Looking for advice-South East Lake (Homewood, Irondale: houses, neighborhoods, buying)

[nolesnomercy]

Hey friends. My wife and I are (relatively) newly weds and we are looking at buying our first home. We currently live in suburban Shelby Co. (which isn't for us) and we would like to get into or closer to the city. As much as we'd love to live in a place like Homewood or Crestwood or Forest Park, we simply can't afford a decent home there. One area we've seen that we can afford and we like to some degree is South East Lake. We love the older historic homes that have been restored (especially for the price) and the diverse architecture. We would also love being close to downtown and having Ruffner Mountain in our backyard. Our concern is obviously the neighborhood as a whole. From my understanding South East Lake is undergoing somewhat of a renaissance as more investors are purchasing older homes and restoring them and younger people continue to move in However it seems like this neighborhood has been going through this transition for awhile and Im not sure if its really gaining much traction despite the best efforts of community leaders. Having said all of that I was just hoping to get some others opinions of the neighborhood and any advice on where if not there we should consider to look. As a side note my wife and I both work and I work the night shift so she would be by herself at night when im not there. We don't have kids yet but we do want to in the next couple of years. Thanks.

[Miv]

This is a good time of year to check out the neighborhood.
Teens get rowdy during the Summer time. The best way to determine safety when you find a home is wait and see what pops off at night.

I used to live in BrownSprings (the neighborhood on the other side of Oporto Madrid) and it was nice and quiet.

Of course that area is zoned for Bham schools so you'll have to look at some alternatives.

[nolesnomercy]

Thanks for the advice Miv. The schools are definitely a concern. We know once our kids reach school age we will likely have to move regardless of where we live in the city because we cant afford private school. That brings up the concern over resale value. The homes we're looking are in the 80-100k range and a lot of them have everything we are looking for in a house: historical, spacious, updated, well maintained. If these homes were in Crestwood or Roebuck Springs they'd easily be between 160-200K or more. Obviously the location is what hurts the value.

[jakabedy]

Shift a bit east and look at Roebuck Springs. Not that there aren't some wonderful people in East Lake, but the sheer quantity of housing there makes it difficult for a handful of artists/urban pioneers to make the kind of change that's needed.

Look up the Roebuck Springs Historic Preservation Society, and there are some RS Facebook pages. RS is a nifty little enclave of historic homes and pleasant infill in a Redmont-type setting. There are many folks with young children there, and I'm not sure what they're doing for schools, but it's worth a look for you.

[Tourian]

I agree. Roebuck Springs has some nice homes. South Eastlake just isnt quite ready yet for someone who may have to move or doesn't have deep enough pockets for private school. You don't want to be caught in a bind where you have to sell and can't and are running up on a deadline. There are some other pockets of good neighborhoods around. Norwood and south Avondale too.

[nolesnomercy]

Thanks for the advice everyone. Tourian I've never really considered Norwood I'll have to check it out. If we don't find a place in the city we are willing to look outside of it. Preferably we'd like to be in a somewhat diverse area that has a community feel to it and is closer into the city. Obviously Homewood meets this criteria but there's no way we can afford to buy there. Our budget is about 140K. We've looked at places in Irondale but I'm not really familiar with it. We've also considered Cahaba Heights but all of that is Vestavia, correct? Wherever we go we don't want to resale to be an issue whenever it's time to move.

[jakabedy]

You might be able to find something on the edges of Crestwood North and/or Avondale in your budget. It will be smaller, maybe not as charming as some, or needing work, but it's possible. You're still facing the school issue, but it's significantly easier to sell a house, when the time comes, in Crestwood than in Eastlake or even Roebuck Springs.

But back to Roebuck Springs, your budget can work there, too. It might not get you into one of the pre-1930 houses you probably want, but it can get you into one of the 1940s-1950s houses nearby.