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...
Jim, my “tech guru” son has VERY stable employment. At the age of just 29, he makes over 6-figures. Not here to brag. On bubbleinfo, it’s all about real estate.
I encouraged him to buy something and live in it for two years because real estate where he lives is increasing by leaps-and-bounds. Won’t do it. Doesn’t know if he will be staying in that city long-term. So he continues to rent.
But there’s hope. He and his sister decided to live together. Right downtown–where they love it. Daughter already moved in; he moves in today. Have a 1-year lease from June 1st.
He pays more of the eye-popping rent: $1,800/month for 2/1 and 749 sq. feet. Crazy, right? But newest listings for 1/1 639 sq. foot apartment in same building has increased to $2,050 in last month. It’s a college town.
Why am I happy? If he shares the rent, he’ll save more for the whopping down payment since houses are going for over $500/sq. foot. He recently told me what he has in checking and savings. My jaw dropped. It’s more than me…
Susie,
The best tech housing story I’ve ever heard was about a guy that lived on a boat in the SF Marina. His boat cost 50k and the slip was $500 a month. He walked downtown every day to hang out with friends and caught the bart to work in SJ. He changed boats every 5-6 months and upgraded. All the rest of his 150-200k salary went to his piggy bank.
Regarding Shiller…
I find it amazing that people give him the time of day. Nothing he says is earth shattering and he gives himself 3 months lag time to make his market comments. I like how he’s able to talk from both sides of his mouth but never to far one way or another. Just enough to stay on the radar and get quoted + make $$$.
And none of the interviewers ever question his statements – just take them at face value and keep moving.
Shiller, I thought I was the only one who thinks he gets way too much attention LOL.
Tech savers, I like the story of the google employees with fake home addresses who actually live at the facility LOL. (free food, free sleeping area’s, free laundry), what a life LOL.