Staging delivers a great first impression – it’s probably worth it for that. But staging is just a component of the overall package needed to sell a house – especially for top dollar.
Examples from the weekend:
1. An agent called me on Saturday morning to tell me her client was gushing over the home on Via Mariposa, and they were going to make an offer. But nothing happened, so I pinged her on Sunday morning. She got back to me on Sunday night, and said her client re-considered, and decided not to make an offer. In her case, the staging wasn’t enough.
2. A lady asked me at open house, “I wonder what this house looks like without the staging?” Some buyers want to see beyond the staging.
3. Kayla said, “I’m not a big fan of the blue/teal color combination”. The staging will have a different impact on different people.
4. An example where staging really paid off was with the out-of-town buyers. There were multiple out-of-towners viewing homes via FaceTime, Skype, and video – the staging has to have a positive impact when you are looking at a small screen from afar. The eventual winner at Via Mariposa was one of them – a family member saw it in person, and online photos and video did the rest.
I am comfortable with buyers making informed decisions based on video/FaceTime actions. People trust the smartphones for everything else in life, might as well use it to buy a house!
Staging got the ball rolling, and got buyers engaged. But the rest of the house had to look sharp, and the price had to be attractive too. There were about 20 showings of that house over the first four days on the market, and we had three written offers. For seventeen buyers, the staging wasn’t enough.
After offers are submitted, the end result doesn’t just happen by itself. I’ll take the credit for giving every buyer a fair opportunity to step up and pay top dollar for the home, and guide it over list price. It’s the talking to people that makes the sale!
Shiller discussing who should buy a house – those who have stable employment!
Robert Shiller, an economist at Yale, won a Nobel Prize in 2013 for his analysis of asset prices, and his name is half of the much-watched Case-Shiller Index of housing prices. It turns out, he’s not too enthusiastic about home ownership, either as a lifestyle choice or an investment. Buying a house is “like a consumption choice, it’s not really an investment,” he tells Money magazine’s Susie Poppick in the video below.
No shortage of demand for the brand new high-enders. Here they’ve sold 100+ houses and lots already, averaging $2,000,000 or so for the houses.
If you are on the lengthy list of waiting buyers (who had to pre-qual to $2M), is time running out? Do you opt for one of the two 1-story plans with 25-ft backyards available, or hold out for a future phase and risk getting nothing?
I heard an interesting comment the other day on broker caravan.
The listing agent said, “Maybe we’re all undervalued?”, as he sat on his $6,000,000 listing with nobody else in attendance.
If you judge it by the weather, he could have a point. If we have the best weather in the U.S.A., then we should have the highest-priced real estate.
It probably means that rich folks from around the world who are retiring will be giving strong consideration to the San Diego area. Retirees are going to be drawn to where the grandkids live first, and if the ‘kids are in the general Southern California vicinity, then San Diego might be considered for retirement.
Either that is happening, and/or our employment base is stronger than ever.
Two days ago, we saw that the NSDCC sales this year between January 1st and June 15th were 7% higher than last year.
NSDCC is the coastal area between La Jolla and Carlsbad that has a population of around 300,000 people. Carlsbad makes up about a third of the population and sales in the area, and realtors and buyers alike consider it a quality lower-priced alternative to the affluent Encinitas-La Jolla stretch.
Here is the breakdown of those January 1st-June 15th sales:
Category by Area
2014
2015
% chg
Carlsbad # of New Listings
812
868
+7%
Carlsbad # of Closed Sales
462
493
+7%
Carlsbad Median SP
$769,500
$800,000
+4%
La Jolla-Enc # of New Listings
1,660
1,631
-2%
La Jolla-Enc # of Closed Sales
797
859
+8%
La Jolla-Enc Median SP
$1,300,000
$1,375,000
+6%
The number of sales in Carlsbad corresponded with a similar increase in listings. But look at the higher end market – the year-over-year sales were 8% higher, in spite of 2% fewer listings! The median price increased nicely too.
This is an affluent area, and real estate is booming – could it be undervalued?
Bravo’s reality show “Million Dollar Listing San Francisco” debuts July 8, but I already have an idea for a spinoff — “Million Dollar Over Listing.” It would feature homes in the Bay Area that sold for at least $1 million more than the list price.
There were at least 10 such sales in San Francisco over the past year, 14 in Santa Clara County and five in San Mateo County, according to Multiple Listing Service data. They ranged from teardowns to mansions.
A home at 178 Sea Cliff Ave. in San Francisco, for example, sold in April for $11 million, which was $4.7 million or 75 percent over the $6,298,000 list price.
Patrick Carlisle, chief market analyst with Paragon Real Estate Group, chalks it up to the “general insanity of the overheated market,” which stems mainly from demand outstripping a long period of below-average inventory. In addition, “many agents have adopted a strategy of egregious underpricing,” he said.
In San Francisco especially, underpricing is so prevalent that most buyers search for homes well below their target price, knowing the sale price will be much higher.
“If you price (a home) where it should be, it will sit,” said Realtor Alan Canas.
Canas represented the sellers of a home at 44 Everson St. in San Francisco’s Glen Park neighborhood. The four-bedroom, four-bathroom home was somewhat dated but had magnificent views, which were hard to value.
Canas priced it at $1.8 million in October, expecting it would sell for $2.3 million to $2.4 million.
“The offers we received, it was shocking,” he said. He made counter offers to the two highest — $2.65 million and $2.725 million — asking them to come up to $2.8 million. “One jumped, the other jumped too late,” he said.
What if he had listed it closer to his expected price? “If we had priced it at $2.2 million, I honestly don’t think it would have seen the play (it got) at $1.8 million,” Canas said. “It’s psychological, almost a game.”
The top two offers were both all cash, which is good because if the buyer had needed a loan, “I don’t think it would ever appraise at $2.8 million,” he said.
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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.
