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.
It’s so bubblicious.
I’m speechless!
I have absolutely no idea what to make of this monstrosity! It wouldn’t be so bad if at least it was in decent condition. But with all the missing and incomplete items discovered on a simple walking tour, you start asking yourself what other hidden surprises this thing has in store for the new owners!
“Say Hello to my little friend!” A warning to the new owners maybe? 🙂
From my memory bank of useless information – that plank suspended over the pool leads to what is called a “grotto”.
I realize I’m setting myself up for unending ridicule, but it really was pleasant to see a house that was neither a badly maintained meth lab or yet another tasteful monstrosity of subtle earth tones and travertine.
Ok, it’s a bit over the top, and WTF on the BBQ out front, but it certainly has style. More than one can say about most of high-end cookie cutter McMansions.
The columns around the pool screamed “Hearst Castle.”
I kinda liked it.
I suspect that the “long jump pit” is for playing bocci or lawn darts…
The most palatially spacious property I could never actually live in.
Thanks Sol for grotto – all I could think of was Hef kissing those three bunnies on TV at the Laker game the other night….
Love the lot size and the $/sf. It’s got everything I’d want in a house, but none of it in a style I can stomach. Nonetheless, it’s progress!
When crude oil prices crashed, they returned to Abu Dhabi.
I’ve seen some really evil lions in some nice show off homes. Rich folks lol..
Much better to have a fox out front, especially now.
Is a Harem included?
Horrible style, but that’s definitely promising!!!!
Agree 100% with you on a builder/developer building a tract like that.
Where exactly is this, and does it have HOA or Mello-Roos fees?
This looks like the builder’s website. I didn’t see an option for poor taste though.
http://www.mikeb4homes.com/PageManager/Default.aspx/PageID=202409&NF=1
Wow. Where is this monument to poor taste? That’s a lotta place for the $$…. anywhere in the country
One thing money can’t buy: good taste.
Great vid Jim. I knew you were going to say something like that when you paused after you opened the door!
Quite spacious for the price though. Knock down all that ugly crap in the backyard and it would look much better.
Previous owner was probably a failed rap/hip-hop artist. They LOVE Scarface and over the top marble with those cheesy columns.
Jim, you can’t post a house like that without a link to “Mikes Marbleopolis:”
http://www.hulu.com/watch/2347/saturday-night-live-mikes-marbleopolis
“Say hello to my little friend.” Awesome, Jim.
“First you get the money, then you get the power” (or something like that).
Lesson number one: Don’t underestimate the other guy’s greed!
Jim,
This is prob the best walk through you’ve ever done. I couldn’t stop laughing.
This is what happens when you give idiots money.
Drug money + some gangster mortgage company loan(s)=tear down.
I think this house has great potential to be a miniature golf course. Just a few more columns, tile, and foam details should do it.
Jim,
Did you take off your shoes?
Interesting house.. the part that really worries me is the damage to the shower. If the shower was properly built that would not happen.. even if the grout broke down. The bottom section of the shower is supposed to be hot-tar’d before the crete-board/tile/etc are put in. This way there is no leak should the grout crack. It makes me wonder if there are other code violations that would lead to maintenance nightmares later.
I heart this house so much! I can totally see it filled with lovely gold-gilded provincial furniture and Persian rugs. Cover the walls with generic “paintings” from TJ Maxx and you have…uh…something…
The back yard has real potential – the construction quality and layout is obviously ridiculous, but that yard could make some lucky kids very happy!
If this house was in Cairo, my family-in-law would be living in it. Oh wait.. they are! 😉
I believe it’s:
“First jew get da money, den jew get da power, dennnn jew get da women”.
Great movie.
————————————————
“First you get the money, then you get the power” (or something like that).
Former RB Resident | June 1st, 2009 at 5:55 am
Jim,
Did you take off your shoes?
Damn! Keyboards are expensive.
Interesting house.. the part that really worries me is the damage to the shower. If the shower was properly built that would not happen.
Minor. This stuff happens all the time. They’re houses not Fabergé Eggs or spacecraft. In my experience these are opportunities to extract outsized concessions.
Pretty Crazy stuff for an otherwise normal neighborhood in the valley north of San Marcos! Large flat lots, too bad this one got ruined like an egg in the microwave for 5 minutes on high!
Agree with Dawg, and CA renter has said it regularly that she’d rather buy a dump – you end up fixing them all anyway.
I did take off my shoes, I wanted to get the full experience.
From CR:
volker the viking (profile) wrote on Mon, 6/1/2009 – 5:12 am
Here’s how I vision the set up: while the party goers are having their good time in the back, the security detail checks clearances and allows entry at the front. They also screen away the fuzz when and if the neighbors complain. It was getting a bit tiresome (or so said the HBOTHICJBTHBIC) having large armed persons traipsing through the house over and over again, bringing food back to their buds at the front. And that time when they slopped some salsa and guacamole on the brand new rug was the last straw.
So, she told her man to keep ‘those people’ up front and get them their own damn BBQ pit and fireplace so ‘we the people’ won’t have to see them, elsewise you won’t never get to the promised land again.
note HBOTHICJBTHBIC–Head Bitch Of The House In Charge Just Behind The Head Bastard In Charge
LOL, Jim!
Actually, I think the front BBQ is for block/neighborhood parties. Not a bad idea if it’s a close n’hood and a regular occurrence. That way, nobody slops the guac and salsa all over the marble floor! 🙂
This is the best house ever. Much better than the houses that you need bio-hazard suits to enter. I admit, you might need to put on a gold chain, gold bracelet, rings, etc. before entering, but still, this has got to be the least depressing house JtR has visited so far.
OMG I love this house. Columns! Marbles! Lions! Fire pits! I mean, you just cannot go wrong. If you fear you might be going wrong, add another column! It is not possible to have too many columns!
I believe the shallow part of the pool is to be used for lounge chairs…so you can partly lay in the water….which would make sense talking to the people on the stools?
You fools- the front BBQ is for the Kabob stand. He planned to work from home.
Odd redfin has it selling in 1/09 for 1.06 mil
http://www.redfin.com/CA/San-Marcos/1752-Victoria-Way-92069/home/3520125
showed it to the Persians I work with, they got a good laugh but noted the lack of purple and gold curtain rods means that its probably greeks
Pool: think kids.
Shallow end likely designed for kids…mama party gurl sits on the submerged bar stool with appletini in hand while baby Kaydence splish splashes safely and watches proper party behaviour by watching the bar of baby-mommas.
Greenie- you are part of a ‘we right now’ even if you don’t see itAnd there are three ways of looking at Malthus- he was correct, he was wrong or a bit of both. ,