33 Comments

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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Jerry MeyerMarch 28, 2025Trustindex 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 Mary Heather QuejadaMarch 27, 2025Trustindex 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. Lou FMarch 27, 2025Trustindex 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! --- William SamsMarch 25, 2025Trustindex 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. Emily HernandezDecember 29, 2024Trustindex 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. Jesus Adrian SahagunNovember 11, 2024Trustindex 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. SABIHA PASHAJuly 23, 2024Trustindex 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! Anu KobergJuly 13, 2024Trustindex 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. Bjorn IsachsenJuly 10, 2024Trustindex 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... Chris SheaJune 21, 2024Trustindex 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. Is it possible for a house to have ADHD?
It would cost $150-$200K in improvements to make it modern and livable.
$150k…my final offer.
Looks like a do-it-yourselfer.
“Buddha doesn’t look too happy; I can see why.” and “Is that from the Jetsons?”
*Sigh* Jim, I’m really losing my patience that you don’t offer keyboard insurance…
Jim, have you ever submitted anything to “Lovely Listing”? This might make the cut.
Classic…thought I’d seen it all. I was wrong. California will never cease to amaze.
What`s worse than a do-it-yourselfer that never finishes anything….
That house looks like a candidate for Holmes on Homes. I suspect that looking under the covers would find a multitude of problems. Holmes seems to find electrical screwups no matter where he looks.
I could not stop laughing….both at your comments and the house! What an atrocity….it just kept on getting worse and worse!
I think that price is too high….the house is a disaster and that pool isn’t looking too hot either.
got my vote for snarkiest video, ever. Perhaps the owners of this home were merely heeding the advice of the backyard Buddha–who apparently had a thing for skylights.
“I never see what has been done; I only see what remains to be done.”
– Buddha
Ugh. That’s not a deal at any price.
Wow….the tub made me laugh outloud! That was the perfect cherry-on-top of the house of disaster.
You seriously had me cracking up on that one! 🙂
Definitely scary to think of what’s underneath all those “upgrades.”
Are you still sure “there’s nothing price can’t fix?”
One of the best JTR tragicomedies to date! Right up there with the classic “You know when you see the white stone lions out front you are going to be in for an interesting experience” episode.
There’s nothing that tearing it down and rebuilding it won’t fix!
🙁
I laughed out loud at the master bath with two different sinks. Our rental has those.
-Erica
You know, I recognize a few of those poorly-executed improvements from my house in Denver, CO. The difference is that I only paid $250k for them.
Perhaps the listing should read “lot for sale, suitable for building single family residence, bring your own bulldozer and demolition crew.”
Never thought that I’d feel sorry for tile.
What’s worst bad taste or no taste. LOL. BOTH!!!! You are so funny!!
What a hack job.
I actually have seen the oven/microwave combo like that before. RSF quality. You crack me up!
Fireplace/Chimney disaster, but wasn’t that a grill outside behind that wall??
OMG. I couldn’t stop laughing. That swimming pool is green on google maps, didn’t happen overnight. LOL. Oh, man. Sure there aren’t an swamp things in there?
Maybe they went to the Winchester house and got the idea of just keep doing improvments.
HAHAHA. Buddah doesn’t look happy.
Love the window jobs.
Don’t you like the cave by the pool?
I almost didn’t want you to lay the price on me.
It was sad to read the “Wish upon a starfish.”
No drug use in the attic or late nights sneaking out.
LOL. The stand-alone blue stove is the clencher.
Wow. The master bath was really botched. YIKES!! and YUCK!!
Travertine on top of the old cabinets and different faucets.
Schizaphrenic.
735k!!!!! INSANE.
Holy…..Moley!
How many man hours did it take somebody to hack in all those bad projects? What in the cluck was going on there?
My parents almost bought a house like that. But the guy responsible for the atrocities was an unemployed landscaper so the inside of the house was spared. The quarter acre lot was covered, and I mean every square inch of it, was covered with outrageous landscape features. In the front yard sat a six feet tall earthen mound that contained a waterfall and the mound had 6 feet tall plants growing on it. My sister and I were shocked and did homework and found out the former owner had lost everything and committed suicide. Dad didn’t want to live in a haunted house. And I didn’t want to think about my Dad falling off a crazy water feature.
The house stayed on the market for another year and finally sold. The first thing the new owners did was bulldoze and sod that front yard.
I suspect that there is a dark side to the history of that house too.
Wow, I was close…I thought 720, then went up after seeing the master bedroom…
No taste and sheer stupidity go hand in hand nicely.
That fireplace has to be blatantly against code, with the non-chimney.
Hey JtR…Harvest Gold is due for a comeback!
never posted before but man, this one takes the cake.
what an absolute disaster that keeps on going.
maybe i missed it in the video, but gotta be Wells Fargo, right?
Nope, Downey Savings gave them a loan for $796,000 in 2007.
The property has been listed for 6 months by an out-of-town agent, but he hasn’t figured out that he isn’t in the SD MLS:
http://www.redfin.com/CA/Rancho-Santa-Fe/16206-Via-Pacifica-92091/home/4445560
Thank you taxpayers!
This property is worth more than land value. Land plus foundation plus framed structure. In other words, I do see potential. Bulldoze the yard, fill in the pool, tear everything in the structure down to the frames. Assuming the foundation is good, it would be a good starter for a full remodel.
Classic! See this kind of garbage in my area all the time. All I ever think is ..what drugs are they taking?
I’m speechless. I’ve never seen a house so full of ugly.
So full of ugly, and it all clashes.
It’s amazing what you can do with a HELOC, meth and rummaging through the Home Depot dumpster.
Maybe the guy was trying to one-up Nitt Witt Ridge:
http://www.centralcoasttourist.com/San_Luis_Obispo_CO/SLO_Area_Info/Cambria/Cambria_Features/NittWit/nitwit.html
I’ll go the opposite track – I doubt any of this was home ATM. Every single project smacks of improvement on a shoestring. The materials and design are all low end. Great ideas, poorly executed because the owner didn’t want to spend the cash to do it right. If this was a home ATM shrine, the kitchen would be full of granite and stainless and the master bath would be full of marble and travertine.
Fireplace in the bedroom? Fabulous idea, want one myself. However, not a fugly one like that. That’s someone improving on a shoestring.
Same thing with that stream and buddha, could have been really wonderful with better materials and design, however, it had neither.
Having done a lot of “owner-improvements” myself, I recognize the techniques and the drive to keep costs down. Finding good materials for cheap can be a real challenge if you aren’t will to spend the time.