Northpark

[Raybyrnes]

Can’t understand how homes this area are being listed at 600+. Does some congressman know of some federal money that is going to be invested in this area. Really can’t figure this area out. Anyone else have a take?

[Critter]

North Park is being revitalized – lots of emphasis on the new Arts District on Ray Street. The community has made a valiant effort to be trendy but in my opinion it has a long way to go. It’s like downtown in some respects in that it has cool coffeehouses with the occasional vagrant brightening up the sidewalk.

[barnaby33]

Northpark is a slum, mostly. I know I live there. Its main attraction is that its cheaper than Hillcrest but not as crappy as city heights. My neighbors and I all go into Hillcrest to do our shopping and dining.

There are some very nice houses in the morely field area and a few on the rim of Mission Valley. That is a tiny percentage though. The only reason I can think that a house would be priced at 600k in NP, is because the seller thinks he can get it.

Josh

[taz]

North Park has a lot of great old craftsman homes, and a ten minute commute to downtown. Not everyone wants to live in a white-bread, cookie cutter, suburban tract home. I personally prefer the older urban neighborhoods.

[Alex_angel]

I especially love the hookers and sex parlours in NorthPark. Shampoo baths, prostate massages or just plain sex. that place is a slum. The only good thing about North Park is the Turf Club and Lefty’s pizza.

[taz]

Actually, the Turf Club isn’t in North Park.

But, Heaven Sent Desserts, Morley Field, Hawthorne’s and Tazablanca restaurants and the Burlingame neighborhood all are.

jeez, alex, where have you been spending your time?! lighten up, don’t be such snob.

[PerryChase]

I like Northpark. However the houses are small, old and in need of major updates. I don’t deal well with no air-conditioning, no insulation, and bad plumbing. The price per square foot need to be low enough to justify buying and renovating (and I mean a thorough update job).

I think that Northpark is the “bohemian” part of town with high occupancy rates propping up prices.

[El Jefe]

Northpark was one of those areas that had a huge turnover of houses during 2004-2006, many ex-rental units cashing out and many other longtime residents moving up. Most of the high priced listings in the NP/CH/Kensington area are on the market for what they sold/refi’d for in 05 + 6% realtor commission + closing costs. It is almost uncanny how you can take the asking price, add 6% and round up to the nearest 10K mark to come to the AP. Just people trying to get out without losing their shirts.

[4plexowner]

Raybirnes – the houses you are whining about are exactly what I was referring to in my recent post

This is STUPID activity occurring as part of the last gasps of the RE boom

I recently walked through a large part of Normal Heights north of Adams – numerous properties in the process of major upgrades – IMO these are F’d flippers who may or may not realize yet how F’d they are

The properties are very nice when completed – fresh stucco, landscaping, etc and would have drawn top dollar in mid-2005 – now however, they are over-done for the location / market conditions IMO

Note to flippers: it isn’t mid-2005 anymore and many of the upgrades you are doing will be WASTED MONEY (assuming you can sell the place at all)

~

Some more stupid building that I didn’t mention in previous post:

> Genessee and Clairemont Mesa Blvd: apartments? townhomes? being build a stone’s throw from this intersection with almost no setback from the sidewalk/Clairemont Mesa Blvd

Again, IMO we are seeing the last gasps of the dying/dead RE boom – picture the death throws of a cockroach – lots of frantic, meaningless activity but the roach will be dead soon

[PerryChase]

El Jefe & 4plexowner, you’re quite right. That’s what I noticed also.

Many of those flips are very badly done. Like someone said on a different thread, the improvements look good from 20ft away. Yes, those renovations are wasted money because any serious buyer/resident will end up redoing the cosmetic staging. Those top prices only work in a market full of greater fools.

[kewp]

Used to live there, I would say its a combination of appraisal and mortgage fraud. Tho there are some rad homes in the area.

I got mugged outside of the Albertson’s by Texas St., so yeah it can be kinda slummy.

[Bugs]

My wife’s oldest sister and her family live on Louisianna, south of University. They’ve always got stories that make me glad I don’t live there.

The gentrification wave moving over from Hillcrest and University Heights will eventually make its way through Northpark, though. It just isn’t far enough along right now to make it this time.

[NotCranky]

Rustico
I used to own in Normal Hts.,South of Adams and bought there(twice, 1992&1995) because I knew that being sandwiched between Hillcrest and Kensington couldn’t be a bad move and it was dirt cheap then as most of you know. I used to say it wasn’t a neighborhood watch area it was a watch your neighbor area. Not liking guns, in the first house I kept an axe by the side of the bed at night . Then the transvestite across the street was stabbed to death by her boyfriend who was mad when he found out after several years that he had been duped.(from across the street I was duped too!) As soon as I had my first son I wanted the hell out and fast. The gentrification wave had already done wonders and the new 39th street park practically speaking, put us more in Kensington than lots of houses actually in Kensington.It is still not and never will be an ideal place for a family. Hopefully the good location is enough to keep it from going completely down the tubes again. What is nice about the marginal neighborhood thing is that people talk with each other, they have to. I did make friends in the neighborhood which is more than I can say for any suburb I have ever lived in.

[Author]

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