Jim Klinge
Klinge Realty Group
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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 ‘as is’ and just get it over with. They gave us a selling price for ‘as is’ 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 couldn’t 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 — 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.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 Jim’s 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 can’t 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 “can do” 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 Donna’s 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
“That’s not red oak, that’s red joke!” LOL!
Second video, second house. I can definitely work with that floor plan. The breakfast nook can be turned into an office, the living room can easily be turned into a home theatre room with a front projection system, and the “telephone booth” next to the staircase is where the 42U high equipment rack would be installed (almost the size of a telephone booth). The dining room would be relocated next to the kitchen where it belongs, ensuring the hosts remain with the dinner guests at all times.
Whenever I look for a new place, I always look for a living room layout that will accommodate my front projection system. It’s become a prerequisite. It needs to be located in a livable an accessible area such as a living room, and not in a deep, dark dungeon such as a basement or an enclosed room with no windows.
I’m surprised at how many homes being built today still don’t take into account the ever increasing size of television sets. Even in large homes where you should have plenty of space for a wall mounted screen, its placement can still be awkward for the people in the screen’s room, or in the adjoining room.
Anyway, that’s me and my gadgets. Don’t even begin to understand how I wired my apartment! 🙂
Man, it sure is hard for me to get my mind around $500k – $1 million being “mid-tier.”
Great videos, Jim. I really think this $700’s segment is going to be one of the most interesting to watch. I would guess buyers in this range are affluent but still accumulating wealth, unlike the $1M+ market with heavy cash down and buyers who are possibly more willing to part with an extra $100-200k. In other words, I would expect these buyers to be more discerning. I think there are many first-time buyers in the $700k market who waited out the bubble; also more discerning by nature.
My guess is those discouraged buyers fit that profile. They’re not going to sacrifice their life savings (or a good chunk of it) for beat-up carpet, freeway noise, power lines, bad floor plans, etc. People are no longer confusing shabby homes with can’t-lose investments. Just because the sellers did doesn’t mean the buyers have to. I’m not surprised at the stand-off in this market, nor at the frenzies created by well priced properties.
Agreed, and the “mid-tier” is probably where this battle will be won or lost.
We can comfortably predict that the under-$500,000 market will be hot, and above $1M won’t.
Will this new “move-up” tax credit encourage those in the mid-tier? Will the improved pricing inspire those to get more now than they used to get?
The next two months will be very interesting – happy holidays to all!
I’ve been looking in PQ in the sub $500K range and there’s certainly a frenzy. However, poor floor plan properties are not selling except at a big discount. Same thing for properties next to freeways or power lines. I know of two investor properties and one is going to have troubles selling. Both investors bought for cash at auction, but they both have major flaws in their floor plan. The first has a tiny kitchen that’d be very expensive to expand for various reasons. The second has only two small bathrooms. So small that there is no counter space at all in the bathroom.
We’ll see what they eventually go for, but as of right now it doesn’t seem like people are buying at their asking prices.
Market update from San Jose, CA: My ex has been looking around for a house there for a while, but kept getting beaten out by either all-cash offers on foreclosures or FHA crazy-money loans on regular houses.
Finally he figured it out, and made an offer on a fixer short sale that didn’t accept FHA offers! He thinks it’ll take less than $1000 (and some sweat — but he knows his stuff) to fix the house, and he has the offer approved by the 1st lender. Waiting for the 2nd lender.
The house is in downtown San Jose, in a nicer/older area, and he’s buying it for the same price it sold at in 2000… and is paying $185/sq.ft.!
Great deals can be had with persistence and patience. He’s been looking at houses and submitting offers for months, and is ready to move in. Plus, his mortgage payment will be quite easy for him to afford.
-Erica
Jim,
Although Jay is certainly being patient, I think it speaks volumes for *your* patience and integrity. A tremendous number of realtors would’ve given up on a buyer after 50 homes shown with only 2 to 3 offers made. Damn your good! 😉
p.s.: Regarding the broader economy… although a huge X-phile, I’m not so much into grand conspiracies as to people in power acting in their own self-interest. In that regard, TPTB are already testing the limits of their creditor’s patience, and IMHO there’s no way we monetize even $1T more MBS without consequences.
[NOTE: Previous comment should’ve said “Damn you’re good!”, not “Damn your good!”.] 🙂
“I’m not so much into grand conspiracies as to people in power acting in their own self-interest”
Well stated.
These last two (three I guess) videos are right up my alley, and I’ll watch them once the Laker game is over. Thanks Jim!
I was eying that house backing to the Detroit River, but had never seen it in person. Yikes. A video is worth a billion words. That place looked so much nicer in the pictures.
FWIW I’m noticing some houses with For Sale signs sprouting up For Rent signs recently. I guess that $1mm market ain’t so hot.
The mid-tier is still in range of FHA zero-down put-option loans.
Until the FHA implodes, the mid-tier will keep afloat on an ocean of free money.
I echo sentiments about the mid-tier. Virtually all houses I see close at the sub 500k or over 1M level are good deals relative to peak pricing. In fact, I think that the myth that the high-end is immune has already been shattered and that probably happened just within the last few months. We went from an occasional good deal to most sales being good deals.
The mid-tier is the only segment in which I am seeing sales that make me scratch my head and wonder what the buyer was thinking. But even this buyer segment is starting to get more picky based on what I am seeing linger on the market. Pretty good but not great deals lingering on the market was one of the first sign of trouble for the low end and high end markets.
“Until the FHA implodes, the mid-tier will keep afloat on an ocean of free money.”
WC I agree with the theory there, but I’ve also heard that FHA loans aren’t being taken seriously by sellers (for good reason.) I guess it depends on what percentage of closings in that range are FHA, right? Jim, any data on this?
What is the price point at which FHA and the $8k credit are out of the picture? Is it $800k? I’d be more inclined to buy a house in the near future where funny money isn’t (as much of) a factor.
Still, I think an FHA implosion or removal of the credits would affect the entire market.
Agree with the previous poster – I laughed when I read the headline that 700k is mid-tier! Oh well, that leaves me in the dust, or should I say, the whirlwind competition that is sub 500k (I am in LA, and not buying right now anyway – just watching, always watching).
Good videos. Jim you are are realtor par excellence!
fix typo there —
Jim you are a realtor par excellence!
Jim – don’t know if this helps you think about the coastal market in this price range but I can tell you that I bought a house in Carlsbad in the mid-700s after renting in Windansea and Solana Beach since 2005. I would be described as a younger family who works in the finance industry (not housing related) that valued living within walking distance to the beach.
Since I had the 20% down payment saved up from several years of paying rent in the $1800 to $2500/mo range, I put it into a house with a 4.5% mortgage 30yr jumbo conforming mortgage that would be just over $3000/mo to own a newer house in the area.
For anyone that that has rented over the past 5 years in the area and has been able to “save” the difference in their rent vs. mortgage. It makes sense to buy now (if you have a secure job) and it’s the perfect house for you and don’t want to ever be hassled by moving again until retirement.
SO, MY VOTE OBVIOUSLY IS THAT THIS PRICE LEVEL SHOULD STICK FOR MOVE-IN READY HOUSES ON THE COAST. We knew a lot of prudent coastal renters in the two neighborhoods that were similar to us and would have loved to buy “at the right price” since they valued living so close to the coast.
In my line of work, trying to wait for the bottom tick will make you miss the trade. Renters like myself have been waiting for the right time to own their first house along the coast.
p.s. I’m sure there are viewers of this blog that will think this guy is throwing his money away because housing in SD will fall another XX% but it’s a 30yr trade for me and I get extra points for giving the wife a house to call her own.
I dunno if housing will fall further. It may have already bottomed. It sure did bottom at least on a temporary basis in most areas; the question now is whether or not we have a double dip (due to a possible future flood of REOs) and prices will fall again. However, the flood has been barely a trickle so far.
Now, in most desirable areas, renting is cheaper than owning, as is usually typical, bubble or no bubble. But that doesn’t mean purchasing is always a bad move, even ignoring the non-financial considerations like keeping the wifey happy or the ability to decorate and remodel the place to your exact tastes. If you are buying in a low end area, or really do plan on staying put for a decade or three, buying now makes sense.
WC I agree with the theory there, but I’ve also heard that FHA loans aren’t being taken seriously by sellers (for good reason.) I guess it depends on what percentage of closings in that range are FHA, right? Jim, any data on this?
I disagree that FHA loans aren’t being taken seriously because they are making up a large portion of the current market. I know on certain properties they aren’t accepted, but when they are 30%-40% of the total sales it’s not that widespread.
Jim posted on this earlier, where the NAR said in the same paragraph about how FHA loans aren’t taken seriously and this is a problem because they make up 40% of the home sales. It’s either one or the other, but it can’t be both.