Would homebuyers consider other areas if rush hour traffic eased up a bit?
It’s not perfect, but recent highway construction has improved the flow:
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Jim Klinge
Klinge Realty Group
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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
Hi Jim,
I always think that if they got rid of the car pool lanes, traffic will be much better.
No house, no matter how spectacular or how great the school system is worth sitting in traffic for an hour each morning and an hour coming home at night. Every Day.
That’s 10 hours of your week lost to nothing more than commuting.
That’s 40 hours every month.
Every month you spend one entire week’s worth of work hours sitting on a freeway, moving at 10 MPH.
What’s wrong is not that we need bigger and better freeways – it’s that we need to develop job centers in outlying areas of cities. We need to change over to telecommuting and stop wasting people’s time, wasting gas and generating enormous amounts of pollution.
Commuting time and costs are a big reason why houses close to urban centers retain value better than suburbs and exurbs. I live 5 miles from DC and my the value drops in my zip code are a fraction of what they were out in nowhere-ville.
Same reason why the Inland Empire got completley crushed. Who on earth would want that commute unless that’s all they could afford? And, maybe not even then when gas is $4 a gallon.
I saw a car get crunched yesterday trying the last minute “zipper” merge, so be careful!
Excellent idea with the traffic videos, Jim. I’m curious about the traffic along the 56 (going from the 5 to Rancho Penasquitos, RB and the 4S Ranch area). How is that at peak travel times?
We can monitor traffic online. There are even several cameras along I5 between 805 merge point and Lomas Santa Fe.
http://www.sigalert.com/map.asp?region=san+diego#lat=32.95673&lon=-117.16512&z=1
After several days of watching, I found I5 from Del mar heights to Manchester usually busy during evening rushing hour (4:30-5:30). 56 is even worse. 78 is the worst.
correction: “78 is worst” ==> “76 is worst”
usually busy during evening rushing hour
It’s better than it used to be.
I’m curious about the traffic along the 56 (going from the 5 to Rancho Penasquitos, RB and the 4S Ranch area). How is that at peak travel times?
I commute from PQ to Mira Mesa (the part just off the 805) There is heavy traffic until you get to Carmel Valley Road, just a few miles, and then it speeds up to 60 the rest of the way. I’d say the traffic adds about 10 minutes onto my commute. Door to Door, it’s about 20 minutes without traffic and 30 minutes with traffic.
It’s actually a shorter commute (by time) than when I lived in PB, and my commute is certainly shorter than the people who commute down the 805 into mission valley, north park etc.
Jim, how much of the traffic improving is the poor economy? (Less jobs=less commuters) or the flight of jobs from S.D. to elsewhere (e.g., SAIC)? Maybe some of this is cyclical, in which case its just a temporary reprieve.
It could be temporary, but hang with me. We may not need more freeway construction.
The traffic, and everything else, depend on when the “jobs come back”.
But I don’t think they are coming back.
I think the economy of the future (the new economy) will be dependent on creating new opportunities, and most of those being self-employed.
Tele-commuting, and working out of the house, should get more and more popular – especially if gas prices go through the roof.
The unemployed/under-employed who are waiting for someone to give them a job, are in for a long wait. It may never happen.
Eventually they’ll create a new oppotunity for themselves, or make a living of out squatting.
We definitely don’t need more freeway construction. All that does is make transit easier which then encourages more moves to the outlying areas and jam up the highways again.
Right on that point. The “build more roads” approach to congestion mangagement just leads to longer commutes (e.g., the cities ranked with longest commute by time (not by congestion): Houston, Nashville, etc.
Not sure I think work at home is the future of the economy, unless those flyers I see on utility poles everywhere are right. The economy of any city needs big businesses to thrive. Ma and Pa shops don’t make cities happen.
CALTans is in the works of expanding the 5, both directions from Oceanside to La Jolla to up to 12 lanes (maybe its 16) Talk about unsightly concrete landscape.
It will take 15 years. San Diegans had better speak up. Talks with City’s ends in November.
Jim, I have another theory on that I-5 slowdown n/of Del Mar Heights: that’s the first picturesque view of the ocean coming north, and everyone looks left in admiration. Having commuted the route for several years, I watched traffic moving along fine, and then suddenly heads turn and fingers point at the beautiful coastline. They brake without realizing it, and before long, the whole freeways at a crawl for nothing. Another driver distraction, this one by Mother Nature…
A good theory – I like it.
May be coupled with those waving sadly at their money lost at the track?
The I5 is my daily commute. From north Carlsbad down to Hillcrest, then back again. Without traffic, it takes me 35 minutes. With the normal freeway congestion, maybe 45. I’m able to work at the edge of normal commuting hours, so most times I miss it. I’ve decided it’s doable.
The reality for us is if we want a house (vs a condo) it’s pretty much south oceanside or west vista (and that’s neither spectacular house nor spectacular school district). There’s very little else that’s [what we consider] affordable until you get to clairemont, and that’s out given my husband works in orange county.
Personally, I’d rather see them improve public transportation than widen the freeway as much as they’re talking of doing.