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.
This is #9 on the all-time list, and another personal favorite:
https://youtu.be/CUJOdDZO1v0
I remember that one!
What did that place sell for, and what have the new owners done with it?
Ah, the memories, Jim! So who bought the “pot farm” house? Wish you could go back and do an updated 2016 video…
LOL! Took me a while, but then I got it. “High” on the hill! LOL!
I’ll bet both of those ended up being great buys.
The abandoned Snoop Lloydy Wright home is still my favorite.
The barbecue grill in the front yard meeting facility and the backyard standing broad jump pit sealed has yet to be beaten, imo.
should be:
“the backyard standing broad jump pit has yet to be beaten, imo.”
that’s presuming my post passes the “good taste” test.
Honorable Mention:
The 80-something year old guy who flew in artisans from Poland to build a castle on a hilltop with imported masonry–if I remember correctly. I was rooting for that guy.
Thanks for sharing these Jim. I used to have a YouTube playlist of your “greatest hits,” but ended up deleting it after you made the videos private. Nice to see them again!
“Say hello to my little friend” LOL. Best JTR line ever.
The 80-something year old guy
The old Hungarian didn’t make it to see it through. I was trying to sell the lot for $399,000 with no luck.
A year or two later, his widow wanted me to list it for a million. I told her that I couldn’t sell it for $399,000, why a million?
“The economy is better”.
I politely declined, and she listed with another realtor.
That listing does still hold the all-time record for blog fireworks. When I put the video on the blog, the comments came flooding in from neighbors and other detractors about how the old guy built walls without permits and was a bad guy. I knew him for years and always had respect for him, but I guess a project like this might rub some NIMBYs the wrong way:
https://youtu.be/fFliQGE-A8M
after you made the videos private.
Realtors were using them against me. It’s not easy being me!
“Realtors were using them against me. It’s not easy being me!” -JtR
And that’s why we all love you, Jim. You’re one of the few realtors around who actually had integrity, and works his butt off.
Total respect, JtR, total respect!
It’s why I’ve been a bubbleinfo addict ever since reading that LA Times article (“The Hunter S. Thompson of Real Estate”) back in 2009. There’s a reason bubbleinfo is my home page. Awesome to wake up to… 🙂