see it in any listings down there. If not sq footage, at least room dimensions would be convenient & make it much easier to screen out many listings without seeing them in person. In WV it was often classified separately as finished area above grade and finished area below grade to make allowances for finished basements. I guess I never saw the liability side of the issue, though I have to admit that we have looked at houses and came away thinking, "there's no way that bedroom was the size that they listed".

- Steve

Steve:

Square footage was commonly quoted until a few years ago. A large realty firm got sued and lost because of inaccurate representations of the size of a home. Therefore, they don't do it here.

Best advice....find a good realtor. As with everywhere, its a buyers market now. If you could find something in Vestavia you could afford, (remember that property taxes will be low), I would strongly recommend that for excellent schools and superb location. You can probably afford more than 230K because of the large difference in property taxes. The Vestavia schools are superb.

PM me if I can help you...I am not a realtor - therefore have no financial motive to assist.

[autiger92]

Originally Posted by 73mountaineer

The crime rate looks to be a good bit higher in Trussville as well, should that be a concern?

Wow! I'm really shocked to hear that. Is the crime rate really higher in T'ville??? Where did you find this info? I lived there for 10 years, and crime was almost unheard of. I had a hubcap stolen off my car last year, but I'm not even sure it happened in T'ville. (didn't notice 'til I got home after a day of running errands). Otherwise, I never even heard of a car being broken into!

I'm not saying crime never happens in T'ville--I'm sure it does occasionally. I'm just shocked that the numbers would say it's higher in Trussville than other comparable communities. I felt very safe living there--rarely locked my doors during the day.

[73mountaineer]

Originally Posted by autiger92

Wow! I'm really shocked to hear that. Is the crime rate really higher in T'ville??? Where did you find this info? I lived there for 10 years, and crime was almost unheard of. I had a hubcap stolen off my car last year, but I'm not even sure it happened in T'ville. (didn't notice 'til I got home after a day of running errands). Otherwise, I never even heard of a car being broken into!

I'm not saying crime never happens in T'ville--I'm sure it does occasionally. I'm just shocked that the numbers would say it's higher in Trussville than other comparable communities. I felt very safe living there--rarely locked my doors during the day.

That IS good news! The only thing that I have to go off of is the city data main page for Trussville & I don't know how accurate it is.

Thanks for the first hand info!

- Steve

[cpg35223]

I agree with others that Trussville probably has the best arrangements for you. Chelsea would be a commuting nightmare, and Helena and Pelham would cause problems, too.

Trussville, however, has a nice quality of life, isn't overdeveloped, and really has an untroubled commute.

[73mountaineer]

You are all very helpful - thank you!! I am expecting the offer by the end of the week, possibly as soon as tomorrow so I will know more then. If everything looks good, I could be down there within a few weeks!

- Steve

[Threestep]

Keep us posted!

[gustygulas]

That's awesome. Good luck!

[73mountaineer]

Well, the offer is on the table and we are trying to negotiate the details. If we can get it worked out, it looks like I will be coming! I'm only asking for a couple of things so hopefully we can get them negotiated into the offer.

- Steve

[Threestep]

Originally Posted by 73mountaineer

Well, the offer is on the table and we are trying to negotiate the details. If we can get it worked out, it looks like I will be coming! I'm only asking for a couple of things so hopefully we can get them negotiated into the offer.

- Steve

Thank you for the warning:>)