Once you accept that every house needs at least $25,000 of repairs and improvements, select the house with a premium location and minimal expenses. ProfHoff and her husband Tom took four years to find the right house, so shopping hard for another six months to pay the right price, for the right upgrades, was nothing:
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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. Jim & Donna Klinge helped us sell our home of 30 years in Ocean Hills. We were very happy with their service and would HIGHLY recommend them to anyone looking for an Honest, Knowledgeable, Skilled, Informed Efficient realty team. Both Jim & Donna were so helpful in different ways and complemented each others skills. Please refer to a more detailed review that we wrote on YELP. Thank You Both for all your help!!!Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. A+ thank youTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Many years ago, we purchased a home in Carlsbad, using a realtor that was recommended to us - Jim Klinge. Fast forward to 2025, we recently had the privilege of selling 2 homes in Carlsbad, CA and didn't hesitate to reach out to Jim and Donna Klinge of Klinge Realty Group to guide us through the sales. The transactions were very different, each with its own unique situation, opportunities and challenges. From start to finish, Donna and Jim helped navigate the pre-sale preparation, the listing, showing of the house, buyer negotiations, the final close and all of the paperwork and decisions in between. What stands out with both transactions is the professionalism of Jim and Donna (and their team), wonderful communication (timely, relevant, concise), their deep understanding of market dynamics (setting realistic expectations), their access to top-notch contractors, and last, their ability to guide us across the finish line successfully. We wouldn't hesitate to use Jim and Donna in the future and highly recommend them for anyone looking to buy or sell a property in North San Diego County.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!Load more
awesome work!
I really like the cabinets. They did a killer job on them.
You know some people might have the time but lack the construction skills to do the simplest of projects. Most people are afraid of failure and never attempt to do anything. The best way of getting experience is to try a project. You will probably make some rookie mistakes but you learn.
Most of the people that are good at something have made the rookie mistakes before and built on them. Just hope that if you hire someone they have got their rookie mistakes out of their system.
Nice looking place….didnt not find much value in in upgrades. Floors, lighting, paint money well spent. Cabinet staining, and low end furniture from ikea does not make it pop. House already had good bones, loved the herringbone elongated trav. Would have tossed that $5/sq ft granite and replaced granite backsplash with something else ( $5k)
Very good. May also want to warn people that sometimes HOA requirements require certain improvements be done in a timely matter after purchasing a house – budget that accordingly.
Agreed that furniture from Ikea is not going to pop like something more authentic, but this is a getaway home to relax and for now, Ikea is good enough.
We did splurge on the bed in the master and the two guest rooms look pretty good.
We still have a long way to go – more art, more stuff, but it’s comfy and we don’t have to worry about the steady stream of visitors wrecking anything.
Re: the granite – we hate the granite, but we were committed to doing the minimum to make it habitable and nice.
The experience of our primary house is burned into our brains like a bad dream – bought at the peak, gutted it, sunk a small fortune into a total custom redo and now will never ever ever be able to sell for anything close to what it cost. So, our main objective was – let’s not do that again and Jim promised he wouldn’t let us get out of control on the beach house.
He kept his word…
Yes, this was a very specific package.
The previous owner sealed off the TV niche, which visually made the family room even smaller. Notice the slight difference now – it feels like there is at least more depth to the room. Add the smaller ikea furniture (which was deliberate) and it works great in a room of this size. If you used the typical sofa/loveseat combo instead, not only does the family room get gobbled up, it kills the kitchen too.
We weren’t looking for pop – we were looking for a complete package: Best location with turn-key house that we could sell within 17 days once I find them the next home.
This is a standard tract neighborhood where you don’t want to get carried away if you are going to resell in the next 2-5 years.
Water’s End has seen 22 closings this year, which is astronomical. The highest is $795,000, and ProfHoff bought a premium lot for $740,000. Keeping a budget of <$25,000 is smart - if it keeps going and they get back into the $800,000s by summer, they will enjoy good appreciation and won't mind selling quick to get into the destination home.
Re: specific package
I see…in that case strategic spend on key elements money well spent. Place looks sharp…scale of modern furniture certainly transforms smaller rooms to be visually larger and more open. Would like to see net affect of 25k spend on sale price…
Hey Jim,
Is that all american hardwoods in action again re doing the floors in this video? Good Job on all in my books!
Great bang for the buck there.
“Don’t unpack, I’ll be back” – Classic JTR.
the $25k remodeling limit is definitely sage advice. otherwise you can really go overboard once getting started. especially on tract homes like this, you want to make sure you have mass appeal when it comes selling time. and more doesn’t always mean better.
when it comes to the cabinet vs granite. I think the granite looks perfectly fine, whereas the maple looking old cabinet really gave the house a dated look. that cabinet change was a good idea and it was pulled off nicely.
well done!
Agreed, and those are the same cabinets, just re-touched by our painter to look new/different.
Most buyers don’t know what they are looking at, and neither do agents. They just want something snazzy-looking, so this is a cheap way to fit the bill.
Will these improvements add dollar for dollar to sales price? I hate that idea because it matters more to time the sale around other good comps nearby.
If you sell today, it would be $1 for $1. If they sell right after a couple of homes close in the low-to-mid $800,000s, the updated look should propel them to the top of the range, and you could say $2 for $1.
that’s an excellent paint job! I was certainly fooled!