The Crestline area of Birmingham is nestled right next door to Mountain Brook, the most affluent community in the state. That's the best thing about Crestline: you get the Mountain Brook perks (classy, eye-pleasing community, NO CRIME, desirable neighborhood, more), but enjoy the lower taxes of Birmingham!

There are plenty of good schools in the area as well, including but not limited to McElwain Elementary, Highlands Day, St. Francis, Jewish Community Schools.

Please consider the following listing:

4117 Brook Way, Birmingham, AL 35213 $274,500

It's right in the heart of Crestline, on a flat double cul-de-sac, and it's totally updated and move-in ready. It features 4 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, 2 car side-entry garage, fenced back yard, more.

I am a realtor who lives in Ballantrae, and we love it here. The location is great, and Shelby County has so much going for it, including lower taxes than Jefferson County. Pelham, Chelsea, Alabaster, Helena and Hoover are all great places to live.
Linda Hankins
Keller Williams Realty http://www.sweethomes-alabama.com http://www.hooverhomeinfo.com
lindahankins@kw.com

Your concern about the schools is easy. There are so many young families out there that car pooling will be a snap. One thing for sure you can get a lot of home for your dollar in Ballantrae. The extras are a real plus like a club house, golf, walking trails & pools. If you like quit and green trees with rolling hills it's hard to beat. I have two excellent buys in your price range. 933 Haddington Dale $214,900 & 204 Kenniston Dale $279,900. Go to my site ERAOxford.com/Ralsabrook

You don't mention if travel to work is a factor? As for schools I recommend Hoover and Oak Mountain. We relocated from New Jersey in 1992 and found Birmingham to be a great place to live. We live in Hoover now and highly recommend the area and the schools.

Hello,

I'm considering relocating from Birmingham to the Orlando area to volunteer at the Holy Land Experience theme park, Word Spring Discovery Center and the Jesus Film Tour. Since you're leaving that city, please advise me of the negatives before I make my final decision. I have no kids or school systems to worry about; rush hour traffic problems, either since retired. Is the rising crime problem in Orlando what is making you leave?

Crime is almost zero in Hoover area along Hwy. 280 where I live.

Thanks,
Cynthia in Hoover, AL

Are you absolutely confined to the Birmingham area by job(s)?
I have lived in Alabama all my life, and personally detest the driving conditions in and around that area.
There are beautiful, "quieter" areas outside of B'ham with uncongested roads and highways, a slower pace of life, great schools, gorgeous valleys or mountain views, and breathtaking waterfronts. I can tell you about some of them if you like.

Shari-

I am listing a home today in Hickory Ridge area close to Meadowbrook--Inverness/Oak Mtn. Schools, sales price is $274,500. Are you working with a realtor currently? My cell is best way to contact me 205-520-3878. thanks, Melissa Wise

I'll give you my opinion as a member of a national scholarship panel, and a home buyer. :)

The best school districts in the Birmingham area are: Vestavia, Mountain Brook, Oak Mountain, Homewood and Hoover.

You're best bet at finding a house in your price range with your criteria is in Hoover.

Pelham is an "good" school district, and I Alabaster or Chelsea are what I would call "average-good."

If schools are important to you, I must suggest that you not leave out Trussville. With the new $18M high school, it is really unbelieveable. But more importantly that the brick & mortar is our principal, Dr. Freeman. She was ranked amoung the top 4 principals in the NATION! Everyone is after her but she has decided to stay at Trussville and when you visit the high school, you will understand why. Not only has Trussville been able to develop a great school system from Paine Elementary (who was named after Goldie & Ned Paine & reside here but are also still involved in the school board) but Trussville has been able to maintain a quaint atmosphere to live. You must see the Sports Complex, the "Project" area & all Trussville has to offer BEFORE you make that decision. Please give me a call 205-223-5570 or email me at jthrasher@realtysouth.com. I will be glad to send you information that will help you. Welcome to Trussville!

I understand your concerns with regard to school districts and consequently I would like to suggest that you consider the Hoover and Oak Mountain Schools. Many of them have state of the art facilities and programs that will address most of your childrens needs. I would be delighted to set up appointments for you to interview these schools and show you some neighborhoods in those area. Please contact me directly at 205-369-3037 or email me at gweiss@realtysouth.com.

I would recommend the Oak Mountain School area be considered also. I live in this area, have raised 4 children who have attended the schools--and the Hwy. 280 area offers all you will ever need in terms of close by shopping (THe Summit with Saks, Gap, Old Navy, Abercrombie, Belks, etc.), churches, fast food--great place to raise a family! My contact info is mwise@realtysouth.com, 205-520-3878 cell. Melissa Wise

I did the same thing-- i am from Titusville,FL originally-- we searched jefferson and shelby counties-- your concerns sound like ours-- we wanted to be closer to schools than 30 min-- the only flaw w/ ballantrae from what most buyers say is the distance to any school.
we settled in alabaster and love the area and schools-- any shelby county school is good. all have pros/cons but teachers and staff are super. the area is safe and very family friendly. My office is located next to wal-mart in alabaster-- a few mintues to every area you mentioned. please call me or e-mail me if you need more inside scoop and info-- tim mitchell 205-305-8756-- timmitchell@kw.com

Do you need any assistance with marketing your current property in Orlando? I am licensed in Florida & Georgia & would be happy to answer your questions or help if needed.

Mountain Brook has the best school system in the area but prices are crazy high there. Vestavia is also well ranked, followed by Hoover. There are also private schools - my daughter is in Hoover in Shades Mountain Christian even though I live in Vestavia. We were in a not so great system before this (Pleasant Grove) so I sent her there and have been unwilling to move her since she started in K-4 and is now in 2nd. In Hoover, there is a dividing line between two school systems in the high school, one side goes to Hoover side, and another to Spain Park. Spain Park is much larger and further out, and I personally wouln't want my teen to drive that far. Bluff Park is a really cute area in Hoover if you like small unique houses, otherwise, there are a ton of developments in Hoover with lots of different features. Your price range would get you a nice 4 BR house in Hovver, and I think you would like the area. If you would liket o correspond you can email me at tmerrill@ereadymonitors.com as I live here and have been looking to move from Vestavia to Hoover as the property taxes are about 1/2 of Vestavia's and you can get mcuh more house for the money in virtually the same area.

Most of the metro areas in Birmingham are safe. Crime is everywhere, and there is no guarantee that
you will not encounter it. As far as the schools in North Shelby, the best way to determine which city in which you wish to live, is to go to the Department of Education website, http://www.alsde.edu/html/home.asp,
and look at the test scores.

Also, where you and your spouse work is important as far as traffic. The commute downtown from the
outlying ares can be anywhere from 45 minutes to more if there is an accident. Of course, there
are alternate routes to lessen the impact of an accident.

Let me know if you will be working and where, and I can recommend an area. All of the above cities have
good schools. I substitue teach when I am not helping clients and can personally speak about the behavior I see in the Pelham and Oak Mountain school districts.

I can act as a Buyer's Agent for you, and the listing agent pays my fees. My job is to best represent you and
yoru interests and find you the home that fits your requirements. I can set up a profile, for example,
whether you want new or older, number of bedrooms, baths, etc., and all of the listings will be sent directly to your e-mail inbox for you to consider. If you are particularly interested in a home, I will go and preview it for you and let you know my thoughts.

You may contact me at my e-mail terrystiles@realtysouth.com if I can be of further assistance..

Hi Shari

As a father of 4 I understand the value of a good school and honestly that will be a hard call for any agent to make. That being said there is a vast number of schools in the area and the wrong choice would be hard to over come, so I would recommend interviewing a couple of different schools to see which one’s you like the most. My sister teaches 5th grade in the Shelby school system and I have several friends in both the Pell City and Oxford System. If you would like I would be more than happy to set some interviews up so maybe you could visit the schools and be a judge for yourself. We have some very good private schools as well.

Just a small point Birmingham is a fine town I am not saying that and I would love to assist you in the purchase of your home were ever you choose to live- But my point is this the size home in say Pell City, Moody, and many other small towns will far exceed the size home that you will find located in say Hoover or Spain Park

You may visit my site at http://www.barrylynnmiller.com and see that for yourself

Good luck and I hope to hear from you soon- Should you have any more questions feel free to call or e-mail

Barry Lynn Miller Jr.
barrymiller@remax.net
205-338-5555

Since schools are important to you, I would start looking at the schools systems first. A great web site to go to is http://www.greatschools.net. The next step would be to look at the areas zoned for that school system within your price range. Vestavia, Homewood, Trussville, and Hoover have excellent schools and you can most likely find a home within your budget.
Website: http://www.anna-fisher.com

I would recommend looking in the Hoover area. Great schools and location. Subdivisions include Russet Woods, Southwood, Lake Cyrus, Deer Valley, etc.

Have you considered living on Lake Logan Martin? You can check out Pell City School Systems and Lincoln School systems and see that we are good schools. Living on the lake is as affordable as it has been in years and it is only 45 minutes or less to different parts of Birmingham. Moody is also a great area that is cloe to Birmingham and the Lake. These are just options to not living quite in the middle of the hustle and bustle.