The real estate industry gets accused of its slimy tactics quite frequently, and it is well deserved – you really should Get Good Help!
In a last-ditch effort to survive, the red team went into the rental business recently. Here they have been publishing a ‘corporate rental’ that has been fed to them by Rently – who has ‘refreshed’ their listing a couple of times:
So then this real estate broker and mortgage licensee from the Bay Area comes along and steals the photos and advertises 4100 El Arbol (not 5100) on this slimy ‘national MLS‘ at a ridiculously low for-sale price (about HALF of the actual value).
The Z team – no stranger to the real estate slime – picks up their feed and is now advertising it publicly:
Hat tip to realtor Tanya who alerted me to this fraud! She contacted them yesterday to report it and was told that they would remove it right away. But as of this morning, it is still an active listing:
Why would a long-time real estate broker from San Jose bother to devise this concoction? He must be selling leads to realtors – another slimy part of the business. I get 2-3 solicitations every day from people who want to give me leads and all I have to do is cut them in on the commission (I ignore them).
Here’s an example:
Here’s how it turned out (plus cases against Capital One and a Berkshire-owned mortgage company):
I think we can say that 2025 is looking a lot like 2024 so far!
We have 15% to 25% more active listings now, but buyers are picking out the creampuffs and ignoring the rest. The pile of unsolds should be growing every month, but maybe buyers just forget about them quickly and not be affected?
Government entities have to permit you to build an ADU, but what about an HOA? Hat tip to ‘just some guy’ for sending in this article about the ADU dispute at the Carlsbad condo complex called Mystic Point (where we just sold a view condo for $960,000).
An excerpt:
Adam Flury, an attorney hired by the association, advised the board in an email to “absolutely deny” the request as a violation of the board’s governing documents. Hardesty responded, politely but firmly, that he would be moving ahead anyway. “Rest assured, this is coming down the pike and I would love for you all to participate in this project with me,” he wrote in an email.
Two weeks later he received a cease-and-desist letter. It warned Hardesty that he ran the risk of exposing himself “to legal consequences and unnecessary expense” if he didn’t let up.
The Mystic Point ADU dispute is “ripe for litigation,” said Marco Gonzalez, an environmental and land use lawyer whom Hardesty hired to respond to the HOA’s cease and desist letter. “But you gotta have a homeowner with deep enough pockets and the risk profile to take it to the mat.”
Hardesty, who is still without a steady job and claims to have already spent upward of $8,000 of his savings on the project, said he didn’t have deep enough pockets to keep paying Gonzalez.
For now, he is focused on construction. This month, he broke ground and began gutting his garage — without the HOA’s permission or apparent knowledge.
The Case-Shiller Index is such old news that I forgot all about it yesterday.
It looks like “pricing” started to flatten out earlier last year, which sets up the 1Q25 for small-ish gains:
In more-relevant news…..this date, February 26th, fell on a Monday in 2024. It allows us to compare the inventory on the same dates:
NSDCC Active Listings:
2024: 324
2025: 368 (+14%)
There are also 30 more in the Coming Soon bin, plus private exclusives at all brokerages. If we just add the Coming Soons to this year’s count, the YoY change is +23%.
The surge in listings is underway, but it’s just not that obvious yet. Stay tuned, and don’t be surprised if pricing is hot early, then flattens out by March or April.
Have you ever attended an open house and the realtor asked if you wanted to buy it?
Probably not. Yet, isn’t that our job?
I am a salesman and this is what I do. I make a simple statement when you arrive that sets the tone – AND can’t help but put a smile on your face, only because it’s the first time anyone has ever said it to you.
Why do people laugh? Because they see or hear something unexpected. At my open houses, everyone starts with a chuckle.
When leaving, I ask the most obvious question ever – yet you’ve never heard it before at any open house.
Don’t you want a professional salesman in your corner?
Hire me! I’m Jim the Realtor 858-997-3801 Jim Klinge @Compass DRE #00873197
I counted 32 NSDCC houses for sale on the Compass private exclusives list that aren’t on the MLS. They aren’t well-organized – just a one-liner list for the whole county – and they are mostly homes being prepared for market, or tenant-occupied, or old listings that are taking a breather. Photos and remarks are optional, and there isn’t any push from management to actually be selling them off-market.
But it they were actively on the market, the NSDCC inventory count today would be 406 which is where I thought we would be by the end of February.
NSDCC Detached-Home Listings Between Jan. 1 and Feb. 20th
2019: 662
2020: 620
2021: 517
2022: 384
2023: 334
2024: 399
2025: 429 (+8% YoY so far)
This year’s count will continue to grow as new listings taken before the 20th keep hitting the open market over the next week or two. There only needs to be 30 more to reach the +15% mark, and if you want to add the private exclusives then we are already there.
Hard to belive that Saturday is March 1st. This is prime selling season!
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.
This is the type of name-calling I’m willing to endure:
IMHO, RE industry has descended right into the gutter alongside slimy used car salesmen. License to screw over consumers using information hiding and deceptive practices.
Elimination of pre-sale inspections and mandatory disclosures. Elimination of escrow via mandatory seller-arranged financing (complete with kickbacks). Refusal to allow buyer representation at all. “Sign on the line today, accepting all our slimy terms, or lose the property to the next sucker tomorrow!”
It gets worse – those from within the industry have been slamming Compass and Robert Reffkin for years. Zillow came out with their own study this week where they claim the sellers of off-MLS homes lost $1 billion in the last two years – which is an eye-popping headline! But in the fine print they do admit that they used their zestimate to make the analysis.
Our manager Steve responded on a realtor-news feed:
It caused Steve and Robert to talk by phone on Friday, and they discussed the path we are on. It is the one I’ve described where we end our relationship with NAR and the MLS companies and go it alone.
The commercial brokerages have always functioned this way and have only used Loopnet as a last resort. Nobody calls them names or threatens to sue them over their practices. It is inevitable that the same thing happens to residential brokerages, and Compass will just be the first national brand to do it.
It will make for a terrific recruiting tool as well. If you are an agent, we should chat!
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We sold a home with Jim and Donna and from beginning to end they were consummate professionals. Their initial walk through the property resulted in a list of items to be repaired or updated. They supplied a list of vendors and job quotes to do the repairs and updates. We originally wanted to sell ‘as is’ and just get it over with. They gave us a selling price for ‘as is’ and options for doing a few updates/repairs to doing it all with the selling price for each option. We agreed to do all they suggested and we sold for the exact price they predicted. For every dollar spent we got back more than $2 back in the selling price. And they got that price in a rising interest rate environment! Donna and Jim are extremely detailed and guide you through ever aspect of the sale. There were no surprises thanks to their guidance. We couldn’t be more pleased with their representation.
Thank you Donna and Jim,
Jerry and Mary
Heather Quejada
March 27, 2025
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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.
Lou F
March 27, 2025
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WeI had the pleasure of working with Klinge Realty Group to sell our home in Carmel Valley, and I cannot recommend them highly enough!
Jim and Donna demonstrated exceptional professionalism, offering expert guidance on market conditions and pricing strategy, which resulted in a quick and successful sale.
Communication was prompt and we were well-informed throughout the entire process.
For anyone looking for a dedicated and knowledgeable real estate team, look no further!
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William Sams
March 25, 2025
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Donna and Jim Klinge of Klinge Realty Group have our highest possible recommendation. From Donna and Jim’s first visit to our house through closing their advice and counsel was candid and honest in all dealings. They kept us fully informed throughout the process. The house sold less than three days after listing with a two-week closing. My wife and I have sold several houses during our lives. This was by far the best experience. Klinge Reality is a premium service realtor. You can’t make a better choice for someone to sell your home fast and for top dollar.
Emily Hernandez
December 29, 2024
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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 Adrian Sahagun
November 11, 2024
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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.
SABIHA PASHA
July 23, 2024
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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!
Anu Koberg
July 13, 2024
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We first found Jim through his blog at bubbleinfo.com, which really showcased his knowledge of SoCal real estate. Since then we've done three transactions with Jim and Donna, and they are an incredible full service agency, with Jim's deep market insight and Donna's deft contract and project management. We trust them implicitly in their analysis and strategy, which is based on years of experience. They're always available and on top of things, and we strongly recommend them to anyone.
Bjorn Isachsen
July 10, 2024
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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 bubbleinfo.com 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...
Chris Shea
June 21, 2024
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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.
