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 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...
Are the kids part of the staging?
“That’s my kind of tub….I can throw it out the window.” hahaha. That was great.
We all know you hate tubs Jim….but if my family ever decides to move and buy a home? If there isn’t a big, nice bathtub…we’re not buying the house. My Dad won’t have a problem with it, but Mom will veto the entire house on the spot.
My mom cherishes her bathtub and when we built our house, she made sure that it was be done right. A huge tub that surrounded by a flat area of travertine where she puts her books, her magazines, pictures….whatever.
She uses it every night. But I agree that most of them don’t get used….especially in the secondary bedrooms.
I met Orva at an open house they had on Lago Lindo….very nice woman and spectacular house. Not on the market; I believe it sold. Funny that they’re competing that day! ha.
I remember you did that video about north Leucadia beach real estate….not sure how you’ll feel about this one:
http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/929-Neptune-Ave-Encinitas-CA-92024/16709121_zpid/#%7Bscid=hdp-site-map-bubble-address%7D
864 sq ft. Built in 1948 .15 acre lot…..$1,400,000 PENDING. Non oceanfront Neptune.
But isn’t this part of CV not really “prime CV”? Seems to me it’s a bit further away from the main part.
It’s in a top-flight elementary school district though, and the under-$1,000,000 buyers are frustrated enough that these will look tempting, even on the east side. The 56 ramps are close too.
I’m guessing that they’ll have more takers than houses, but if I go back in two weeks and they have homes for sale, it’ll be an interesting twist (though I didn’t check the locations of Phase 1).
“Real estate papparazzi” Another classic line by JtR…
Jim,
That was the line of the year about the tub: “Cuz you can throw it out the window.”
Thanks for the short visit to a dysfunctional past: The two bored kids zoned-out in front of the family room big-screen in the McMansion. Fast forward to next year and check out Mommy’s Prozac stash and the Ritalin bottles in Johnny’s medicine cabinet.
I would exchange the tub in the bathroom for a hot tub in the back yard, enclosed in a custom built gazebo for “extra privacy.” 😉
Location aside, I cannot show those models to my wife. She’d be begging me to buy that house.
Of course, after you get done with the “standard upgrades” that you see, what do you want to bet it’s no longer in the 8’s?
How negotiable are builders? What about on price? I would assume not much.
Chuck
I went through Brightwater last weekend and I haven’t asked them specifically about negotiability of pricing but traditionally, they have not budged too much on price upon release in CV. They typically provide a small incentive for upgrades and using their affiliated lender Wells.
I suspect if the houses keep selling once they are released, they’re not likely going to budge. If they sit for a while or if one falls out of escrow, and sits, you have a better chance.
What’s the Mello-Roos? $6K-$8K / year?
haha loved your commentary on the “old fogie” music…however, I’m 27 and interested in this price range / size / location of home and they played a lot of my favorite songs…actually commented to my husband several times how much I loved the music while we were touring the models this past weekend! Maybe I’m just an odd ball…or maybe I’m exactly the type of person they’re targeting for this development. Anyway, I agree that the downstairs laundry rooms were in odd locations, especially plan 1. Also think they could have done a better job with placing windows so you’re not staring right into your neighbors’ windows 3 feet away.