Jeeman was nice enough to allow bubbleinfo to tour his recently purchased home in the Covenant of Rancho Santa Fe. His purchase is the lowest ranch-style in the Covenant this year – congratulations Jeeman!
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Jim Klinge
Klinge Realty Group
Are you looking for an experienced agent to help you buy or sell a home?
Contact Jim the Realtor!
- 682 S. Coast Hwy 101, Suite #110
Encinitas, CA 92024 - (858) 997-3801 call or text
- klingerealty@gmail.com
CA DRE #01527365, CA DRE #00873197
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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
Definitely stain it! And if possible, try to remove the pink overcast. That’s a bit too “Miami Vice” 80s. 🙂
Would hardwood floors work in that room? Or stick with the carpet?
I agree the 90’s whitewash has to go. Sand and stain.
If it were me, I would leave the ceiling AS-IS, but I would remove the terracotta tile at all costs–by the way, I love the 70’s room with the diagonal firplace–swank! The house has good potential, but conservatively, it needs $100k in remodel work, probably much more–Here is the good news–if the remodel is done properly, they should get about $2 in equity for every $1 spent (in that price range/location).
You’ve got what looks like some nice wood on the ceiling. Don’t cover it with paint. Sand and stain the ceiling a bit darker, or leave it as is.
Delete all tile, especially on the kitchen work surfaces. The grout holds spills and tears apart sponges when you try to clean it.
Awfully fancy framing around the passage from the master bed to the bath. Poor Jim was surrounded by mirrors in there…
Lovely place, Jeeman. Congratulations.
Thanks, Local Boy! We expected about $100k in work. The expansion around $50k or so. We’ve gotten mixed reviews on the terra cotta, but I’ll go with the opinions of those familiar with the high end.
Besides the floor, what were your top 3 must-dos on the remodeling? We have our ideas, but having more input will help us make the best decisions!
ewhac, in the kitchen, we were thinking about dark cherry cabs, tan granite (the smearing look, not the speckled look), and stainless steel appliances.
If we do the addition, we’d have a totally new master setup. I was thinking of turning the existing master bath into an indoor jacuzzi room, and the master bedroom into a theater. But all of that is years off.
As for the ceiling, I vote for sand & stain. I also vote for ditching the terra cotta tiles. I thought Jim’s comments on the tiles were right on-the-money (literally).
Congrats, Jeeman! I love hearing stories like yours–three years looking! It gives me hope…
Jeeman – nice work getting a Covenant lifestyle underway.
Given the smaller volume of the rooms I would err on the lighter side of stains as dark stains/cabinets tend to shrink the feel of rooms. I would err toward honey/maple type of a feel.
You can spruce it up by ‘tipping’ the cabinets with black which gives it a distressed/antiqued look.
Flooring: Agree with JTR on travertine. To refine that comment, I would check out a 5 piece Versailles (sp?) pattern which essentially is similar to your firplace with 5 various sizes fit together. This will trend towards a more ‘rustic’ look than all squares.
Secondly, I would look at a chisled edge travertine with a semi-wide grout. This will save you real $$$ on install especially on an older home. In an older home the floors are not going to be level, thus they need to float the floor perfectly level and then match up the tiles very exact if you use square edges.
On the chiseled edge/wide grout the edges do not meet and are rough, thus less labor/effort as no one will notice if they are not perfectly flush.
Well played and in RSF to boot *thumbs up*. I vote for sand and stain on the ceiling.
Don’t “paint” the ceiling, and DON’T cut down the tree(s).
Bad ideas.
George, we won’t paint the ceiling. We may stain it though. Why not cut down the trees where we might want to expand out to? Just curious.
Thx!
Jeeman
Clearfund,
Thanks for those suggestions! They are very valuable to us! We will look into that type of travertine. I believe my mom did a similar pattern, but with smooth flat travertine.
Sounds like a smart buyer, not a forever one to me. My guess is, he’ll redo the kitchen & move on in two years – with a hefty profit ($500k tax-free). I agree with JTR on the fp wall & the ceiling, but travertine – high end? That stuff is a bad fad that saw its 15 minutes. It’s a cheap, incredibly fragile & pourous stone with no character that could only have become upscale in the crazy times we just lived thru. The stuff I like as a reasonable alternative would be slab or 24″ polished crema marfil limestone with stark marbling.
Thanks for the tour, it’s likely to be the only time I’ll get a close up view of that part of town
Doug – are you ready for a video tour of your house? I’d love to pick it apart.
Jeeman – Here is a photo of a 5pc chiseled edge pattern….not my favorite 5pc arrangement but gets you a fair representative look (there are many many versions and I like one with a longer rectangle piece in the mix…but that a personal preference).
http://versaillespattern.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/5e06319eda06f020e43594a9c230972d/V/e/Versailles-pattern-oro-antico_1.jpg
My suggestion is to visit Encinitas Tile just off Enc. blvd as it is close and they do a large majority of the RSF big boy houses and have great samples and ideas…also have a slab yard on site where you can troll the granite/marble slabs and see all the various unique choices…selecting your exact slabs is a mind numbing chore as they all look alike after an hour of staring them.
ps: I too like the slabs with more movement in them vs. the specs…
Jeeman-Here goes–Paint, Flooring, and FULL remodel of the Kitchen (cabinets, countertops appliances and flooring). Then bathrooms, one by one, beginning with the master–remodeling as necessary. A thought on the floor material–in the room(s) with the beautiful stone work on the walls, wood floors might compliment well–travertine there would be overkill in my opinion. Also, anyway to create a “great room” or connect the kitchen with any of the adjoing living areas would be a plus–it is usually more messy than it is costly.
Clearfund, excellent pattern! The wife loves it! I like the door in that picture too…we might swap out our standard white doors for wood-finished doors.
Local Boy, good idea on the wooden floor. We could put that in the sunken living room. The bathrooms are on the list too. I’m thinking same cabs/granite as the kitchen. Any thoughts on making all cabs and counters throughout the house the same? Or is that too monotonous?
clearfund, btw, we were planning on going to some slab yard this weekend, and we didn’t know which one. You just gave us a destination to hit up tomorrow or Sunday.
Ask for Sherri (a designer) in the Encinitas Tile showroom…she’ll design good stuff for you at no add’l charge beyond materials.
SWEET!!! Party at Jeeman’s place!!!!!
Seriously, I love the place and most of your plans to fix it up. Agree with everyone — please don’t paint the wood, just stain at most. Hate to see that beautiful tree sacrificed for the expansion, but you do what you have to.
Jeeman is stylin’!
Nice house, Jeeman!!!
Love the style, and all the gorgeous trees on the lot. That’s something you can never really have in Carmel Valley.
Agree with Local Boy’s suggestions in #16, and also would hate to see that tree cut down — it’s a beautiful tree. Not sure, but of the additions we’re familiar with (all done during the bubble period, so they’re probably a bit less now), a new (large?) master bedroom and bathroom would probably cost more than $50K.
Are you planning on staying for the long term, or are you looking to move in a few years? IMHO, that’s a great “final” house. Nice to have the guest house for extra income, or for a parent/in-law if they should ever need it.
Thanks for sharing your house with us, Jeeman! Hope you enjoy it for many years to come. 🙂
Jeeman,
Since CA renter mentioned it, you really should drop the “guest house” thing in favor of “man cave”. 🙂 Throw a monster flat screen, bar and pool table in there!
Late to the party – Agree with Clearfund on the tavertine flooring recommend. Don’t agree with Doug S. (sorry) on the Crema Marfil – it’s soft, scratches easily (personally know someone who used it heavily), requires sanding, honing & repolishing way too often, not dog friendly material.
Must do – sand, light stain wood ceiling. Ditch all terra cotta, travertine (I’d also use it throughout halls, passages and all bathroom floors). Deminish the use of mirrors throughout the interior through complete removal, replacement in bath areas with smaller framed versions at sinks to compliment cabinetry. Paint. Slab granite counters in the kitchen. Travertine, marble or granite tiles in the baths would refresh without the expense of slab. Stainless professional grade appliances in the kitchen remodel.
P.S. – congratulations, and really nice bones there.
JTR, You’ve had an open invite to kibbitz since the week we bt. this money-pit. You’ve seen more of these in any 3 months than we’ve seen in total. There was a utube video done of it years ago but I don’t know if it’s still outin cyberworld. A tour might be fun when we settle in.
Let me know when you’re in the neighborhood, if you think it’s noisy in rsf we’ll get you some ear-plugs. :>)))
Sol, YES it does.
I am tired of seeing stainless appliances. You see them in all income levels of houses. In another 3-4 years they will be definitley out.
I think it was green refrigerator in the 50’s. dark brown in the 70’s. almond in 90’s, stainless in 2000. Its time for a new fad.
I second the motion for Party at Jeeman’s place.
Congratulations,
I really like a nice ranch house, and like you said in your second video, nice bones. I’m not an interior decorator, but keep it simple and avoid the timeline markers. Well done on a very nice place in a lovely location.
CA Renter, we bought it expecting to stay for life. We have no plans on selling. But we may be enticed during the next upturn (after renovations) to put some ridiculous price and see if someone bites. 🙂
Worm, if stainless steel is going to be out of style, do you have an idea of something “up and coming”? I am thinking sub-zero for the fridge to match it to the cabs. But the rest of the appliances don’t have that kind of option.
bill, thanks! I’m a bit concerned about travertine being dated, but then again, it does have that rustic look.
Nice find and score Jeeman.
Its a keeper!
Jeeman – The house we were pursuing on your street was your neighbor to the right (looking from the golf course). I believe an architect bought it with a plan to teardown….obviously that never happened.
My number was in the $700k range at the time (if my aging memory still works) in 2001/2…but the house was smaller and had less rear yard than yours.
Jeeman-
I tore down and rebuilt in South Mission one house back from the ocean. Since I was single, all the decisions and interior design were made by me.
So I basically stayed away from trendy stuff. Of course I have granite in the kitchen but my cabinets are basically white with slide in refrigerator fronts. They looked traditional 12 years ago and they still look modern (traditional) today.
No idea on what will be popular next. Just remember that you will not be replacing the appliances in five years and you will be having an open kitchen concept.
My third floor has a great ocean view in the front. I put in plumbing for a future bathroom but use the room as my familay room with the master in the back with only a tiny view. All the guys say great room to party and all the girls wonder why it is not the master. Enjoy compromising and you made a great deal and choice.
clearfund, I drive by the house everyday (obviously)…it looks extremely dated…like a 1960s ranch, and definitely a tear down or a serious renovation.
Jeeman – you are correct on the condition of your neighbor’s home…i brought in some large BB’s, put them on the floor and watched them all roll across the room and congregate in the corner….don’t need an engineering degree to figure that issue out…
That is also why we offered $700k in 2001 which i considered dirt value (had just paid $760k in The Bridges in October 2001 for a 1.5ac lot w/o view).
I’d like all yall’s opinions on cabs…I’ve read online that you can use Ikea’s cabinet boxes and put your own doors on them, and that it’s vastly cheaper to do so. They claim that alot of high-end homes are doing this, and that Ikea cabs are rated higher than Home Depot’s.
So, I went by Ikea and looked at the cab boxes, and they seemed sturdy, but all particle board. There is no way I am going to put particle board in my house, but do you guys have an opinion on this? I find it hard to believe people won’t notice Ikea boxes even if custom doors are on them.
Most people won’t notice, however, you will and that’s most important.
My suggestion is to have them quote your house, then have a custom guy quote your house (keep boxes and doors separate on the bid).
Then you’ll see how much you “notice” the IKEA boxes or not.
Cabinets used to be VERY expensive. We were spending well over $100k (some up to $250k) on 5-6k sf homes in RSF for custom cabinets.
I dare say that cabinet makers will do the work for much less than they used to…just don’t be in a rush or tear out the old ones until the new ones are onsite with an install crew!!
ps: lots of the added cost in cabinets is the ‘ginger bread’ trim you add such as fluting, crown, claw foot at the base, etc. depending on your ‘theme’ adding a little custom touch of trim can be a relatively affordable way to make it a very custom look for your personal style.
clearfund, for sure, we will do the trim stuff. A friend who is a woodworker will do that stuff for us. I’m not sure he can do the rest of the cabs for that much less than others. I have a long time to research/compare, so I’ll take my time in doing it 🙂