In the last video I mentioned how Keith and Chrissy were kind enough to arrange a brief sit-down with the most acclaimed builder in county history, Bill Davidson. We are scheduled to get together on April 24th.
You know I’ll be asking about my favorite – single-story houses.
What else? Do you have questions or comments for the luxury-home builder?
For those who are content to stay put, and not buy a new house – here are remodeling ideas from Better Homes and Garden:
Jim Klinge
Klinge Realty Group
Are you looking for an experienced agent to help you buy or sell a home?
Contact Jim the Realtor!
CA DRE #01527365, CA DRE #00873197
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
I’m curious what he thinks about modular/pre-fab home construction. Seems to fit well with the trends of the smaller homes, and more intensive building standards.
I’m curious about lot sizes in general. Does Davidson have a rule regarding how big a lot should be for a given house footprint, how has that changed over time, and where will it be going forward?
Personally, I don’t mind a small lot so long as the yard is large enough to entertain a small group of guests (12) comfortably. But I also don’t want a lot so small that my voice echoes down “Stucco Canyon”.
I have two small kids with my oldest in kindergarten. I predict my weekends will be crammed with driving them to various athletic activities, birthday parties, and family outings for years to come. Therefore, I won’t have the time to tend to a large yard (i.e. lot).
I wonder if I am in the minority with this viewpoint? So yeah, I would be interested to here what Davidson has to say on lot size.
does he think new houses will be built for zero carbon or sustainability such as built in PV, SOlar thermal, etc?/
What differentiates a home from a normal builder versus a luxury home builder at the same square footage?
just some guy,
If you have a small yard then your kids will go elsewhere whenever they can. My parents made home the defacto neighborhood rec center and all the kids came to our place… so mom always knew where we were. 😉
How much buildable land is left within the 56 corridor? In the county?
What about giving the buyers option to include the MR payoff into the purchase price, or at least give the MR payoff info to the buyer at time of purchase.
How’s the financing environment for builders these days? is the lending environment making it more difficult for local builder like himself to compete with national builders like Toll or Standard Pacific…
two questions:
1) How have labor costs & material costs moved during the boom, bust, now?
2) Since the bust, has he seen a change in sentiment among his larger institutional equity partners regarding return expectations, and level of capital (as a % of total cost) that they are willing to contribute? Are more equity players coming back into the marketplace?
One word: “Basements”
Based on the comments here, Davidson will not know what hit him when JtR shows up!
@TJ and the Bear
I know you what you mean. Our house was the neighborhood rec-cen because my dad’s hobby was landscaping and pool construction. The jacuzzi was built above the pool and into the hillside. We would all jump off the top and into the deep end. A nightmare scenario for today’s nervous-nellie-helicopter type parents.
One great neighborhood was built in SE Carlsbad 12 years ago, “The Ranch”. Larger homes on spacious lots(ave. 1/2 acre) that works in every way. I would like to know from Davidson why this has never been copied and if it is even reasonable to do that in North San Diego County Coastal again. That hood retains all the value any owner ever put into it…the schools helped it too.
“My parents made home the defacto neighborhood rec center and all the kids came to our place… so mom always knew where we were.”
We were too poor to make our home the defacto home, but our parents always knew where we were any way, as we were the loudest by far.
I have seen HOA/MR fees trend higher and higher progressively now for the last 20 years but at the same time, homes with lower fees often times are priced a fair amount higher or offer fewer amenities. Does he see an increase in HOA/MR fees as an ongoing trend or does he see any sign that people are willing to pay a higher initial purchase price with lower HOA/MR fees?
I’m curious what his thoughts are on quality. What specifically sets his homes apart from the others? I’m sure he’ll like that question! But I’ve always wondered why other builders have a hard time matching his homes.
Is he going to go into smaller, semi-custom, luxury developments like Nantucket & Magnolia Estates?
What goes into the staging? Who is it run by? It is excellent! I’m not normally a fan of tract homes…but his staging is amazing.
And lastly, where does he see pricing going this year and into the future?
Following Bill’s answer to Jakob’s question, I would ask “why can’t modular/pre-fab home construction be done regularly for big awesome houses?”
It seems to me the construction company gets the benefit of doing most of the “building” in a climate controlled environment (the shop), the foreman can see the workers for many projects at once (since the workers are in the shop). the workers don’t have to work in the weather (thus cheaper labor), the inspectors are present more often (they come for one project and thus can inspect any other project while they are there), etc. All this regardless of the size of the house they are building; thus a bigger house means more savings to the builder.
Big luxury homes can’t be built from modular parts?
Buyers of big luxury homes can’t get past their ego to have a home built from modular parts?
Ask him what he thinks about this
http://northochousingnews.com/news/4374
“Metropolitan area governments are adopting plans that would require most new housing to be built at 20 or more to the acre,…..”
Jim, please tell Mr Davidson how much we appreciate his craftsmanship and how he put his passion for building first. It shows up in little things like the bigger baseboards and the wall fininishings. It also shows up in the styling and the open floor plan. We love how when the weather dips to the 40’s, we still stay in the 60’s indoor. And how when the weather hits the 90’s, the interior still stays within the 70’s. That is of course because of the insane amount of insulation he put in to his homes. It is this type of “behind the wall” difference that sets him apart!
We are over at Scripps Preserve in Stonebridge, and we know things were quite difficult for the entire building industry during the bust. Please thank him for keeping the community intact and insisting on staying true to his calling of building quality homes. We have seen absolute disasters from his competitors in neighboring neighborhoods and we appreciate the tough division he had to make on a daily basis.
Any hope for new developments to take on a modern design slant instead of the over-done Mediterranean look ?