Our friend Susie left the Central Coast of California for more reasonably-priced housing – in Idaho!
Here’s what it’s like in Potato Land:
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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
Now that’s what I’m talking about. I could move in there. Location, not so much & I’d like a view. Otherwise, amount of sq. ft.-check , rooms & arrangement-check, interior/exterior maintanence-check, plus size man cave-check.
Congratulations Suzie, may you experience many years there with much happiness.
Beautiful home Susie! (and beautiful price too, excuse while I go cry for a minute lol…) But seriously, congratulations on the new home. A couple of my favorite things are the master bath (nice shower!), the stonework around fireplace, and the kitchen of course.
Susie pulled it off….great home. Love hearing more stories of Californians taking their money, energy, and creativity to a place that will treat them well. My parents are 4 years in from the CA-ID move and love it even more than they did on day 1.
Good work Susie.
I will jump off a cliff now. This is why I can’t bring myself to buy. That house would be 1.2 M here easy!
Grats Suzie! Nice place. My wife’s uncle, my aunt and uncle, and my cousin all moved to Idaho. They seem to really like it there.
Susie… Beautiful house. How’s the gun situation up there? I hear people sleep with 9mm Glock pistols under their pillow.
Thanks for sharing, Susie. That is a beautiful house. I LOVE the space saving pocket doors, too bad CA tract home builders don’t utilize them.
Our friends (raised in Boise) made their money in CA then retired to Meridien (Boise outskirts) and custom built a gorgeous house on acreage. They love the area and we’ve found when we visit that people are warm and friendly, there are gourmet grocery stores and upscale shopping (if you’re into that), plus lots of great medical care. The outdoor sports are a big part of the lifestyle. All in all, seems like a great place to live.
The cat definitely seemed happy in the window! 🙂
Beautiful place Susie! And a great price too! Congratulations!
Jim I know this probably isn’t the precise blog posting for me to post this but I thought you and your readers would be interested.
If you recall, a while back there was a house that was on the market and then went off the market due to some shifty goings on. I hope you all recall. Either way, the house came back on the market a couple of weeks ago and the new Realtor we had started to work with last December was the one showing us the property this time round.
Terrible effort on the Realtor’s part. We worked with him for a total of 4 weeks. 2 weeks of that was totally wasted due to him not particularly wanting to show during late December.
We were on his MLS list and got updates regularly. We tried to ask him to show us properties but very few were shown and only 10% of what we chose he ever got around to show.
Finally, a house we were interested in came back on the market and he showed it to us. He became rather pushy and passed it on (without saying so) acting as Realtor advice. We were to spend in excess of $630K on a home and yet be expected to beg for it?
As it happens the bids went up to $680-700K ($649K was asking). 1600sqft, 3 bedrooms in Altadena, CA.
Needless to say, we didn’t get the home because the bids were well in excess of what we were willing to pay for the home.
It turns out that’s not good enough for him and he dropped us. Apparently we weren’t on the “same page.” What that means I don’t know. But I guess it means he doesn’t care to stick around for his clients because it takes too much effort to get that commission of his.
Keep in mind…prior to working with us, he was chasing us down by phone every 2-4 weeks “keeping in touch” like an ambulance chaser. And then he does this?
His other job is “actor.” I think he’s too busy doing that to truly decent Realtor…even though he’s been one for a while.
Truly truly terrible. A big thumbs down.
There’s little point complaining to the NAR…they’re as useless.
Anyway, I thought you’d find the update interesting.
Susie, great purchase! The upgrades in the kitchen are very nice. And I want a shower like that, although after seeing the Del Mar REO, I might put one in the middle of my bathroom. 🙂
Wow, mahalo for the positive comments! I’m very touched. In answer to some questions/comments by Jim & others:
Game agent, funny, you should ask. My neighbor has a concealed weapon permit. My computer recently died, so I’m over at her house borrowing hers. I read her your comments and asked her if she slept with a gun. Her reply? “Yep!” She added it was a 357 Magnum. She offered to show it to me, but um, I’m too uncomfortable with that.
And JtR! *Chuckle* It was like you were walking around my home! I laughed so much at some of your quips.
This was a new construction house which was completed before I bought it. It was featured in the Boise Fall Collection Parade of Homes in October. New construction typically doesn’t include window coverings–so that wasn’t a surprise expense for me.
For the record, I didn’t order the 3-person bath tub in the master bathroom. It came with the house, and I haven’t even used it yet! But my best friend who took the video loved it.
Jim was spot on re: the RV garage. Every guy that sees it–from the movers to the cable guy–loves it. It cracks me up because I didn’t make an offer on the house at first because it had that feature, and I will never buy an RV, but I really loved the floor plan of the house. My agent told me RV garages are very popular here in Boise. I’m now researching whether I’ll rent out that side of the garage to a RV owner for $200-$275/month.
My favorite features are the kitchen (I cook nearly everything from scratch), the master shower, the huge master closet, and the fully-fenced backyard with a covered paver patio, fire pit, and rock wall.It also is an east-facing backyard (which is important during the Boise summers).
I also love that the house is at the back of the subdivision and nearly no traffic. Oh heck, every day I live in this home, I love it more. I hope it’s the last home I ever own.
And now I would like to thank JtR for featuring my Boise home. I’m just amazed by his generosity!
I’d like to take the opportunity to recommend Jim to any prospective buyer or seller out there in real estate land. His advice was instrumental in helping me make the move to Boise.
But more than that, Jim has demonstrated a high level of integrity and character to me personally since I first read a LA Times article about him nearly two years ago. We’ve had a few phone conversations over that time and he’s the easiest guy to talk to. Real estate agents are a dime-a-dozen, but Jim is truly one in a million.
To my favorite client and now friend, Sue!
It was a pleasure working with you on the newest chapter of your life…. your new home in Boise, Idaho! It was quite a challenging road at times, but in the end, what was meant to be was the first home that brought us together! It is hard enough to buy a home during these challenging times, but buying it from another state, all alone, is extrememly difficult. You researched every aspect of the purchase, I must admit, I learned a few things from you! I hope you have many happy memories in your new beautiful parade home, you deserve it.
Dawn Mitchell, realtor Boise, Idaho
http://www.boiserealestatedawnmitchell.com