3clicks wrote:
“While I embrace the Internet for many reason, It would be used by some as another way to disguise the snake oil.”Â
Agreed, but once every listing has a video it will cut down the deceit.  Videos should be mandatory, and they’d especially help the bank-sellers in far-away towns who should have the benefit of seeing their REO and the comps for a thorough review.
It might have helped here:
Jim Klinge
Klinge Realty Group
Are you looking for an experienced agent to help you buy or sell a home?
Contact Jim the Realtor!
CA DRE #01527365, CA DRE #00873197
Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. We sold a home with Jim and Donna and from beginning to end they were consummate professionals. Their initial walk through the property resulted in a list of items to be repaired or updated. They supplied a list of vendors and job quotes to do the repairs and updates. We originally wanted to sell âas isâ and just get it over with. They gave us a selling price for âas isâ and options for doing a few updates/repairs to doing it all with the selling price for each option. We agreed to do all they suggested and we sold for the exact price they predicted. For every dollar spent we got back more than $2 back in the selling price. And they got that price in a rising interest rate environment! Donna and Jim are extremely detailed and guide you through ever aspect of the sale. There were no surprises thanks to their guidance. We couldnât be more pleased with their representation. Thank you Donna and Jim, Jerry and MaryTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. 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 â 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 â we are forever grateful to them.Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. WeI had the pleasure of working with Klinge Realty Group to sell our home in Carmel Valley, and I cannot recommend them highly enough! Jim and Donna demonstrated exceptional professionalism, offering expert guidance on market conditions and pricing strategy, which resulted in a quick and successful sale. Communication was prompt and we were well-informed throughout the entire process. For anyone looking for a dedicated and knowledgeable real estate team, look no further! ---Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Donna and Jim Klinge of Klinge Realty Group have our highest possible recommendation. From Donna and Jimâs first visit to our house through closing their advice and counsel was candid and honest in all dealings. They kept us fully informed throughout the process. The house sold less than three days after listing with a two-week closing. My wife and I have sold several houses during our lives. This was by far the best experience. Klinge Reality is a premium service realtor. You canât make a better choice for someone to sell your home fast and for top dollar.Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Donna and Jim provided exceptional support and professionalism throughout the entire process. We couldn't have been happier with their efforts. They made our house shine, and thanks to their expertise, it sold above the listing price in the very first weekend! Truly a fantastic experience from start to finish.Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. This year has been difficult on our family, mainly due to having to sell our home. Thankfully we knew God had a plan for us and working with the Klinge team was a key part of it. It was an obvious decision to work with them again after such an amazing experience when purchasing the same home we needed to sell. The challenge was, how will we do this in so little time with so much going on? Jim and Donna held our hand every step of the way. Whenever an unexpected issue arose they found and provided a solution. Never once did we feel pressured to make a decision and the Klinges were always reassuring after providing the information that the decision was ours to make. Despite the curve balls, they never panicked and exemplified the âcan doâ attitude, making us feel optimistic and taken care of. Their expertise and professionalism was superb. But of all the reasons to work with the Klinges, the most impactful and valuable is their compassion and genuine care for their clients. We pray that we can one day purchase our forever home and you better believe that Jim and Donna will be representing us - as long as they will have us of course. Thank you again Klinge team! Your execution, experience, and care are unmatched.Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Jim and Donna were fantastic! Jim understanding my needs, recommending potential places, pointing out the pros and cons of each property was invaluable. Then when the offer was accepted Donnaâs organized guidance through the inspections, paperwork etc made the whole process seem effortless. So grateful that I had them on my side!Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. We first found Jim through his blog at bubbleinfo.com, which really showcased his knowledge of SoCal real estate. Since then we've done three transactions with Jim and Donna, and they are an incredible full service agency, with Jim's deep market insight and Donna's deft contract and project management. We trust them implicitly in their analysis and strategy, which is based on years of experience. They're always available and on top of things, and we strongly recommend them to anyone.Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. The Good The Klinge Realty Group operates like a finely tuned machine, with a very personal touch. We contacted them on a Sunday and they were talking to us about our family and our needs on our living room couch the following day. They carefully listened to us and worked with us to identify the best and quickest path to listing within 2 weeks to take advantage of the low inventory conditions in our South Carlsbad neighborhood. They knew our tract specifically and had many previous sales there over the years - they came prepared with a thorough analysis of comparative sales and recommended a pricing strategy that they felt confident would yield offers the first weekend on the market. The Great Over the next two weeks Donna coordinated a range of vendors who she knew from experience could get the preparation to list work we needed done on time and with high quality. Our light tune-up involved excellent experiences with their stagers, landscapers, contractors, electricians, and plumbers. Throughout this period Donna's daily communication was clear, concise, and responsive. Any time we had questions Donna picked up the phone or texted immediately - but almost always, she answered our questions before we even knew we had them. The Outstanding We had a tricky situation with a shared fence that could have delayed our escrow. Donna used superb mediation skills to negotiate the terms of replacement and was personally on site with the fence contractor to make sure everything went smoothly. The fence looks great and escrow closed on time. The Truly Exceptional Our house came on the market on a Wednesday and between then and Monday morning Jim was personally at all three open houses. He was in constant communication explaining potential buyer reaction and strength. As he predicted offers began to come in on Saturday and each one was incrementally higher than the last. At the end we had 5 offers, 4 of which were over list, and the final accepted offer was $100,000 over list. In addition to being over list it included rent back terms that met our needs. The Recommendation For all of these reasons we would strongly recommend The Klinge Team to anyone wanting to sell in North County Coastal San Diego. I had been reading Jim's bubbleinfo.com blog for 15 years and knew when the time came to sell that he would be our first call. Jim Klinge is not your standard realtor. He is keenly aware of market conditions and sales strategies. And, works his tail off - though not as hard as Donna . At this point he's gone from realtor to friend and I plan to have him over to grill and chill at our new place to talk real estate, but also just about life and raising kids in San Diego. He's more interested in relationships than his sales numbers - and that's why his sales numbers are so high. We have already recommended the Klinge's to some close friends and another successful sale is on deck right around the corner...Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. We recently had the pleasure of working with Jim and Donna from Klinge Realty Group to sell our house, and we couldn't be more satisfied with the experience. From the initial meeting, they listened attentively to our needs and provided invaluable guidance on specific improvements to get our home market ready. Their responsiveness throughout the entire process was truly impressive. Anytime we had questions or concerns, they were quick to address them, ensuring we felt comfortable and informed every step of the way. What stood out the most was their team and extensive network of tradespeople, which made addressing any necessary repairs or updates seamless and stress-free. Thanks to their expertise and dedication, our house sold quickly and at a great price. We highly recommend Jim and Donna to anyone looking to buy or sell a home. They are a fantastic team who truly care about their clients and deliver exceptional results.Load more
Wow. Maybe your best, most informative post yet, J.
You are the R in Realtor for sure.
A Real Service for your clients. Congrats. Even a Classic Chevy truck at the end. Only One Thing Missing…
An ICE CREAM TRUCK!
Great Job and Thanks! Good Luck with the Chevy!
Videos are a huge improvement. It’s one thing to see the glass as half empty, it’s another to see the glass as a quarter empty and say videos aren’t good enough. It saves me 20-30 minutes every time I can filter out a place before seeing it in person.
Thanks for advancing us out of the stone age Jim!
Videos can be useful. But “mandatory”? Most realtors I know can barely point the right end of the camera at the house and they are to be trusted with a non-deceptive video?
Most realtors I know can barely point the right end of the camera at the house and they are to be trusted with a non-deceptive video?
I think Jim’s point is that it’s much harder to shoot a deceptive video than a few deceptive photos.
“I think Jimâs point is that itâs much harder to shoot a deceptive video than a few deceptive photos.”
Here is my handy dandy primer to real estate photos.
1) Pics of interior, but none of exterior.
Translation – exterior needs a new roof and the siding is falling apart.
2) Pics of exterior and interior, but none of kitchen or bathrooms.
Translation – kitchen & bath original from 1943
3) Pics of exterior but few, if any, from interior.
Translation – bring your paint brush and start looking at carpet samples. Remember, “retro” appliances are in fashion these days.
4) Single exterior pic from an odd angle.
Translation – if you close one eye, you’ll never notice the power lines/crack house/sanitation plant just to the left.
5) No pictures.
Translation – we don’t want to sell this property to you.
Very true, I could generally tell what was wrong with a house by looking at it’s photos or lack thereof. I went many times just to make sure, and while I’ve been very surprised I was never wrong. Price and DOM tells you a whole lot too.
The most shocking time was when a house had exterior only photos, and when seeing the inside it had a huge split down the very center of the flooring – not a crack but from amateur tiling of the house with different tilesets. Like they went to the dumpster and found enough tile for half of two houses and put it together. They then *tiled* the stairs both horizontal and vertical. The tiles overhanged each step (not cut). Still on the market.
Wow. Another shout out for me on Jim TV. I am humbled. It’s almost like “we” (you really) know what is happening in the market. Good job.
If only we can get that Chargers/Patriots playoff. We know tonight.
On topic. Sorry. Howinthehell did they time warp a 1970s kitchen into a 1980s tract home? And if I may be allowed to call a technical foul. I have never in my life seen a greater poster child for “curb appeal” violations in my life.
Honest to God. If I were the listing agent I’d throw a bucket of paint around the kitchen. That way prospective buyers would just erase in their mind any phantom value in the existing woodwork.
Jim’s ahead of his time.
I’d like to see Realtors as we know them become dinosaurs. I’d like to see real estate advisors. Put some regulation in there, and weed out the hacks. Make them accountable for leaving out important details. If you can’t figure out how to make a video and put it on the internet, you don’t deserve money for selling homes. If you don’t know more than what’s online, get out of the business.
…Or not Frenzy 2B. That is the question.
Sorry. Had to say it. đ
The asking price of the second house is way out of line. Plus you have to pay the seller’s closing costs too? Forget it! If I knew that ahead of time, I wouldn’t have even looked at the place!
That first house is really beautiful, especially the kitchen. It was worth seeing it for a second time. I hope the new owner enjoys it as much as we enjoyed visiting it.
With apologies to Tom Waits
The sun’s comin’ up
I’m ridin’ with lady luck
Freeways, REO’s and Trucks
Well, in a lot of other states that’s why they require lawyers instead of realtors to do the key paperwork. Sure, there are no “hacks” anymore but you’re not getting any better advice on buying a home. Just more legally sound advice at the cost of real estate knowledge.
The more regulations there are, the more legalistic it’ll get without any real improvement. We the consumers have to be the ones demanding real change, and that’ll happen through competition over time.
I don’t know which is more depressing – the interior of the house or knowing that if you bid on it, you’d be dealing with the person who did that marketing and allowed it to be viewed looking like it is at that asking price.
Art,
You missed one that Jim has noted in his videos — the fisheye shot of the expansive backyard, which means you barely have room for a barbecue. đ
If you enjoy amusing real estate listing pictures, make sure to check out lovelylisting.com.
I sure hope no one is stupid enough to buy that house. It should be 300k.
Jim,
I’m not so sure a video would cut down on deceit once every listing has one. Video like a picture can hide the negatives depending how it is shot. The extra added pressure and task (heaven forbid) for video inclusion means Realtors will try to justify their listing fee for that much more.
What I do like Jim is your candid real-world comments. I don’t want a candy coated, fancy-schmancy video production with a professional ‘SO’ voice over and cheesy music. When will they get it? I don’t need video crossfades, wipes or digital effects when a simple cut will suffice – and they can’t even do that NOW as a courtesy to the seller and buyer. That’s why Jim, you are tip-top.
All valid points about the usefulness of videos. The “Virtual tour” works pretty well too (i.e., a java/flash 360 view from a spot). In a competitive market like this, you should ask your listing agent what they plan to do to market the house. Do they take their own pictures or outsource? Etc., etc.
But, the idea that it should be mandatory kind of bugs me. As much as it pains me to say this as a liberal Democrat, but shouldn’t we let the market settle this? If people want agents to use technology, they will gravitate to them.
If you really wanted to shake things up, make the MLS public and allow people to comment on the is listings like a blog. “This listing sucks. The picture of the backyard is taken with a fish eye lens. You can only stand in the backyard sideways.” That would encourage honesty (and some other less desirable things).
“As much as it pains me to say this as a liberal Democrat, but shouldnât we let the market settle this? If people want agents to use technology, they will gravitate to them.”
If you can find a structure for RE transactions that eliminates the Agent-Principal problem, then it might make sense. Until then…
Fantasy Video: Home has new hard wood floors
Reality: que ball test reveals new floors needed
Fantasy Video: Pool and jaquizzi pumps running
Reality: Home backs up to Detroit River
Fantasy Video: Granny Flat / Studio in Back
Reality: Non permitted construction
Fantasy Video: High ceilings, upgraded ventilation and control panel
Reality: Previously used to grow medicinal mary-joe-hana
Fantasy: Denver will make it to the Super Bowl
Reality: Looking forward to 2010 draft picks
3clicks,
I’m a lifelong Broncos fan and even I am still stunned at this year’s developments. What’s up with those Chargers, though?
Business must be good if you are thinking about a new truck. I think all the old timer on this website would like to see your old truck again.
TJ, I messed up and so much for timing. I meant to say ‘Chargers’ hence the draft pick comment. I’m a Broncos fan too however.
1972 Chevrolet P/U is perhaps the best, cleanest truck ever produced. Straight body lines, classic grill, disc brakes, smallblock. Camper mirrors ruin the beauty of this specimen.
That kitchen is not that bad. It’s pure 1989, but it’s fully functional, I’m sure. If you spent twenty or thirty grand to redo it like the people in the first house probably did, it would not help you cook one bit. A meal made in the updated kitchen would taste the same as a meal made in the original kitchen. The updated kitchen had no extra features or storage space-just granite and stainless and modern-looking cabinets (of the same size).
Therefore, I see only a minimum of value in the updated kitchen-made one third the cost to update it. It’s a cosmetic upgrade only, not a functional one. Heck, not everybody even wants stainless and granite. Now, obviously the second house is still overpriced, because they listed it for $15k (plus closing costs) over what Jim’s sold for (and the six laner in the backyard is a further negative). But the upgraded kitchen is maybe worth $10k more than that-maybe.
Geotpf……
WOW…..are YOU out of touch or what? Yes, we can all agree that the kitchens in both videos are basically equal in functionality
But you are on cloud 9 if you don’t think that an updated kitchen like that adds TONS of value and sell-ability.
And this is coming from a Male……..who does’nt even cook!
Murf2222
any bit of frenzy and increase in price will be short lived as would be sellers on the sideline immediately put their overpriced homes up for sale and any sign of improvement in the market.
This week couple of homes in my neighborhood appeared on the MLS, asking price just 5-10% south of peak 2005 purchase price.