San Diego has the lowest percentage of all the metros listed above!
But let’s examine the choices for home sellers today:
Seller to pay for the 2/1 rate buydown. It lowers the rate for the first two years, so buyers think it’s only temporary and not much real benefit.
Seller to contribute 2% to buy down the mortgage rate by 1/2%. Better than nothing!
Seller to lower their price by 5% to 10%. Yikes!
I think the best solution is for sellers to advertise that they are willing to buy down the homebuyer’s mortgage rate to 6% or 6.5%. Figure the cost to be 2% of the loan amount per 1/2% of rate.
Today it means 4% to buy down the 30-year jumbo rate to 6.5%. If the seller guarantees a 6.5% rate, they can play the market until they procure a buyer and lock in the rate and fee. Maybe the cost will come down a bit before then.
But is 6.5% low enough?
The rate that would really get attention would be 5.99%.
It’s the rate that worked in the article above, and today the seller would have to pay six points to get there. But if you are already considering a 5% price reduction, a guarantee of 5.99% would turn more heads.
Buyers might want you to negotiate a little on price too.
Mike provided a graph (below) showing the national numbers, so I adopted it for our local market. I used ten days, instead of seven, to reflect the immediate sales because so many listing agents drag their feet about marking their listings as pending – even though the rule is within 24 hours.
Some will wait until the buyer’s deposit makes it to escrow before marking them pending, even though that isn’t any correlation – and no thought is given to how the buyer might be feeling about have a signed contract but still seeing their home being shopped around the internet. I’ll guess that at least half of the escrow cancellations are because the listing agent did something to aggravate the buyer.
But back to the charts!
The percentages during the covid frenzy were up over 50%, but they haven’t come down much when you consider that prices AND rates are quite a bit higher today.
I think it’s more about how the internet has powered the instant distributions of new listings, and how the fear of missing out has empowered the motivated buyers to hurry up and grab a good buy before someone else does.
Oh, and I added the zero days on market stats too. Every brokerage does it, and they have been gaining in popularity, based on the percentages. But still within a normalized range.
I’m sure both buyers and sellers are thinking it will be different in 2027.
It’s not going to be different.
If it is different, it will be harder, not easier to buy and sell.
Sellers get more dug in. Buyers see a surge of listings and think waiting is working in their favor. But the listings are all a bunch of OPTs that are priced to sit anyway. And sit they will.
Realtors are paralyzed. All they know are the good times.
Today’s NSDCC pendings are down to 95. Actives rose to 414.
Last October there were 167 sales. Only 57 closed so far this month.
You hear people saying goofy stuff like “Strap in, it’s going to be a wild ride”.
No it’s not. It won’t be a wild ride. It will be a boring environment full of inaction.
There wil be showings, but that’s it. Why?
Because realtors aren’t salespeople.
They are order takers. Door openers in designer clothes.
When buyers state their objections, realtors just shrug and drive to the next house. Their job is to help the buyers handle their objections, but they won’t know how to do that unless they get trained as salespeople.
Let’s get the backyard party started! This fully updated one-story ranch on a flat ½ acre in Olivenhain is like having your own private club. The primary suite opens directly to the pool and spa, the new putting green, batting cage, and new upscale pickleball court – plus the usable backyard had premium turf installed this year too! The home’s large great room features a majestic fireplace, vaulted wood-beamed ceilings, and newer wide-plank floors – plus the practically-new kitchen was upgraded with white quartz counters, new cabinetry, and Bosch and stainless appliances. Three additional bedrooms and a second updated bath give you plenty of guest, office, or studio space. RV parking (plus room for ADU), central A/C, two-story storage shed, and an attached 2-car garage with laundry plumbed for 2W/2D. On sewer too. All one level, nothing to fix, plenty of fun! One-story homes are the hot ticket. Everyone wants one, but so few for sale!
Everyone is complaining about the market these days.
Listings that aren’t selling, escrows cancelling, and generally lots of resistance everywhere from everyone.
But on paper, the actives and pendings look all right:
NSDCC Actives/Pendings
October, 2025: 494/145 or 3.4 to 1.
October, 2026: 409/105 or 3.9 to 1.
There are some tough spots, like the 92008. But don’t forget when areas like RSF had a 10:1 ratio and it was just accepted. Remember the story about the RSF listing agent who was rather proud of the one-year anniversary of her Tuscan-inspired active listing? There will be more evidence of non-frenzy activity like that in the coming months.
There will be some bumps in the road. But overall, the market conditions are fairly healthy – and price will fix the rest!
A good example about hiring the long-time neighborhood expert; his price should be right on the money. Scotty has owned this neighborhood for years so this home really should sell within 30 days or so.
Pricing in the market conditions are the hardest part. Listing agents can get stuck with price quotes they gave 3-12 months ago and now be a bit squeamish about listing for those same prices today now that the seller finally gets around to hitting the open market. I’m not saying that happened here….unless it doesn’t sell!
This is the anti-Reagan tune back when X was the hottest band on the planet betwen 1980-1985. They haven’t changed a bit!
Back then they were the notorious punk band from Los Angeles. I don’t know about DJ, but John lives in Austin now and Billy and Exene both happen to live separately in the same town, Orange, CA. The most unlikely place for them?
I had AI look it up and we determined that the big change in the live performance was in 1998. Up until then, Billy was always stage right, but after the 1998 reunion shows he has always played stage left so he could sit down when needed.
Click on photo above for Jim's Favorite One-Story Homes For Sale
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Adrienne Marquez
August 31, 2026
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I wanted to give a huge shout out to a great couple realtor team who I have both sold and bought a house with in 2 different markets - Jim & Donna Klinge. Recently we moved from San Clement/Orange County and bought our forever home in Oceanside. Jim and Donna Klinge, of Klinge Realty Group, are the most excellent realtor team and here’s why; 1, they are ethical, 2. they treat you like family, and 3. they work hard but also smart! After about 5 offers on other houses in the recent June competitive market - often other agents used us as leverage to get the price up for their 2 sided deal plotting to represent both buyer and seller. Jim helped us strategize ways to come in with the winning offer. If was fiercely competitive and the market seems to be constantly changing but they have their pulse on the market and have over 20 years of experience which you cannot replace with a cocky less experienced team. They go above and beyond to help you visualize and plan your sell and stay with the ups and downs of the buy. Donna is a mastermind of administering all the million nuances such as inspections, closing, vendors, etc. Any possible questions we had she was super efficient, knowledgable and quickly responded after doing her research. We relied on them heavily emotionally and logistically, and they delivered. “They are complete ballers!”, as my husband says. My mother used them to sell her house during Covid and my brother has followed Jim’s articles/podcast etc for years. Can’t wait for them to swing by to see our renovations and pop open that bottle of champagne they gifted us on our closing day! Honestly if you want a classy, grade A team, it’s Jim & Donna.
~ Adrienne & Bobby Kelly
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kurt stoecklein
August 29, 2026
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We are incredibly grateful to Jim and Donna Klinge of Klinge Realty Group.
Selling a family home through probate is not just a real estate transaction — it can be an emotional and complicated process, and we were fortunate to have Jim and Donna by our side every step of the way.
From the very beginning, they brought an incredible amount of experience, knowledge, and professionalism, but what meant the most to us was how personally they took our situation. They were always available, always willing to listen, and consistently offered thoughtful suggestions that helped us make the right decisions.
Jim and Donna were much more than our realtors. They became true advocates for us. They were fierce supporters who fought for our best interests and made sure we never felt like we were navigating the process alone.
They also went far beyond what we ever expected from a real estate team. They were at the property almost every weekend, helping make sure everything was moving in the right direction. Jim even took a hands-on approach to helping with construction projects and improvements to get the house ready for the market. That kind of dedication and personal involvement speaks volumes about the kind of people they are.
There were certainly challenges along the way, but having Jim and Donna in our corner made all the difference. They didn’t simply show up, put a house on the market, and wait for a sale. They rolled up their sleeves and worked alongside us.
We will always appreciate the time, effort, guidance, and genuine care they showed our family throughout this process. We feel very fortunate to have had Jim and Donna representing us, and we would wholeheartedly recommend Klinge Realty Group to anyone looking for realtors who truly care about their clients and are willing to go the extra mile.
Thank you, Jim and Donna, for everything you did for us. We couldn’t have asked for a better team — or better people — to have by our side.
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Griffin Loyland
August 24, 2026
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Going through such an emotional, life-changing experience could have been overwhelming, but Michelle made it incredibly smooth and easy. I cannot recommend her highly enough!
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Mark Henkel
July 1, 2026
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Jim and Donna Klinge of Klinge Realty Group have helped my extended family with several very challenging real estate transactions over the last ten years. They are consummate professionals that get things done. The most challenging transaction was closed this year. My father passed, leaving a Fallbrook property littered with 30+ cars in various states of disrepair. Jim, Donna, and the team got the home remodeled and the property cleared. They got top dollar for the home, but more importantly they took a huge burden off our family by getting things done. Nothing falls through the cracks with this team. I can't imagine trusting them any more than I do.
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Scott Smith
December 8, 2025
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My wife and I highly recommend Jim and Donna Klinge of the Klinge Reality Group to help you find a new home. We recently moved to Southern California from the San Francisco Bay Area. Our agents in the Bay Area recommended Jim and Donna to us. Even before we sold our home in Bay Area, Jim helped us explore different areas in So Cal. They worked very closely with us to find a home in Carlsbad. We love our new home and neighborhood. Jim and Donna have great connections with local business for financing, flooring, painting, kitchen upgrades, etc, etc. They gave us good design and upgrade advice / ideas and managed all the renovation / upgrade logistics for us so we could focus on the move. They were patient and understanding when we had questions or concerns about the negotiation, closing, and renovation. Jim and Donna are a good team, and I recommend that you contact them if you are in the market for a new home.
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Ingrid Eliasson
December 7, 2025
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We had a fantastic experience working with Jim and Donna Klinge of Klinge Realty Group during the purchase of our new home in Oceanside, CA. Although they were also the seller's agents, they represented us as buyers with fairness, transparency, and integrity throughout the entire process.
Their deep expertise in the North San Diego County market was evident from the start. Jim and Donna handled negotiations with professionalism, tact, and wisdom—ensuring that both parties felt heard and respected. We truly felt that our interests were being represented every step of the way.
Beyond the transaction, they connected us with excellent local contractors to help us make improvements to our new home. Their support extended well past closing, and we couldn’t be happier with the outcome.
We highly recommend Klinge Realty Group to anyone looking to buy or sell a home in the area. You’ll be in very capable and caring hands.
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Kristen M
December 7, 2025
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I have worked with Jim and Donna Klinge with Klinge Realty Group several times over the last few years. They are very knowledgeable and professional. Whether you are buying or selling, they will guide you through the whole process. They have a successful approach to selling your home from staging to open houses to negotiating with realtors to get the best contract. My condo in Rancho Bernardo had 5 offers in 4 days and closed in just 14 days. I highly recommend Jim and Donna Klinge for all of your real estate needs and would definitely work with them again in the future.
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Anjali Verma
December 5, 2025
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I highly recommend Jim and Donna Klinge for purchasing a home! The expertise of the Klinge Realty Group was invaluable to me as a first time home buyer. Their timeliness, depth of knowledge, genuine care to help find the right property, and efficiency during the escrow process all made for a smooth home buying experience. Thank you Jim, Donna, and Lisa!
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Scott Shimooka
October 8, 2025
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Jim and Donna Klinge were great to work with. I had reached out to the Klinge Realty Group to help me sell my father's house. I don't even live in California, much less the Vista area, and they were great. Specifically, I can't say enough about their knowledge of the local market (really helped with setting the price and with all the local contractor support that I needed to sell my dad's house).
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Kasey Zommers
July 31, 2025
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It was such a pleasure working with Jim and Donna Klinge of Klinge Realty Group! They have helped my family buy and sell so many homes over the years. Jim really listened to our vision of what we were looking for in our first home, and gave us honest reviews of every property we toured, helping us make a great choice that not only checked our boxes but had great resale value. We really trusted his advice and valued his experience. Donna was an all star when it came to navigating the immediate renovations needed and helped us every step of the way once our offer was accepted. Both Jim and Donna helped us immensely with negotiation, all of the paperwork, and competing in a competitive market. We wouldn't have gotten our home without them!
