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Looking to move to Birmingham

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One of Europe’s biggest cities, Birmingham has a population of over one million people and has been listed in various charts as a city you must visit in your lifetime.

Recognised as England’s second city, Birmingham is the second largest in the country after London and has a lot to offer. Located in the heart of the UK, it draws people from different cultures from all over the world and with an average age of just 37, it is one of the one of the UK’s youngest cities.

Found in the heart of England and the centre of the rail and road network, you can easily get from Birmingham to any city in the UK. Birmingham has seen a dramatic transformation since the turn of the century with redevelopment of the city centre integral to it’s revitalisation including redevelopment of the Bullring, Grand Central and The Mailbox.

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Birmingham boasts a vibrant entertainment and hospitality scene and is second only to London by being home to four Michelin stars restaurants in the city.

Birmingham’s lively culinary scene also includes award-winning street food as well as international food in The Balti Triangle and Chinatown. The city has numerous universities attracting higher education students from all over the world.

Birmingham is home to some of the finest museums in the Midlands, including Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and Thinktank as well as many others. The internationally acclaimed Ikon Gallery exhibits the very best in contemporary artwork within a Grade II listed building, while hidden street art can be found across the city making Birmingham a destination hotspot for culture across the UK.

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The city is fortunate to be home to a great number of green spaces including Cannon Hill Park in Edgbaston and Moseley Park as well as incredible areas such as Edgbaston Reservoir (pictured), the Lickey Hills and Sutton Park close by.

Showcasing Birmingham’s retail offerings, Bullring is one of the UK’s most visited shopping centres and can be found right in the heart of the city
alongside a wide variety of independent shops, restaurants and cafés.

Home to the Commonwealth Games in 2022, Birmingham is a city where you enjoy a watch a variety of sports at famous sports venues whether it be football at Villa Park, cricket at Edgbaston Stadium or athletics at Alexander Stadium.

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Rent is thought to be around 50% cheaper in Birmingham than it is in London and despite a steady rise in house prices, property in Birmingham represents a superb investment. The average price for property in Birmingham City Centre in 2020 was £222,6251 which is lower than the average price across England of £267,0002. The Jewellery Quarter is seen as one of the top investment areas in the city-centre with the cost of property having risen by 28% over the last three years SevenCapital 3.

Property prices in the Harborne area saw an average price of £309,474 over the last year with semi-detached houses making up the majority of sales. With one of the most desirable postcodes in Birmingham, and popular with families – overall house prices in Harborne increased by 10% in 2020 compared to 2019 4.

At James Laurence Estate Agents we know Birmingham, Edgbaston and Harborne like the back of our hand making us the ideal agent to advise you on the local areas whether you are planning to buy, sell or let in the areas. You can visit us in our two branches in Chad Square, Edgbaston and in our City Centre office in the heart of Birmingham.

Sources: 1, 4 Rightmove, 2 Office for National Statistics, 2021, 3 SevenCapital.

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The people we've helped

  • 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!

    Julia Collins Andreu Avatar Julia Collins
    28 December 2022

  • 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.

    Elias Avatar Elias
    15 October 2022

  • 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!

    Dominic James Avatar Dominic James
    2 October 2022

  • 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.

    David Jolly Avatar David Jolly
    16 June 2022

  • 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.

    Jack Darby Avatar Jack Darby
    20 May 2022