Airplanes flying over the house every 5-10 minutes wasn’t the only complaint. “The kitchen is too small, can you get fire insurance, it’s single-zone air conditioning, the bathrooms are original, you don’t have a pantry” – it just never ends, even at a house with hundreds of positives.
I have no regret about doing as many upgrades as we did here, nor do I doubt my attractive price ($2,499,000). It’s because if you don’t sell in the first couple of weeks, buyers want to lowball, period. What’s the lesson about the current market conditions? It’s a market for the affluent only – those who get tripped up over a few bucks don’t have a chance of finding a decent home. Go buy a fixer for cheap and hope you can survive the money pit.
Ok, I’m breathing again now that 150+ people came to my first open house on Moorhen Place.
The market/buyers have seemed cautious and conservative so far in 2025, and it’s incredible how they insist on looking for any reason NOT to buy. The only problem is that the perfect homes start at $10 million, so just about everyone is going to have to live with something. P.S. Buyers need to come to grips with the fact that the entry level for decent homes in Carlsbad is now $2,000,000.
Are you looking for a newer & updated one-story 3br + den/2.5 ba, 2,409sf house on a huge 3/4-acre lot at the end of the cul-de-sac? Here you go! Like-new kitchen, 3-car, plus tons of natural light! There is enough room for a pickleball court next to the fabulous pool/spa that looks like the Blue Lagoon – which also has a separate swim lane for laps too! Just a quick 1/4-mile walk to coffee and books at Dove Library + Cinepolis, shops and restaurants. When looking at the map, don’t let your eyes deceive you – if you did, you’d think that the earth was flat! There is virtually no road noise here, due to the property being well below and at least 100 yards west of ECR (see last photo in gallery). Come check it out for yourself!
Open house 11-2 on Saturday & Sunday February 15 & 16.
Over 100 people attended our open houses over the weekend, and the home was well received. It is rare to see an 80-year old bungalow improved this nicely!
The activity this weekend was about what I expected for the middle of October, 2024.
Happy to report that the political circus has been less of a distraction recently, and hopefully the real estate market will feel a bit of a boost from those who are motivated to move by the election’s result!
Starting next weekend, this is the form you will see at every open house in California. It is a mandatory form, and EVERY visitor must sign it or they won’t be allowed to view the home.
What’s worse is that the association will be sending shoppers around to verify agents are using the form, and properly explaining the options. Fines will be levied upon those who don’t.
Visitors will want to use their real name, just in case they decide to buy the home. But you’d be crazy to give your actual phone number because the agent will call you until you buy or die.
Buyers need to be prepared to take the next step if they like it – do you buy it from the agent on duty? How many other buyers are they already representing? Should I hire my own buyer-agent?
One house doesn’t speak for the whole market but it sure felt like it was already peak selling season this weekend. We had 160+ people attend, received eight offers so far, and it’s already $100,000+ over list:
Now that summer is over and mortgage rates are screaming towards 8%, many will assume that the real estate market has gone dormant for the rest of the year.
But my strategy of effectively sprucing up the house and utlizing an attractive price keeps working. Towards the end of this video I show the recent comps for the neighborhood, and you’ll see that ‘attractive’ factors in the time of year and market conditions but isn’t under market – especially considering that the home has the original roof, original windows & doors, and original bathrooms:
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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