Here’s a reminder of the last crisis (this video is from February, 2011), when we all thought foreclosures would last forever. We listed for $709,000 and it sold for $675,000 in July, 2011 after 39 days on the market. It resold in August, 2018 for $980,000:
A rare Bubbleinfo TV trip to the beach area west of Coast Highway in Oceanside to see this very unique custom home that is a three-time loser – it was foreclosed in 1994, 2007, and February, 2017.
A buyer paid $1,500,000 for it in 2005, got foreclosed, then purchased from the bank for $1,012,500 in 2007.
The latest bank had it on the market during the spring selling season last year, but no takers. Their last list price was $934,900:
We should see it back on the market again this year!
REO listings have increased lately around NSDCC, though they are still a small fraction of the overall marketplace (there have been 2,238 detached-home sales closed this year between Carlsbad and La Jolla).
The short-sale listings coming to market haven’t changed much all year, which would be the first place you would see the effect of mortgage servicers getting tougher with deadbeats:
Type of Listing
Jan 1 – June 30
July 1 – present
REO
4
8
Short-sale
36
18
Non-Distressed
2,672
1,262
Total
2,712
1,388
This guy borrowed $3.75 million to do a spectacular remodel on this Del Mar home (the house with the glass-bottom pool), but he wasn’t going to give it away. The original list price was $6,750,000 in October, 2013, and dropped to $5,950,000 before getting foreclosed in June. The bank promptly listed for $5,495,000, and sold it for $5,210,000 last month:
There is some hope that lenders and servicers are increasing the flow now that prices are so much higher than before, and it would make sense that they would cherry-pick the properties on which they could make a profit.
BofA hasn’t sent any REOs my way in over six months, so hopefully they lost my number. But if Shadash and I start a band, we might have a name – and we’d be grrateful that it all started here:
Just when you think you’re in for another routine day at the plant, more turbulence. Wifey thinks I’m getting too aggressive on the blog, but like another agent said today – if you’re going to be a successful realtor in this market, you gotta be able to deal with the hustlers, slimeballs, and grifters that abound.
Here’s another – a tenant who paid 1.5 months rent, has stayed for six, filed a burglary report against the homeowner/landlord and then got a restraining order against him to ice his free-rent program.
The REO tsunami dripped another drop today, I was assigned this property whose trustee sale was just last Thursday, November 12th.
The former owner was from Newbury Park, which, according to wiki, has the highest median prices in Ventura County, and among the most affluent areas in the country. It is typical for these types of folks to come to Oceanside, thinking they are going make a killing on beach real estate.
This is a unique property, so let’s have a contest!
Guess the eventual sales price!
On the tax rolls it’s 3 br/2 ba, 1,300sf on a 1,500sf lot. There aren’t any great comps, and no appraisals or BPOs have been completed, so I don’t know what the list price will be. But the opening bid at the trustee sale last week was $513,000 with no takers.
The vacant lot in the video below had listed for $499,000 but had to get down to $275,000 before going pending (sellers paid $399,000 in 2004), and the new condos featured in a previous video have all closed between $405,000 and $781,000, so it appears there is still an appetite for beach real estate in Oceanside!
You can see photos at this link, where they are asking $1,900 per week in winter, and $2,000 per week for summer rentals:
We already saw the first ride out to determine occupancy, now that the locksmith has come by and changed the locks, somebody has to verify that there is ‘personal property’ like the locksmith said.
Video Trip Two, to east Valley Center:
My task is to take photos of the alleged ‘personal property’ inside the house, and post a notice to warn the former owners that they have 18 days to remove their junk. Of course, the locks are changed, so if they do call, guess who has to open the door for them?
Joseph and Chassity Myers are among the two million buyers eligible for the credit this year. The newlyweds heard they could get money from the government for something they were tempted to do anyway.
“It was a no-brainer,” said Mr. Myers, a commercial underwriter. “Owning something is the American family dream.”
The couple bought a two-bedroom condominium here in the spring for $171,000 and amended their 2008 taxes immediately, receiving their windfall by direct deposit a few weeks later.
Their home is now a monument to the government’s generosity. They bought a leather couch, a kitchen table, a bed, television stand, china cabinet, kitchen table, coffee table, grill and patio set.
“We did exactly what the government wanted us to do,” said Ms. Myers, a third grade teacher. “We stimulated the economy.”
Buyers like these above will probably go on to live happily ever after, and good for them. But the $8,000 tax credit is small potatoes in the stimulus world, compared to what’s coming.
The biggest stimulus package in the history of the world is upon us.
It’s name?
“Stealing One From The Bank”
As more bank-owned properties hit the open market, today’s buyers, already frustrated with the lack of inventory, will swarm to new meat – the well-priced REO listings.
Carmel Valley is the best example, because the product line is so similar – it’s the only place in North SD County where all you see are tract homes built in the last 25 years. The CV pricing last month was $327/sf for the 38 detached homes that closed in August, which has been steady.
There are 90 properties on the default list in 92130.
If 30 to 60 of them hit the open market over the next six months at $300/sf to $320/sf, they will IGNITE the marketplace.
Buyers will be scrambling to buy, because they won’t be paying any more than they had planned to pay, even after the overbids, and they’ll have the bragging rights that they ‘stole one from the bank’.
Look at how crazy people are about $8,000 – do you think they’ll be even crazier about stealing one from the bank? Bet on it.
ARE THE REOs COMING?
This morning I received my third REO assignment in the last 2.5 weeks:
1070 Buena Vista Way, Carlsbad
4 br/3 ba, 2,288sf
YB: 1959
Lot = 7,000sf
SP: $800,000 2/06 100% financed
LP: $650,000 short sale that failed
Trustee Sale O-Bid: $535,500 9/14/09
Remarks from last listing: Extremely interesting 2 story home west of I-5 in olde Carlsbad.Approx 2300 sqft. Home features gargoyles, hardwood floors, french doors, vaulted ceilings, dual pane windows, new appliances, ocean view wrought iron, built in storage. Additional detached 600sqft building in back.Walking distance to beaches and ‘The Village’.
The REOs are coming – look for their sales to take off like a rocket. Yesterday we saw that there were 657 bank-owned properties listed as actives, the contingent and pending REOs total 1,584. Do you think buyers will flock to a 2,288sf house west of the I-5 freeway in downtown Carlsbad that has an extra unit for mid-$500,000s, even with the gargoyles? Count on it.
People love bank deals – we don’t need any other stimulus than a pure marketplace!
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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