We have known Jim & Donna Klinge for over a dozen years, having met them in Carlsbad where our children went to the same school. As long time North County residents, it was a no- brainer for us to have the Klinges be our eyes and ears for San Diego real estate in general and North County in particular. As my military career caused our family to move all over the country and overseas to Asia, Europe and the Pacific, we trusted Jim and Donna to help keep our house in Carlsbad rented with reliable and respectful tenants for over 10 years.
Naturally, when the time came to sell our beloved Carlsbad home to pursue a rural lifestyle in retirement out of California, we could think of no better team to represent us than Jim and Donna. They immediately went to work to update our house built in 2004 to current-day standards and trends — in 2 short months they transformed it into a literal modern-day masterpiece. We trusted their judgement implicitly and followed 100% of their recommended changes. When our house finally came on the market, there was a blizzard of serious interest, we had multiple offers by the third day and it sold in just 5 days after a frenzied bidding war for 20% above our asking price! The investment we made in upgrades recommended by Jim and Donna yielded a 4-fold return, in the process setting a new high water mark for a house sold in our community.
In our view, there are no better real estate professionals in all of San Diego than Jim and Donna Klinge. Buying or selling, you must run and beg Jim and Donna Klinge to represent you! Our family will never forget Jim, Donna, and their whole team at Compass — we are forever grateful to them.
Haven’t been to Payson, but Flagstaff and Prescott are both livable.
Payson is comprised of lower income year round residents plus vacation cabins for Phoenixites. Lots of fires up there these days. Not a place I would want to live year round.
Fires are everywhere now (four burning currently in SD County).
I need to provide some solutions for people who want/need to downsize, and wouldn’t mind getting out of the rat race.
Payson isn’t perfect, but it is worth considering.
Been there recently?
Agree about Prescott. Medical facilities in Phoenix are much improved these days. The Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale is expanding.
If you want a nice, suburban neighborhood with excellent schools, accessible shopping, and low crime, check out Gilbert.
I also suggest looking at Sedona and surrounding areas. The Village of Oak Creek is on the southern edge and has some nice houses and a golf course. At a little over 4,000 feet in elevation, summers are a little cooler and you get an occasional dusting of snow in the winter. Weekend traffic on 79 is a bear because of the tourists, but it’s a nice, quiet place to live.
If really want to get out of the rat race and maybe have a couple of horses, southern Arizona has a lot of options southeast of Tucson. Check out Patagonia and Sonoita. Not all of Arizona is saguaro country. Lots of grasslands and breathtaking views in the area for very reasonably prices. Want a funky small town? Benson and Bisbee come to mind.
If you are selling a million dollar plus home in coastal California, buy a nice home in Gilbert and a cabin up in Payson with the proceeds. Try doing that here for less than $2MM.
Been there recently?
Yes, 1976. 😆
Thanks for the tips on the others. I will work my way around.
But… living a bunch of miles from the Pacific Ocean? Cowboys jumping off perfectly good horses to tie up baby cows with rope, while old fat people egg him on? And not being near the Pacific Ocean?
Eww!!
It’s like a little Lake Arrowhead with rednecks!
Payson is a nice town. When my husband and I lived in Phoenix, we would frequently go to Payson and go hiking. Our favorite was Horton Creek Trail. Beautiful pine trees all along the hike, with a babbling brook alongside the trail. Very, beautiful place.
https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/arizona/horton-creek-trail