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.
I prefer your “work” truck over a “trophy” truck, Jim! But granted it does need to be cleaned up a bit. You wouldn’t want a nest of spiders to hatch while you’re driving. 🙂
I’m always fascinated by the American “Great Room” design concept. If the whole family spends most of their time in the kitchen/great room area of the house, what’s the point of having a living room and possibly a dining room? Have these rooms once again become “forbidden territory” for the immediate family?
I like the great room best myself. The house I grew up in had a formal living and dining room, and we NEVER went in them unless we had visitors which was about once a month. Real waste of space.
What did this house sell for in 2000? I think this is still in an area that hasn’t (yet) settled back to Y2K pricing.
I love the house!
Pros: Very attractive mature landscaping, intelligent use of the 4k sq. ft., nice views, etc. Even the upstairs bathroom is fine. I personally HATE beige stone tile and think that the white-and-blue color scheme is very cute for a kids’ bath. The first-floor guest suite is fantastic–in fact, I wonder how you’d ever get guests to leave.
Cons: The cabinetry is looking a bit dated. I also hate the hotelish great room carpet and the rusty paint color. The carpet and paint is an easy fix, fortunately. Also, I’m not excited about the dog’s breakfast kitchen granite.
This is a very homey, attractive house.
We bought in Crestview back in 2000. They all sold for around 1M without landscaping. Probably 150k landscaping in this listing. These houses were built by Centex and are the same floorplans used in the Ranch. Most of the houses have 4 car garages.
This listing at 1709 has a HUGE view out to the front as it sits very high. On a clear day you can see everything. The sunsets are spectacular. Tremendous neighborhood. The one downside is the lower rated elementary school (Capri).
As Jim pointed out, the lack of Mello Roos should be a big selling point at least relative to the much higher density parts of Encinitas Ranch south of Leucadia.
As far as it not selling at the current price, I think this comp at least partially explains it:
http://www.sdlookup.com/MLS-110026478-1721_Aryana_Dr_Encinitas_CA_92024
Sold for 1.35M and had a similar view and spectacular landscaping.
At that price, the seller who bought in 2000 would be barely breaking even once you consider landscaping and commissions. So the seller is probably waiting to see if a buyer will pay more than the recent comp which is unlikely.
BTW, we had that tumbled marble tile in our bathroom and I liked the look. Granite in a bathroom?
Agreed, I think they are close on price.
It looked like the highest sale on the street when new was $1.15.
Trav preferred in bathrooms, but there are granites used too. I’ll keep an eye out for one.
How the heck do you stash 6 bedrooms + 5.5 baths into only 4300 sq ft when they also have a dining room, etc., and the master looks huge???
Jim, one of my old neighbors in this single story house had granite in the bathroom (see the picture in the last column second row). When they took us on a tour of the house back in 2000, I thought they were crazy. I guess they were ahead of their time 🙂
http://www.redfin.com/CA/Encinitas/1612-Aryana-Dr-92024/home/4072186
BTW, this single level had the big 180 degree ocean view out of the back although there were some obstructions in the left part of the viewshed.
Crestview has a semi-custom feel to it because of the low density as well as the varied floorplans and elevations.
pemeliza – those are great comps for 1.3. Makes this place, although very nice, overpriced.
I like Crestview. That view up on the hill there is fantastic and there are some other new/newer homes up there that are nice as well.
A little dated and about $200,000 too high. Change out the flooring, some paint, new bathrooms, that kitchen needs some updating and maybe spruce up the backyard. Nothing money won’t fix though!
But the bones are great, everything is there but the price is a bit high for what it is. Get that down to around $1.25M-$1.299M and it’ll be about right.
If the seller’s are holding out for close to list price and they need to sell, then they are making a costly mistake.