If you see any messages like this one above, please send it to me. I never have ‘scheduled maintenance’ going on – it can only be a problem with the company that hosts this blog. Thanks!
I have changed blog hosts again, so hopefully there won’t be a problem and everything runs smoothly.
The only question left is whether I should delete most of the 11,871 blog posts to improve performance. I have copied the entire blog so Natalie can go back and write a book some day, so this week we’re going to trim the number of blog posts down to 1,000 or less.
If you’re having trouble sleeping, they are all (poorly) indexed here for now!
I do this blog mostly to educate myself about the current market conditions, and I figure that I might as well publish the information I find for all to see.
Including the bots.
With artificial intelligence scanning the internet for new data every minute, the bots may swing by here on occasion. How much of the audience here are real people, and how many are bots? It would be entertaining to know the answer – does anyone know?
The New Users are a big part of the audience:
Do the bots use mobile?
The bubbleinfo audience is mostly from America but the bots are probably located everywhere?
There isn’t much I can do about it. This blog is copywritten but I’d only chase down a violator if they were really offensive. If the AI bots copy everything here and use it to educate others about real estate, I’d live with that. There is a lot to copy:
Bluehost has been hosting this blog for the last nine years. I suspected that turbulence was building – movement on my dashboard kept slowing down, and I think you may have felt the sluggishness too.
On Friday, their meltdown began, and I only had intermittent service until Monday afternoon when it went out altogether.
WordPress is the company that provides the platform for the blog. I hired a consulting company called WP Tangerine a few months ago to fix stuff and make improvements, and I asked them on Friday to spring into action and help fix the problem.
When trying to get Bluehost to explain and repair the problem on Friday, they were quick to blame me instead. So WP-T suggested WP Engine as a new host, and we began the transition.
Somehow on Monday afternoon, the break between hosts caused my domain registrar GoDaddy to sense an opportunity and they hung a for-sale sign in my window:
I was incensed, yet even their senior management couldn’t see any problem. All they kept saying was that they would bring me offers, but I wasn’t obligated to sell my blog domain. But wait – I’m just changing hosts, I’m not for sale! Think about how my readers would feel when they arrived to see my shop closed up and being sold off for parts!
But the transition is now complete (I think), and we can get moving again!
I heard from Jeff’s wife today that he lost his long battle with cancer last night.
He was among the most dedicated of my blog followers, and regularly chimed in with words of encouragement because he appreciated what I do – he was a retired broker from LA.
Here’s the one time you saw him on video, in 2021:
It was 18 years ago today that I started writing this blog.
It was a Saturday morning. I set up a free account at squarespace to get it started, and it was solely because I expected every other realtor to do a blog too. Funny how that turned out!
Donna said, “Yeah well fine, just don’t spend too much time on it.”
I’ve been a part-time blogger ever since!
It was in August, 2005 when our escrow officer called me to say the buyer of one of our listings was objecting to signing the loan documents. Their realtor/lender beat me over there, and I heard her telling the buyer, “No worries, we will refinance”. It was one of many things that were happening then that led me to start the blog (the home got foreclosed 22 months later).
This is my first blog post, and it still resonates somewhat today:
Housing blogs were becoming popular and I commented regularly elsewhere. It caused more people to discover what I was doing – and to slam me just because I was a realtor, even though I was being pretty gloomy. By 2009, I had picked up quite an audience, and enough attention that the LATimes picked up on the blog, which led to this piece by ABC News Nightline:
The ABC TV spot ran in April, 2009, which coincidentally was the trough of the San Diego Case-Shiller Index. The audience here exploded, and at the same time the bank-owned listings being sent to us increased substantially. We sold 72 homes in 2009, our all-time high!
All kinds of crazy things have happened.
For example, we monitored the Jenae scandal in Bressi Ranch and La Costa Valley where she and co-conspirators were doing seminars and selling homes to unsuspecting suckers who financed their purchases 100%. Jenae promised to rent them out but they were adding $100,000 to each purchase price that was kicked back to her partner John as a tenant-acquisition slush fund. He finally went to jail but Jenae claimed she was duped too and she is still selling homes around the county today.
My life was threatened a couple of times, I’ve evicted dozens of people, I’ve been in a movie, and on CNBC TV (twice), plus I’ve been on ReasonTV, and in Grant’s Interest Rate Observer (on October 3, 2008 for those who have access). I’ve been on industry panels, I’ve been an expert witness in court, I made a citizen’s arrest of squatters, and I’ve met with the FBI to turn in scamming realtors…..among other things!
I’ve had 12,101 blog posts here with 68,179 comments and 3,000+ Youtubes with 2,341,000+ views, plus 14,200+ tweets. It has been one heck of a ride – let’s keep it going!
Thanks to readers everywhere, and a special acknowledgement of those who have utilized our real estate services over the years. It is why I do this blog, and I appreciate your support!
Yesterday was Donna’s birthday so I took her to Red Tracton’s last night – the only place I know that has prime rib during the week.
Reader Peter O. was nice enough to say hello, and I wished I had a Bubbleinfo t-shirt to give him! I’ve been thinking of printing another batch, so I’m taking this to be the moment to do it!
Peter – and anyone else who wants one – please email me your size & address and I’ll get them out to you!
There were 182 NSDCC listings in January, as of today – which means we have a clear winner, even if a few more listings get added by late-reporters.
Congratulations Rob Dawg!
The season starts on March 30th, and May looks like a great month to attend a game. What might be the two best giveaways of the season (vs. the Reds and the Royals) happen that month, plus the Dodgers make their first visit back to Petco Park.
Dawg’s favorite team, the Red Sox, also return in May!
The summary of guesses, with some additions from the FB page:
16 Noodle
89 Momento
99 Tom
104 BWell_SoCal
111 Majeed
115 Lifeisradincbad
117 Susie
119 Beachside
120 Curtis
128 Joe
130 Rob
136 Skip
140 Haile
142 MC
146 Derek
152 Drew
158 Susan
160 doughboy
165 Kingside
174 SurfRider
175 Sciguy 186 Rob Dawg
190 Bode
200 Jeff Campbell
203 Lauren Stickelman
213 Shadash
252 Aunt Nancy
262 Eddie89
298 Nick
333 Sherman Messing
149 Median
This was the first time that the actual count of January listings landed in the upper third of the guesses. But don’t get giddy about the inventory just yet – here’s how it compares:
NSDCC January Listings:
2018: 426
2019: 418
2020: 354
2021: 289
2022: 223
2023: 182
The lack of choices is what causes hyper-frenzy conditions – it causes buyers to freak out. When a top-quality listing hits the market, buyers feel like this might be their only chance this month, or this year, to buy such a good match to their needs – and then the lack of transparency makes them go nuts.
It’s going to be a wild and crazy season – and not just for the Padres!
Thank you everyone who signed up to receive an email alert when a new bubbleinfo post happens.
I think we have it working now – this is a test!
For those who haven’t signed up but would want each blog post emailed to you……please register your email address in the box in the right-hand column, under the mortgage-rate update >>>>
(or if you are reading this on a mobile device, the box will be at the bottom of your feed)
UPDATE: It doesn’t appear to be working yet, but hang in there. The tech who works on my blog lives in South Africa so I have to wait until he is back to work..
I asked them to write a blog post for bubbleinfo.com. I think my job here is secure……
In recent years, the real estate market has been experiencing a phenomenon known as a “bubble.” But what exactly is a real estate bubble, and why is it causing such a stir in the industry?
A real estate bubble occurs when the price of properties in a particular market rise significantly and then drop just as dramatically, often due to market speculation and overheated demand. This results in a situation where property prices are not supported by economic fundamentals such as income and employment growth.
Bubbles can have serious consequences for both the real estate market and the wider economy. When the bubble bursts, it can lead to a sharp decline in property values, causing homeowners to owe more on their mortgage than their home is worth. This can result in widespread foreclosures, a drop in consumer spending, and a slowdown in economic growth.
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.
jesus a sahagun
2024-11-10
Verified
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.
SabihaPasha
2024-07-22
Verified
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!
dodyfrancis
2024-07-10
Verified
I appreciate Jim & Donna's great teamwork, sound advice, and guidance that eased the stress of selling our Carlsbad home. Their professional input and assistance throughout the process was very helpful. Highly recommended!
sbisachsen
2024-07-10
Verified
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 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...
user19164788
2024-06-21
Verified
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.
cali4neal
2024-05-07
Verified
We had a wonderful experience buying our home with Donna and Jim! In particular I was very impressed with their efficiency and support through the purchase process. As we were doing the walk through, Donna started contacting roofers, plumbers, aircon, electricians, etc for all the areas we needed potential repairs - by the time we were done with the walk through appointments were already set up to get estimates for all the major services. When we had to change an appointment, or couldn't make one, Donna was there to arrange things to fit our schedule. Even after we closed on our home, Donna helped set up the repairs we needed before move in day. They truly went above and beyond to deliver exceptional service. I'll be calling them for our next home!
zuser20160809095816651
2024-03-16
Verified
The sale of our home exceeded our expectations - Jim and Donna Klinge are the best!
We’ve followed Jim’s Bubbleinfo blog since the 2006 housing bubble. After he helped us buy in 2017 we stayed in touch and Team Klinge were the obvious choice when it came time to move. They guided us through the preparation of the house, including a kitchen refresh - Donna and Lisa skillfully managed the various contractors for us after we had moved out of state. Donna’s excellent attention to detail and regular communication made the whole process run smoothly from a distance.
Jim’s market knowledge, expert negotiating skills and candid opinions, together with Donna’s responsive communications and problem solving, set them in a league of their own.
Highly recommended!
bourmakin
2024-02-09
Verified
Jim and Donna have exceeded my expectations with sale of my house. It was best experience with house sale. Professional, responsive, superior negotiating skills. I would recommend them with 5 star (I would give them even more than max) rating. Sale of my house was closed for really good price in 10 days. Jim and Donna perfectly handled house preparation for sale. Thanks a lot!!!
user1916779
2023-11-17
Verified
Jim and Donna have exceeded my expectations and made my most recent move back to California go so much more smoothly than I expected. Jim’s Bubbleinfo blog was full of useful information about the current market conditions. His experience helped us make a successful offer for the home we wanted in a desirable neighborhood. After the purchase Donna organized the work we needed done in the house without us having to make an additional trip. We were pretty worried when we started searching for real estate that not being in the area was going to makes things really difficult but Jim and Donna made the process so much easier. I enthusiastically recommend them.
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