14 Comments

1. 

   JAP on February 4, 2010 at 4:28 am

   Jimmy is really puttin some lovin’ on those Spanish ladies lately!

2. 

   Susie on February 4, 2010 at 6:41 am

   @ Comment #1, Well, there went my coffee all over my keyboard! Mahalo for the early-morning chuckle.

   “When I first pulled up, I though that was $1,500. That would have made a nice Jim the Realtor rig. $1,500 bucks! $4,500…sounds like a home seller!”

   Doncha even think about it, Jim! I love your truck–especially the horn. When I see you in that rig, I really do see you as “the Hunter S. Thompson of real estate”–per LA Times’ article last year. (That’s how I first heard about you.)

3. 

   Jim the Realtor on February 4, 2010 at 6:55 am

   Thanks Susie for your patronage and kind words always. Careful with that coffee though, this blog is served ‘as-is’ without warranty.

4. 

   François Caron on February 4, 2010 at 6:58 am

   Jumped out of the second story window? Ouch! That must have been a rough landing! But did the crackhead actually feel anything?

   Interesting set of wheels. If you were tempted Jim, that would have been a funny situation! “Honey! Guess what I got today!”

5. 

   Locomotive Breath on February 4, 2010 at 7:25 am

   San Diegans under-appreciate the classic Spanish-style homes in the area…glad to see Jim giving them the attention they deserve.

   I think it takes a few years of living in other areas of the country to truly appreciate them.

   I think adding the Jeep beside the 66 would truly seal the deal on Jim being the real-estate Hunter Thomas. He could even throw a Vette engine in it to make a matching set…

6. 

   UCGal on February 4, 2010 at 7:54 am

   There’s something really nice about the original spanish style bungalows from the 20’s-40’s… Compare that to the neo-taco “spanish style” tract homes they’re building now. I’ll take the smaller original any day.

   (My husband, an architect, says that the term neo-taco is actually used among architects, behind the customer’s back, to describe what the customer is demanding these days.)

7. 

   Local Boy on February 4, 2010 at 8:50 am

   Keep in mind that homes built in the 1920-1940 era were NOT tract homes–they were built one-by-one. Maybe they should go back to that??? Sell lots with the utilities stubbed-up and let the homeowner do the rest (subject to some CCR’s)Might work well in some parts of town.

8. 

   Jinx on February 4, 2010 at 11:00 am

   I know those homes – those are some of my favorites in Oceanside. Id buy there in a heartbeat if I didn’t have to worry about schools.

9. 

   JordanT on February 4, 2010 at 1:37 pm

   Keep in mind that homes built in the 1920-1940 era were NOT tract homes–they were built one-by-one. Maybe they should go back to that???

   There’s just less money in that, then building big houses on as small a lot as possible.

10. 

    Art Eclectic on February 4, 2010 at 2:03 pm

    JordanT, from what I gather, the “big house on a small lot” thing was driven by the cities/counties heaping huge development fees that made it only profitable to build huge houses on postage-stamp lots. While I have no love for the big builders, they didn’t create that mess by themselves.

    I’ll be Clearfund would be able to tell us some stories…..

11. 

    desmo on February 4, 2010 at 3:03 pm

    My brother owned the house in Encinitas, (the one pictured at the start). Old crappy house, he did make some improvements to it, but it was a POS. He was single at the time. He went in the bathroom one night and found a raccoon hanging from the ceiling! The giant pine tree out front is a disaster, dropping sap and needles all year long. You needed that old Jeep that was for sale just to get up the driveway over the roots.

12. 

    CA renter on February 5, 2010 at 12:46 am

    JordanT, from what I gather, the “big house on a small lot” thing was driven by the cities/counties heaping huge development fees that made it only profitable to build huge houses on postage-stamp lots. While I have no love for the big builders, they didn’t create that mess by themselves.
    ———————-

    IMHO, when the politicians court the big developers and builders, the current “neo-taco” (thanks, UCGal) junk is exactly what we get.

    I’d love to see an end to the big developers and builders. Just sell lots to people who want to build their own custom homes. Too bad there’s too much $$$$$ to be made by the politicians/govt and developers.

13. 

    JordanT on February 5, 2010 at 7:54 am

    JordanT, from what I gather, the “big house on a small lot” thing was driven by the cities/counties heaping huge development fees that made it only profitable to build huge houses on postage-stamp lots.

    That still means that it’s the most profitable way to develop land though. Even without the fees why would you leave money on the table as a developer?

14. 

    BSinOside on February 6, 2010 at 12:39 pm

    About the Hunter S. Thompson thing…

    Yeah Jim, go out and buy a white 1971 Caddy convertible like the one in “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas”. Either that or a Vincent Black Shadow motorcycle !