Birmingham is Back on the World Map, just like Adele



Reading time: 3 Minutes

Just as Adele has re-announced her stamp on the music industry in 2015, with a sell-out tour (including visiting the NEC) due in 2016, we would love to announce the official welcome return of the vibrant and hugely investable 2nd city of England. Yes, ladies and gentleman, BIRMINGHAM IS BACK.

Now, I know what you are thinking, we work here and we have to promote it-maybe the rose tinted glasses are on, similar to the viewing point a homeowner may have as everyone has “the best house on my street”.

But as of 2015, Birmingham has gone…well…viral.Birmingham is Back on the World Map, just like Adele

Mentions in the New York Times, flights starting to China from Birmingham International as of July 2015-the only airport outside of London-and, of course, the huge investment into the city centre residential skyline by Seven Capital -with Chinese backed funding. Of course our new pride of place for the fabulous Grand Central, complete with the amazing John Lewis flagship store has put us on the shopping map.

Hs2 links with London are a (very real) mirage in the distance, but currently, I see the positive property market in Birmingham for home sellers- a reflection of the rejuvenation of the city itself, returning close to the peaks of a pre-recession 2007…..whisper it though.

Employment is up and now “we” are ranked 3rd in business psychologists OPP survey of the happiest cities in which to work. HSBC moving 1000 jobs here isn’t the only positive, Birmingham has become a magnet for other top companies as the likes of Deutsche Bank expands its Brindley Place operation and London based media giant Crave and Lamb choosing Birmingham’s Financial District as its new home-the city is also showing the highest growth in manufacturing and technology jobs in the UK outside London.

“Happy city”??? …well of course, the vibrancy and excitement of the city centre are back, from the Jewellery Quarter Golden Square through to the bohemian suburban Moseley village, voted by the Sunday Times in March 2015 as the best place to live in the country. The regeneration of iconic developments such as The Mailbox, the new Library and the upcoming £500m redevelopment of Paradise Circus by the town hall make Birmingham alive again.

I mentioned investable!

Record sales figures we, as a company achieved in January 2016, have been strongly associated with new buy to let property investment in the city, in small part most recently due to the pending increase in Stamp duty levies for second homeowners.

But put the business head on for a second-why is there so much “new money” being put in, why here?
A global survey of 300 cities by Jones Lang LaSalle recently, put Birmingham at number 53 for foreign direct investment. Add to this that official figures released by the Office for National Statistics placed UK economic growth at 0.5 percent last quarter of 2015 – but experts from the Midlands Economic Forum and Birmingham City University (BCU) have shown the Midlands regional output grew 0.7 percent. Birmingham was the only UK city in top 10 in which to invest in Europe in a report compiled by PwC and the Urban Land Institute, with London slipping to 15. All positive press.

Will more home sellers be happily saying “Hello from the other side” like Adele this Summer, after the government induced stamp duty increase for second homeowners with a positive outlook?

Let me know if thinking of selling and we can discuss where your property sits in the market price wise and our strategy on how we work as your local Estate Agent to sell the property for you. Contact me at [email protected] or at 0121 456 5454.

Andy McHugo
Senior Sales and Lettings Manager
James Laurence Sales and Lettings

Similar Posts

The people we've helped
  • 5 star review  We recently switched from another letting agency to James Laurence, as we found their team so warm and friendly and loved the local aspect of the agency. The team have absolutely exceeded our expectations, making the changeover feel so seamless and finding new tenants for our apartment at really short notice. Lotti could not have been more wonderful to work with, going completely above and beyond to ensure our tenants could move in just before Christmas. We felt an immediate affinity with her and have so appreciated her attention to detail, quick thinking and creativity. She has made us feel so at ease, supported and like our property is in the safest of hands. Charlotte and Melissa have also been so helpful and lovely to deal with during the process. Having worked with several other agencies in Birmingham, I cannot recommend James Laurence highly enough. Look no further, they are the best!

    thumb Julia Collins Andreu
    12/28/2022
  • 5 star review  The team at James Laurence was very helpful when I tried to find an apartment in Birmingham. I was in contact with a different letting agency but things fell through and they couldn't help me. A colleague of mine recommended James Laurence Lettings so I emailed them immediately since I was was moving from Sweden and the move would take place in less than a week. The team at James Laurence responded within 5 minutes and managed to offer me a few different apartment-options. Things proceeded quickly and smoothly and just a few days later I had they keys to the apartment. James Laurence helped me every step of the way and went above and beyond to accommodate my requests. The only minor negative thing I can say is that the interntal communication could be improved a tiny bit. I received slightly different information depending on who I was speaking with at the time. When I said I received different information earlier the person I spoke to said she would talk to her colleagues and then get in contact with me later with the "correct" information which she did and the issue got solved very quick.

    thumb Elias
    10/15/2022
  • 5 star review  Our experience with James Laurence Estate Agents was absolutely fantastic! Melissa Wilson made the application and referencing process smooth and easy with excellent communication. Everyone we spoke with from the office was kind, helpful, and welcoming. To top it all off, the loft we moved into was even better than the pictures! We are thrilled with our new home and we would absolutely recommend James Laurence to anyone looking for a place to live!

    thumb Dominic James
    10/02/2022
  • 5 star review  I have been very impressed with James Laurence, who have recently sold my property. Having previously had a poor experience with Purple Bricks, I instructed James Laurence to help sell my property. I have worked with Henry throughout the whole process and have found him to be very professional and knowledgeable as well as being efficient. It can't be stressed enough how important this is to have an estate agent that responds quickly, negotiates well and truly understands the market (especially during uncertain times like recently with the cover pandemic). I have briefly worked with Caroline and some of the other team members who also seem to be very efficient and friendly. Thanks again to James Laurence who I would fully recommend to anyone looking to Buy/Sell in Birmingham.

    thumb David Jolly
    6/16/2022
  • 5 star review  I recently sold my property with James Laurence, and the overall experience was great. They demonstrated a good knowledge of the Birmingham property market when discussing sales strategy, marketing and pricing (more than I was expecting) towards the beginning of my experience with them. This showed when we achieved 2 asking price offers within the first couple days of showings. Once an offer was accepted, their support did not stop there, Caroline (Sales Progression) did a fantastic job at liaising between myself and the buyers side, helping to progress items and remove any potential blockers. I would fully recommend James Laurence to anyone looking to Buy/Sell in Birmingham.

    thumb Jack Darby
    5/20/2022