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Wednesday, April 1st, 2009 at 6:53 PM

Gonzo Real Estate

Remember when Peter Hong from the L.A. Times came to town to look at a few foreclosures?

His story veered off course and ended up being more about a local part-time blogger:

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-real-estate2-2009apr02,0,3496436.story

If there a couple of new visitors - welcome!  Here is the complilation of lowlights over the last year, if you can make it past these, the rest will come easier.

The first three:

PLUS A FOURTH, THE NEW JIM TV YOUTUBE VIDEO:

Posted on Wednesday, April 1st, 2009 at 6:53 PM in About the author | 45 Comments » | Print Print You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Reader Comments: 45 Responses

  1. Jim Klinge for Senator!!!!!

    ldydntst | April 1st, 2009 at 7:16 pm

  2. “Hunter S. Thompson of Real Estate…” I like it.

    Congrats on the notoriety you are getting. It is well deserved.

    Kingside | April 1st, 2009 at 7:21 pm

  3. Well deserved publicity, Jim. Congratulations. And get a bigger wheelbarrow–you’ll need it to carry all that cash you’ll be earning to the bank. It may not happen anytime soon, but the market will come around eventually and credibility sells well.

    lgs | April 1st, 2009 at 7:25 pm

  4. WOW, great article, which is really saying something given it’s the LA Times.

    he had sneaked up on them as they slept and tied them up with plastic zip ties

    Damn, man, you are something else! Someday you’ll have to tell some more of those stories.

    tj and the bear | April 1st, 2009 at 8:01 pm

  5. Wow! Front page on LA Times. Pretty sure you will be the “realtor” for the stars. On a serious note, congrats and well deserved. You are one of the very few honest real estate agent I have came across and I have meet many in AZ and CA.

    dejams | April 1st, 2009 at 8:25 pm

  6. Posted on April Fool’s Day no less? Awesome!

    solanamark | April 1st, 2009 at 8:27 pm

  7. Damn!

    If my job were in N. SD County Jim would have my business.

    There isn’t an analogue to Jim in OC.

    Maybe I should pull an OC Renter and move.

    sunsetbeachguy | April 1st, 2009 at 8:28 pm

  8. Holy smokes.

    You totally deserve it, but I haven’t seen the LA Times slobber over somebody like that since George Skelton slobbered over State Senator Dave Cogdill for raising taxes.

    W.C. Varones | April 1st, 2009 at 8:37 pm

  9. #1 Senator? How about governor? Arnold’s begging for a recall.

    W.C. Varones | April 1st, 2009 at 8:42 pm

  10. Congrats on the nice writeup, Jim. :)

    Kwaping | April 1st, 2009 at 8:44 pm

  11. oh boy. no wonder the need for assistants in a down market, you’re becoming a real estate rock star. better you than… well most of them i guess. good job, hopefully other realtors, buyers, and sellers learn a little something from you.

    gywright | April 1st, 2009 at 8:56 pm

  12. Awesome, Jim.

    Thank you for showing the world that people can be realtors and HUMAN at the same time.

    Tyrone | April 1st, 2009 at 9:12 pm

  13. Congrats Jim!!!

    I spent the day in LA on business, and every trip up reminds me the city is absolutely massive.

    This article is being viewed by MILLIONS of people. Congrats! You deserve it!!!

    Chrisg | April 1st, 2009 at 9:22 pm

  14. LOL, ROTF…Jim, you should be writing comedy. You really have a knack for filming and editing too. :-) Thanks so much for the laughs and for telling it like it is. Let’s spread the sunshine all around.

    (I’m in South Kona Hawaii where there are two foreclosures on my street, one that’s about to go that way and where I am surely upside down in my mortgage by now! Don’t worry, be happy!)

    P.S. I miss the cheery jingles of the ice cream trucks of my native Southern California.

    Kris in Hawaii | April 1st, 2009 at 9:57 pm

  15. Congratulations,

    I want a framed autograph of the front page.

    Equalizer | April 1st, 2009 at 10:00 pm

  16. Yay! Good guys do win!

    Congrats, big congrats!! Well deserved attention. When’s the book deal?

    Stephen Waits | April 1st, 2009 at 10:16 pm

  17. Okay, you’ve just hit the trifecta – a quote in the NYtimes, a front page story in the LA Times, and, chatter all across the SD real estate community on how blogging coupled with personality leads to more business.

    All the best.

    mccamman | April 1st, 2009 at 10:20 pm

  18. Though you do look older in the LA Times pic then on your blog pic, but then again, it is your blog. :)

    mccamman | April 1st, 2009 at 10:21 pm

  19. Not that it’s a surprise, but CR just posted the LA Times story. Better hire some more help!!!

    p.s.: The story mentioned the “Detroit River” comment. I had meant to mention back when you posted that video I about fell out of my chair when you said that! LMAO!!!

    tj and the bear | April 1st, 2009 at 10:28 pm

  20. ROCKSTAR!!!

    and super well deserved.

    NYT, LAT, CR what’s next? cover of Time and Newsweek?

    Seriously, I hope this brings you double the number of buyers seeking a great agent, your honesty is going to get you more commissions this year than your previous peak.

    All the best

    FreedomCM | April 1st, 2009 at 10:38 pm

  21. Nice article! I wish I worked in SD, I’d hire you.

    kompeitou | April 1st, 2009 at 10:39 pm

  22. Awesome Jim. Time to open an office in LA/OC =P

    3clicks from da Beach | April 1st, 2009 at 10:54 pm

  23. OT, but… found a great website with historical mortgage rates charted going back to the 60′s.

    Check it out: http://mortgage-x.com/trends.htm

    tj and the bear | April 1st, 2009 at 11:13 pm

  24. congrats on the well deserved recognition. maybe Jim need to be hiring multiple assistants.

    what about hiring a sign spinner so he can at least pay some of his property tax. =)

    ocrenter | April 1st, 2009 at 11:57 pm

  25. Yay, you are famous!! Grats!

    ToadB | April 2nd, 2009 at 12:21 am

  26. Woo-hoo!!!

    Congratulations, Jim! Well deserved. :)

    CA renter | April 2nd, 2009 at 2:43 am

  27. Congratulatons Jim.I have enjoyed the videos a lot over the last couple of years.I did think the HST reference was over the top though,you remind me more of the Brokers I met growing up in the east bay ( Dad was an appraiser,so I met a few) who just did a good job with no BS.

    Tom Stone | April 2nd, 2009 at 6:24 am

  28. ROFL, You need to pitch a reality tv show. this stuff is entertaining.

    Alex | April 2nd, 2009 at 6:56 am

  29. Jim,

    Great job! Really enjoy reading your blog. I, for one, really appreciate the “transparency”.

    David | April 2nd, 2009 at 7:51 am

  30. Congrats, Jim. You really do need to go into politics and apply the same common sense and expose all the other frauds there too.

    FuturesWatchers | April 2nd, 2009 at 7:52 am

  31. Missed the sled run one earlier. Get a lot of snow in Carlsbad, Jim? You selling in Julian now?

    Former RB Resident | April 2nd, 2009 at 7:54 am

  32. I’ve been asking myself what will Jim the Realtor do when the market returns to positive territory this year? Now I think I know: TV show.

    Not too mention what will I do without it? I’m absolutely addicted.

    Truly a hilarious blog, witty, insightful and informative. Unparalleled. Congratulations Jim, goes to show the cream rises to the top.

    Time for this agent to get an agent.

    Mozart | April 2nd, 2009 at 8:31 am

  33. So this means you are the leading candidate for Sandicor Broker of the Year right? [ducks]

    Rob Dawg | April 2nd, 2009 at 8:54 am

  34. Not sure that it’ll ever get to that. – I’m just hoping to stay a member.

    The attention since last night has been very humbling, and it sounds like it may continue.

    But nothing is going to change, I’ll be here working to earn your trust and to help folks buy and sell real estate.

    P.S. Peter came up with the Hunter S. Thompson idea, not me, but honored to be compared.

    Jim the Realtor | April 2nd, 2009 at 9:53 am

  35. P.S. Peter came up with the Hunter S. Thompson idea, not me, but honored to be compared.

    The way you handled those cops when they raided your party was worthy of Hunter S. [ducks again]

    Rob Dawg | April 2nd, 2009 at 10:10 am

  36. Honored to be long time reader here and attendee at Club Jim hacienda fiestas!

    doughboy | April 2nd, 2009 at 10:32 am

  37. That’s really great Jim, richly deserved.

    It’s interesting to step and see what this is saying in the larger sense. Basically, JtR says “tell them the truth without the BS and you’ll get customers.” Most of the RE world says “tell them what they want to hear and you’ll close the deal.” The latter was a big part of the problem fueling the bubble. The former is one thing that will get us out of it. It’s satisfying to hear that it can be good business practice, too.

    Dwip | April 2nd, 2009 at 10:51 am

  38. Yes Jim ! i’ll vote for you too !

    Z. Hirth | April 2nd, 2009 at 11:41 am

  39. Congrats on the notoriety! A job well done!

    Nathan | April 2nd, 2009 at 12:58 pm

  40. Quite a week for you, Jim. Congrats!!

    SD_suntaxed | April 2nd, 2009 at 4:15 pm

  41. In the second video from Nobe Hill: I would very much like to get into the house with all the walls in that bedroom painted up. I find it VERY interesting and would like to photograph it before it gets painted over.

    Could you arrange something?

    Please let me know soon.

    Thanks

    John Krill | April 2nd, 2009 at 5:30 pm

  42. Aaah, Jim. I can say I knew you before you were cool.

    If you are looking for career advice — I ditto the sentiment about expanding into OC/LA. LA in particular is starving for people like you…I follow a blog that tracks Manhattan Beach real estate (mbconfidential.com) — I am NOT endorsing this site whatsoever. Just noting the awesome ‘community’ you have built on this site vs. the bitter haters that are on that site. Good people bring good people together. Bubbleinfo is interesting, informative, gives me pause at times, and makes me laugh (still laughing about your close-up shot of the stucco, for those of you who remember). I’ve had SD realtors ask me “Where do you GET your information? No, really, I would like to know so I can share with my clients.” Jim Klinge – 2012!?

    BAM | April 2nd, 2009 at 7:54 pm

  43. You owe me, Mister. I said you were nice! :)

    Kris Berg | April 3rd, 2009 at 9:02 am

  44. Res Ipsa Loquitur!
    Buy the Ticket, Take the Ride~HST

    I’m a young expat of Encinitas and a HUGE Hunter S. Thompson fan, so when I saw this in L.A. Times today I was intrigued to learn more. As soon as I can afford to move back to my beloved ENC I hope to have you as my agent! Congrats sir.

    Kyle | April 3rd, 2009 at 12:19 pm

  45. Hah! I’ve been following your videos for a while on Calculated Risk.

    The ice cream truck thing just kills me. Something about Southern CA…. I live in Long Beach and we get 10 of them a day through my neighborhood in the warm months. I thought it was just us, but you’ve shown me that there is no escape from the plague of dirty vans spouting foul kiddie tunes.

    Love ya. Never change.

    ArtEclectic | April 3rd, 2009 at 9:21 pm

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