A solitary England flag ripples gently from a lamppost above a quiet car park scattered with discarded nitrous oxide canisters. The calm backstreets of Greets Green on a crisp autumn afternoon reveal little sign of life beyond a cat darting across the road, prompting a young woman to brake suddenly.
Just around the corner, Greets Green Road buzzes with more activity. Known locally as a ‘rat run,’ it hosts a gaggle of geese gathered around a large puddle in another car park. This small West Bromwich suburb, however, is now marked by a stark division—one reflected sharply in its property market.
Recent data shows house prices in Greets Green West surged by 38.1% in the year to March 2025, making it the second-fastest growing area in the West Midlands. In stark contrast, Greets Green East reported an 18.4% fall, placing it among the region’s top ten areas for price decline.
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The question on many locals’ minds is: Why such a vast difference in property values within such a small community?
Manzoor Hussain, 54, who runs Lifestyle Express convenience store in Greets Green West, explains that larger houses in the west make the area highly desirable. “Greets Green is a very good area to live, the houses are quite a decent size here. Everyone wants to live on this side. Over the bridge, the houses are smaller, and there’s history with coal mines. It’s a different area; houses here are bigger and hard to come by. What comes up for sale usually fetches a good price.”
Meanwhile, 70-year-old resident Abu Chowdhury from Greets Green East feels the community is unfairly burdened. He points to higher car insurance costs due to the area’s ‘unsafe’ classification and believes residents are punished for being ‘poor’. “People don’t feel safe living around here,” Chowdhury said. “Our car insurance is unaffordable compared to places like Solihull. If I bought a house here for £215,000, a similar one in Sutton Coldfield would cost over £300,000, and I can’t afford that. Living here, we get blamed for being poor.”
A local woman, preferring anonymity, voiced confusion over the price disparity, noting she was unaware Greets Green was divided east and west since she lives in a council flat.
Councillor Pam Randhawa, representing Greets Green and Lyng, highlighted challenges faced in the eastern section, especially near Greets Green Park, where antisocial behavior linked to alcohol and off-road bikes is common. She pointed out discarded vodka bottles near newly built homes and acknowledged the area’s issues with drivers using Claypit Lane as a shortcut.
To tackle off-road bikes disturbing the peace, Sandwell Council invested £30,000 installing metal ‘inhibitors’ around the park. “Doctors and nurses finishing shifts want quiet time with family,” Randhawa said. Police action using special bikes led to the apprehension of offenders and a noticeably quieter summer.
Nick Bayliss, CEO of the Wood Lane Community Centre based in the east, describes the area as deprived yet proud and content. “I haven’t noticed why house prices are falling. People are happy and multicultural here. Despite its reputation, there’s no visible crime, and folks are proud of Greets Green.”
This split in house prices paints a complex portrait of Greets Green—a community grappling with inequality yet bound by a shared sense of identity.