Movin' to the B'ham Burbs- Advice Needed!! (Birmingham, Hoover: real estate, mcmansion)

[phattspatt]

I've read over the threads on this forum the last 2 hours, and I couldn't find one that discussed something like my situation, which I want to describe a bit more quantitatively:

Want: 4 bed/2-3bath house, 300-400K, newer but NOT McMansion. I want a flat yard, .5 acre at least, which seems to rule out Mountain brook area.
a ~20 min or under commute to UAB hospital, i usually leave for work around 9 to 9:30AM and try to leave around 5:30 to 6PM. I need quick access to a highway that can move for the 20 min thing to work.
Don't care about schools, no kids anytime soon, but safe area wanted.

So I have come up with this list of burbs from this forum that I might look at with a Realtor:

Hoover: great shopping for the wife, easy access to I-65, dunno about traffic on I-65. I grew up with the 405 in LA and 495 in DC, but I don't want to deal with jams that don't move.

Is Pelham/Alabaster too far away from UAB? Dunno how I-65 moves.

Trussville: sounds like a nice area, smaller town feel?

Gardedale/Fultondale: Hadn't heard of these areas till i read the posts here, but I am interested.


Please post your thoughts, thanks for your help

[Twostep]

Isn't burp something you are supposed to do with infants?

Take a map with a reasonable scale and google 4-sale-by-owner. The distance Pelham to UAB alone should indicate commute time during off hours.

It takes me around 30-45 minutes form the Greystone area. Shopping, restaurants ... almost in walking distance. Plus you are "behind" the city during the ozone probleme times in summer. Greystone Farms should be in your price range. The nice part - nothing can be build in or around the Farms and it is going on ten years so landscaping is mature. I dislike the single Bradford Pear in the front yard :>)

[phattspatt]

thanks for your help, but i would never ever have a 45 min commute living in birmingham, there is no reason for it... maybe LA or NYC.

[Twostep]

Start at UAB and drive 20 minutes in either direction during rush hour. You will not get far.

[harry chickpea]

The flat yard is going to be a big problem. All of the flat land within the immediate area was developed long ago and is now industrial, commercial, or decayed into areas that aren't desirable. Change that to rolling or sloping land and you stand a little better chance. Forget Alabaster. I-65 south of the city seems to be backed up regularly from construction and/or accidents.

Looking at your criteria, looking at a map, and visualizing the configuration of the city, I don't think you will find anything matching all of what you want.
The city just didn't develop that way.

One of the surprises of B'ham is how close there is a variety of residential areas close to UAB, if you are willing to explore some streets. You aren't going to find many newer houses, but you will find some outstanding ones if you look on the hidden side streets off Montevallo Road, parts of Highland Avenue, and in the Homewood area. The could be higher priced than you might like, but if traffic is an issue, and you see commute time as a cost, it balances out. It doesn't help that you will be traveling during peak times in the same direction that congestion occurs.

Hoover? You might make it to UAB in 20 minutes on a really good day, but you can spend 8 of those minutes just getting from I-65 to a UAB parking lot, which doesn't leave you any leeway if traffic backs up.

Greystone? Eh, maybe. But for a better guarantee of a short commute, I would be looking literally within a mile or less of UAB.

My best advice is to do some driving during rush hour, trying to get to and from your parking area. I think you'll find that south and east of UAB will get you to areas you like the fastest. Oh, Mountain Brook is probably way out of your price range anyway, even though some of the house near the top sit on relatively level land.

[sally.white]

We too are looking in the area..
Greystone with the Highland Lakes area seems to fit my bill.

Is Highland Lakes near Hoover High ?

[jtla]

If you drove 20 minutes out from UAB in any direction, you're not going to find anything "newer" or above 1/3 acre for that money.

Mountain Brook has the lot size, but not for that money. You're looking at $1mil+.

Most of Homewood is pretty flat, but small lot sizes and homes are almost all 40 years old or more. Also, lots of remodeling is sending the house prices up. Two bedroom cottages are $250K on up.

Vestavia is anything but flat, but the homes and lots are larger than Homewood. Coventry and Countrywood are subdivisions in Vestavia that have homes that you might like, but you're pushing the commute closer to 30 minutes even though you're inside of 459. Also, "newer" here means built in the 70's and early 80's.

Going north to Gardendale/Fultondale puts you going through the worst traffic (in my opinion) at the aptly-named Malfunction Junction.

The only thing close enough in Hoover is Ross Bridge. It's a very new planned community that close to 65 and the commute wouldn't be long, but it's probably more of the McMansion thing you're not interested in although for your price, you'll be in the bottom third of homes there. Also, the lots are not very big.

I don't know about commute times from Trussville, but it may be worth a look. There's a lot of new building going on and stores going up, too. But again, not too flat.

[steveklein]

Originally Posted by sally.white

We too are looking in the area..
Greystone with the Highland Lakes area seems to fit my bill.

Is Highland Lakes near Hoover High ?

Highland Lakes is actually nowhere near Hoover High School; Highland Lakes is about a mile further into Shelby County than Greystone; it's a lovely area, with beautiful homes. 400k is at the bottom of the price range in Highland Lakes. Highland Lakes and Greystone are two "dream neighborhoods" for many people around Birmingham.

It should be noted that your commute is a little AFTER the main rush hour. The worst traffic in Birmingham in the mornings is from 7am-9am and 4:30pm-6pm.

I think that leaving your house at 9am, you could get surprisingly far at 9am in the Birmingham area. I think you could probably make it to UAB from parts of Hoover and North Shelby County.

[Twostep]

Originally Posted by sally.white

We too are looking in the area..
Greystone with the Highland Lakes area seems to fit my bill.

Is Highland Lakes near Hoover High ?

I will gladly share (almost :>)) everything you want to know about Greystone and Greystone Farms.

[steveklein]

Ross Bridge was mentioned. This, imho, would be a great choice. It's probably mainly familes taking advantage of the Hoover schools... but the area is fantastic even if you aren't raising kids.

I disagree with the McMansion characterization. There are homes from the 200s to 1 million. There's a large variety of neighborhoods in that development... though I think you may have a problem finding half an acre with 4 bedrooms at 400k in Ross Bridge.

If lot size is something you don't really want to compromise on, you may have to lengthen your commute. If you could get by on 1/4 or a 1/3 acre lot, you should find lots of homes within about 20 minutes of UAB for 400k.

Moderator cut: commercial real estate link

search for min bedrooms = 4, max price = 450k, and plug it into the following neighborhoods:

Ross Bridge Chalybe
Ross Bridge Freestone Ridge
Ross Bridge Abbeyglen

in the next price bracket (450k-550k), you could try Bellevue.

I've walked through homes in all the Ross Bridge neighborhoods and have been very impressed.