We’ve been following the modular/manufactured home idea, wondering if they will get to the point that they’ll look the same as a stick-built house. Here’s the latest:
Hat tip to Natalie for the text-alert on the crane showing up today!
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Jim Klinge
Klinge Realty Group
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- 682 S. Coast Hwy 101, Suite #110
Encinitas, CA 92024 - (858) 997-3801 call or text
- klingerealty@gmail.com
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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
Very cool! Hope you are able to get some video of it being put together.
My aunt and uncle live in a 2 story modular home in Maine they’ve had for, oh I don’t know, at least 15 years. It looks like any of the regular homes on their street, has a garage etc… Not anything like a single-wide trailer.
I may just have to have a modular house for the next one–that seems like pretty good prices for installed. There are lots of lots around VA where I’m moving and doing a “custom” modular house may be a lot more appealing than the standard 50 year old homes, regardless of how well maintained. I’ll be looking in to that!
My wife and I are currently in escrow on a parcel of land that contains a stick-built main home, and a manufactured guest home. The main home has about 3 times the square footage of the guest home. In order to make the manufactured guest home match the main home a red tile roof and full stucco coats were applied to the manufactured home. Additionally, the manufactured home is bolted to a concrete stem-wall foundation.
Here’s the rub: In spite of the fact that we have great credit, and are placing a large amount of cash as down payment, it has been very difficult to obtain a conventional loan on this property. Why? We have been told that the main reason is the presence of the manufactured home. The appraisal is fine, no problem there. The guest house is in very good condition, and the only problem appears to be in the “manufactured” name only.
Apparently, the pendulum has swung at the banks. When given a property that does not fit into their pigeon holes, the bankers don’t know what to do. The lack of available financing has been very frustrating, and something to watch out for.
Is the guest house “Manufactured” or “Modular”?
Part of the key of the “Modular” is that it is legally considered site build, because it meets the same city-local specs, while “Manufactured” only meets the federal specs as a trailer-park home and is harder to finance.
These, being modular, are legally treated like stick-built.
The main drawback to this is that you really can’t take advantage of a site. Will there be windows off the living directed at the ocean view or will it be a small shower window facing west?
They usually look like they are designed for somewhere cold in the mid-west, not open like it should be in California. More sentimental than functional.
Better get that foundation precise too.
I think you will also see the trailer-like qualities up close with emphasis on plastic and faux materials.
Lastly, how will they hold up? With so many connection points they are bound shift and settle unevenly.
Probably similar to investing in a new car but instead it’s your home.
Steel construction modular units in San Jose, CA:
http://www.newwavehomebuilders.com/pdf/PrefabulousCahillArticle04.10.05.pdf
Finished product:
http://www.siliconvalleylofts.com/Downtown+San+Jose/Cahill+Park.htm
Modular tract in Los Gatos, CA:
http://mytown.mercurynews.com/archives/lgwt/20050511/lg-re-feature2.shtml
Finished product (scroll down a bit):
http://www.manufacturedhousing.org/publications/default.asp?id=19&article=230
There was a nice looking modern prefab home installed on Carmel Valley Rd overlooking Torrey Pines lagoon within the last year or two. Maybe Jim featured a short video about it. I don’t think the finish and connections looked plastic or faux.
I think the time to build on site is much shorter, but there are still several months to have the home built at the factory – especially for some of build-to-order designs that allow for a custom home built out of modular pieces.
Any chance of a walk through of the interior on James? Many of the “green” modular models I have seen go for a very modern/contemporary interior design aesthetic.
And now for my favorite:
http://www.mkdesigns.com/homes/glidehouse
Some background:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelle_Kaufmann
Featured in Sunset Magazine:
http://www.sunset.com/home/architecture-design/meet-glidehouse-modern-prefab-00400000012460/
I’ve been looking seriously at modular homes. In SD there’s all kinds of small plots available. Even in established housing tracts. Generally the seller prices the land on what it would take to build a new house on site which generally equals established home values. While this is well and good everyone knows building budgets rarely = the number you’re accounting for. With a modular home it’s much easier to hit a specific build price because you’re dealing with only one or two contractors. Knowing the exact price makes buying land and building a new home much more appealing.
As someone else brought up…How durable are they?
I remember walking through Hanford, CA a few years back. The Sears Catalog Homes there seem to have stood the test of time quite well.
I’ve got to say I’m not a huge fan of the way that other one looked. Makes me think of Darth Vader.
does the one on magnolia have a raised foundation of some sort… kinda looked like a basement… but don’t know that could be?
I’ve been studying the modular home market here in the province of Quebec for a while now, and unfortunately I can’t seem to find any valid info on the overall quality and reliability of these homes.
However, over here, if a general contractor were in trouble with the law, all they have to do to escape justice is shut down the old business and start a new one under a different name. So taking into consideration that the same handful of modular home builders are still in business under their original names after decades of operation, that might be a positive indicator as to the overall quality of their homes. They didn’t take the money and run.
The only real complaint I have with modular homes is that they sometimes look too modern whenever they try to mimic a traditional home style, especially the French Canadian style. Our pioneers did NOT use PVC siding! 🙂
The Sears Catalog homes were different. They shipped the house in numbered pieces which you then assembled on site. It looks like these modular homes are mostly assembled elsewhere and then just plopped on your lot.
This is such a great idea. I would do this in a heartbeat if it were an easier process.
Looks like the dream ended for Michelle Kaufmann. Bummer.
http://blog.michellekaufmann.com/?p=2147
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/05/michelle-kaufmann-packs-it-in.php
One of the advantages to modular homes here in CA is that they are built to be transported – and handle the vibration of that transport… this translates to earthquake readiness. Since we live in a seismic area – that is a real advantage.
http://www.newwavehomebuilders.com/pdf/PrefabulousCahillArticle04.10.05.pdf
Wow, these were built right here in Potato Land (ie Boise) where I recently bought a new home. Interesting article; mahalo for posting, no_techie
This home built in 4 months ….the white home next door 18 months. Both are beautiful homes – but why would you spend an additional 14 months doing a job that could be done in 4????