Good neighberhood for golf/schools/friends?? (Birmingham, Hoover: apartment complexes, lease, townhome)

[gobindaas]

Hi all,

We are moving to Birmingham in a month. Can you please suggest an apartment/townhome complex in a safe/friendly neighbourhood with good schools. Proximity to a not-so-expensive golf course would be realy great!

Thanks,
gobindaas

[jakabedy]

What age children, and what budget?

[gobindaas]

6 yrs and 3 yrs.
Max I can afford is $1000.

Thanks for replying to my question.

[jakabedy]

Look for Hoover, Homewood and Vestavia schools. You really can't go wrong with any of those. 3BR apartments can get expensive, but if the kids can share a bedroom, that will help with the cost. I haven't been inthe apartment market for 15 years, so I can't couch for current conditions. But I would definitely visit the apartment complexes by driving through in the evenings or weekends and see how it looks -- teenagers rambling about, lots of people working on cars, etc. might not be what you want with little kids. Check out some of the complexes off 150 in Hoover, or in Cahaba Heights (Vestavia).

There are tons of golf courses, and many that are either municipal or open to the public. Some in the city, some west of town, some south of town. None are what I would consider a "long" drive from anywhere, particularly if you stay central in the Homewood/Hoover/Vestavia areas.

[autiger92]

You might try The Reserve at Lake Heather. If you are signing a year or longer lease, you should be able to get a nice sized 3 bdrm for a little over $1000/mo. It is in a really good school district--Greystone Elem which is a Hoover City school. Something to remember when checking apt websites--many complexes are discounting rent off of their published "market" rates. There are other nice apt complexes in the same area (hwy 280 corridor). Look for those in the Oak Mt school district or Hoover district.

We looked at a couple of complexes in the area that were zoned for B'ham City schools. You do NOT want those apts if you are putting your child in public school. It's a shame because they were both really nice apts--Crowne at Grandview and Springs at Greystone. Most of the 280 corridor is Shelby County (Oak Mountain Schools) or Hoover, but there are isolated pockets of land annexed into the city of Bham. Just verify the school district before signing a lease.

There is a complex in Cahaba Heights called Breckenridge that I liked, but they didn't have any 3 bdrms at the time. It's a great location though and in Vestavia (excellent) schools. Rent was $975. Older property.

Good luck!

[gobindaas]

Jakabedy: Appreciate your inputs on what to avoid when zeroing in on the apartment. I prefer a 3 BR, because, though my kids share a room, I can use the 3rd as my home office.

Autiger92: Thanks a lot for cautioning me on the school district zones. I will take that into consideration. My work place is going to be on the corporate parkway off 280. The reserve at lake heather looked impressive on the website, not sure if the published rates are correct, if that is the case, 3BR is too expensive, I thought.

[autiger92]

Don't go by those published rates. I am pretty sure when I talked to them at their office (at Lake Heather), they quoted me right around $1000/mo with a 12 month lease. To give you another example of the discounts you might get-- We ended up renting at The Parc at Cahaba River. The published "market" rate on their website is 1250-1280 per month, but we got their discounted rate -- $975 per month--and that was on a 6 month lease--for a 3 bdrm. I didn't suggest Parc at Cahaba for you because it's Jefferson Co schools. (Gresham Elem.) I think it's "ok" but not as good as Hoover or Oak Mt.

[gobindaas]

I will call the office and find out. By the way, I believe Hoover schools start on Aug 11. If I end up moving to Birmingham mid September, will I be able to get admission? I am not at all familiar with the US school system. My daughter completed 6 years by June end. So, she will be eligible for Grade 1 I believe. My son will complete 4 years by mid October 2011. If the cutoff date for eligibility is September end, he will miss it by 13 days. Should he have to wait another year to get into kindergarten?

[jakabedy]

There is no cut-off date for admission to public schools (private schools might be a different matter). If you move into the area mid-term, you simply go to the school your child is zoned for and register your child.

If your children are coming from another system (or another country, it appears) the school will probably want to meet the children and possibly give them a placement exam to determine which grades they should be placed in.

I believe Kindergarten in schools here starts at age 5 (5K), but you'd have to contact the school system to see if they have a 4K program.

[hlsess]

[quote=jakabedy;15016683]There is no cut-off date for admission to public schools (private schools might be a different matter). If you move into the area mid-term, you simply go to the school your child is zoned for and register your child.

If your children are coming from another system (or another country, it appears) the school will probably want to meet the children and possibly give them a placement exam to determine which grades they should be placed in.

I believe Kindergarten in schools here starts at age 5 (5K), but you'd have to contact the school system to see if they have a 4K program.[/quo

The cutoff date is Sept 1- so your son must be 5 by then-