I have lived in North Park since 1984 and love the area, primarily because it is so convenient to many parts of San Diego. I also love its “walkability” although I’ve never felt particularly safe here at night. I started to get the daily police report after some friends refused to come visit at nighttime. I was surprised at the amount of crime–it hasn’t affected me directly, but is all over this neighborhood.
I also drove by La Boheme and saw the signage and folks looking over the property. I was accepted for a condo under the affordable housing program (it was 795 sq ft and faced the probation offices) but decided against it because of the HOA’s. My price would’ve been $161,000 and my HOA’s were $384. At the time, my rent was $600/month. I couldn’t see paying 2/3 rent for the HOA’s.
I didn’t think about the need for concrete floors, but I spent a lot of time there and the noise was better than what I hear nightly in my old but cheap apt. a few blocks off 30th. I would consider buying a condo at La Boheme if it was $139,000 BUT I still think the HOA’s are completely out of line. If they were under $200, I’d march over and buy–even with all the issues of North Park, I love it here and it would be nice to live in a better place. But HOA’s can go up 5%/year and it sounds like mortgage plus rent within just a few years.