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 don’t remember the listing price last December, Jim. What did your listing sell for then? (It looks like the buyers (and subs) have been very busy.)
The list price was $699,000, and we blew through four escrow before one stuck:
1. $690,000
2. $685,000
3. $675,000
4. $667,000
5. $650,000 SOLD
This was back in October when we were coming off a few months of uncertainty, plus the flippers had had a good run and were satisfied/getting conservative.
I provided comps that showed the retail value to be $900,000-$950,000 (which is what they listed it for), but it’s all a big game and the buyer reps take great joy in seeing how much they can work you down.
I had one guy at $655,000 who backed off to $645,000 at the last minute. If it was worth $645,000, it was worth $655,000. But their current workload and other opportunities play a part.
I had another half-dozen offers at $600,000 to $625,000.
How much do you think they are all in at? $650,000 + what? Just curious about how much it cost to finish it.
Tom thought it could be close to $200,000 but he didn’t see it in person – just looking at the photos and video, plus he goes all out.
These guys didn’t change anything and just put it back together, so it could have been as little as $100K, or maybe $150K?