Guard gated, genuinely
Twenty four hour attended entry, controlled access and patrols. For international and executive buyers this is frequently the first filter applied and the last one compromised on.
A Sellers Reserve Auction Strategy · Presented with The Watson Team
28 Blue Summit,
Turtle Ridge.
An Amberhill estate behind the guard gates of The Summit. Relaunched as an event on Wednesday, October 7. Sold under the hammer, on site, Saturday, October 24, 2026 at 2:00 PM.
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Introduction
At Jim's invitation,
and alongside him.
We are here because Jim Watson asked us to be. That matters, and it says something about him. 28 Blue Summit is in the hands of one of Orange County's most experienced and best connected listing agents, with a quarter of a century of coastal and Irvine transactions behind him and a licence number that predates most of the agents now competing for this listing.
Jim does not need help selling a house. What he has done, which very few agents at this level are secure enough to do, is look at an exceptional estate in a thin, high value market and ask a specialist question: is there a method that can generate more competition, in a shorter window, than a conventional private treaty campaign can?
There is. It is the reason we have been in conversation with Jim about the best strategic solution for this property, and the reason this document exists. Our role is narrow and specialist by design: we bring the auction method, the campaign production and the bidder qualification. Jim and The Watson Team remain the sellers' agents, the local authority and the relationship at the centre of the sale, from the first conversation through to close of escrow.
What follows is that strategy in full: the positioning, the marketing program, where this home sits against its competition, the pricing architecture, the local story we intend to sell, and the day by day calendar, all converging on a live on-site auction on Saturday, October 24, 2026.
Michael Mahon, Sellers Reserve
The Listing Team
The right agent is already on this listing.
Jim Watson
The Watson Team · REAL
(714) 342-4040 · tj@watson-team.com
The Watson Team DRE #01196080 · REAL #02022096
333 Marine Ave, Ste 8, Balboa Island, CA 92662
Jim Watson has been licensed in California since the 1990s and has built The Watson Team into a genuine Orange County practice: Balboa Island and Newport Coast at one end, Irvine, Turtle Ridge, North Tustin and the inland villages at the other. That range is unusual, and on this property it is the whole point. The buyer for 28 Blue Summit is very often someone weighing it against Shady Canyon, against Newport Coast, against a Corona del Mar rebuild. Jim can speak to all of those markets first hand in the same conversation.
He and Tom Springer brought this estate to market in August with a presentation that does the home justice: seventy five images, an accurate and well written narrative, and a clean, disciplined campaign. Nothing about the listing needs defending. The question is not whether the property has been marketed well, it is whether a private treaty process can extract the maximum from a buyer pool this small and this well informed.
Our proposal keeps everything Jim has built and adds one mechanism on top of it. He remains the sellers' agent and the face of this sale. We supply the method, fund the campaign, and hand him a room full of qualified, deposited bidders on October 24.
Local authority
Coastal and Irvine transactions across a quarter of a century, in one team.
REAL platform
A national, technology led brokerage with cross market referral reach.
Sellers Reserve
The auction method, campaign funding and bidder qualification.
The Property
An Amberhill estate, quietly updated for the way people live now.
Behind the guard gates of The Summit at Turtle Ridge, 28 Blue Summit balances grand scale entertaining with everyday comfort. Formal living and dining wrap an open air atrium. An extended chef's kitchen with professional grade appliances and a large centre island opens to a breakfast nook and a covered California room, so the house breathes outward in every direction.
The main level carries a bright office behind French doors, easily a sixth bedroom, plus a full guest suite with private garden access. Upstairs is zoned for privacy: a junior suite with its own retreat and Juliet balcony, and a primary wing with fireplace, spa bathroom, oversized wardrobe and a retreat opening to a balcony over the grounds. Every additional bedroom is en suite. Outside, a natural stone patio, outdoor fireplace and fountains sit within mature planting on a 9,182 square foot lot.
Bedrooms
5 + office
Bathrooms
5 full, 1 half
Interior
4,442 sq ft
Lot
9,182 sq ft · 0.21 acre
Built
2004
Garage
3 car + oversized drive
Amberhill tract · The Summit at Turtle Ridge, guard gated · HOA $688 per month, clubhouse, fitness centre, pools, spa, sport court and trails · Irvine Unified, Vista Verde K to 8 · CRMLS #OC26177442
The Location
At this level you are not selling a house. You are selling an address.
Amberhill is a collection of only eighty eight homes built by Standard Pacific between 2003 and 2005, inside the guard gated Summit at Turtle Ridge. Lots run from roughly eight to fourteen thousand square feet, which is generous for Irvine, and the Summit sits directly alongside Shady Canyon, the most expensive address in the city. This is scarce stock in a neighbourhood buyers actively hunt.
Schools that hold value
Irvine Unified, with Vista Verde K to 8 rated A plus and within walking distance. In this buyer pool the school catchment is not a footnote, it is a purchase driver we will target directly.
Canyon trails at the door
Bommer Canyon, the Turtle Ridge trail network and the open space above the community. The lifestyle here is genuinely outdoor, and competing listings mention it in a sentence. We will film it.
Coast in ten minutes
Down the 73 to Newport Coast, Crystal Cove, Fashion Island and Balboa Island. Jim's own market. A buyer choosing Turtle Ridge over the coast is buying land, space and gates without giving up the water.
The UCI and John Wayne axis
University of California Irvine, the medical centre and John Wayne Airport are all minutes away. That axis is what makes this address work for physicians, founders and executives who fly weekly.
Resort amenity, without the resort
Clubhouse, fitness centre, pools, spa, sport court, fire pit and outdoor cooking, all inside the association. Buyers compare this against homes where every one of those things is a private capital cost.
"Eighty eight homes in the tract. A handful trade in any given year. Scarcity is the argument, and an auction is the only format that makes a buyer feel it."
Pricing Strategy
Get the process right, and the price takes care of itself.
The objective never changes: achieve the maximum price the market is willing to pay for 28 Blue Summit. Price is not something we declare at the start and then defend. It is the output of a process, and the quality of that process decides the number on the contract.
Relaunch Price Guide
$5,995,000+
We recommend relaunching with a guide from $5,995,000. This is an engineered entry point, not a valuation, not a reduction and emphatically not a ceiling. Its only job is to pull the maximum number of capable buyers through the gates in the first fourteen days.
The current $6,499,000 asking price sits just above the search band most Turtle Ridge and Newport Coast buyers set at six million. A guide beneath that break reaches an entirely different audience, and those buyers then compete their way back up through it on auction day.
The reserve stays private and stays with the sellers
Why not simply reduce?
A reduction on a listing already thirty plus days old reads as weakness at this level. It tells every watching buyer another one is coming, so the rational move is to wait rather than to offer.
Why not hold at $6,499,000?
Because a fixed asking price becomes a ceiling. No buyer offers above the number on the sign, and in a market of a few dozen genuine buyers, every one of them negotiates downward from it.
Why can a guide rise?
An upward revision mid campaign is the single most powerful signal available to us. It proves demand is real, validates the buyers already engaged and moves them from watching to acting.
Where does the reserve sit?
Set privately with the sellers and Jim in auction week, on four weeks of real evidence. The home never sells below it, so a lower guide carries no downside risk at all.
"A compelling value proposition attracts the buyers. A strategically sound price guide converts that attraction into competition. You need both."
$6,499,000
Current asking price, on market since August 13
$1,463
Asking price per square foot
$3,888,888
Last recorded sale, January 2022, at $874 per sq ft
88
Homes in the entire Amberhill tract
Public records show a considerable gain since 2022, which is exactly why an open, competitive format serves the sellers here. Automated estimates and comparable sales will disagree with each other in a tract this small. October 24 replaces all of that with one number real buyers actually bid.
The Competition
A buyer at six million has options. Very good ones.
In a single weekend a buyer at this level will see another Summit or Amberhill plan, something in Shady Canyon needing work, a newer build in Orchard Hills, and a smaller but ocean-view proposition in Newport Coast. Our entire job is to make sure that on the drive home, they are still thinking about this one, and that they understand they cannot simply wait for it.
Scarcity we can prove
Eighty eight homes in Amberhill, four floor plans, and only a handful trading in any year. We will publish that arithmetic, because scarcity a buyer can count is scarcity a buyer will bid on.
Updated, not a project
A tastefully updated estate with a professional grade kitchen and spa bathrooms. Competing Summit product at this number frequently carries an original 2004 interior and a seven figure renovation behind it.
A plan that actually works
Main floor guest suite, main floor office behind French doors, junior suite with its own retreat, every bedroom en suite. Multigenerational buyers in this market are looking for exactly this and rarely find it.
Grounds, not a side yard
A 9,182 square foot lot with natural stone terraces, an outdoor fireplace, pergola and fountains inside mature planting. In Irvine at this size, that is the differentiator most rivals cannot answer.
Certainty of terms
Competing homes will sell subject to financing, appraisal and inspection contingencies. This one sells unconditionally on the day, which is worth real money to the sellers and real credibility to the bidders.
An event, not inventory
Every rival is a listing a buyer can revisit next month. This becomes a dated event with a countdown, a bidder register and a crowd behind the gates. That is what separates a shortlist from a signature.
The Method
What is a Sellers Reserve Auction?
A specialist platform built for exactly this situation: a high value, low supply asset where the buyer pool is small, sophisticated and patient. We create a high energy competitive environment among qualified buyers, drive urgency with a fixed date, and reveal true market value in the open.
The sellers hold the reserve. Buyers compete openly. The market, not negotiation, sets the price.
01
Attraction Based Marketing
We do not advertise a number and wait for it to be attacked. We build a compressed four week campaign designed to reach every qualified buyer capable of transacting at this level, then convert that attention into private tours, feedback and registered bidders.
02
Transparent Competition
An open, on-site forum where qualified buyers reveal true market demand in real time. No back channel negotiation, no guesswork, and no buyer holding information the seller cannot see.
03
Certain Outcome
A defined date, defined terms and an unconditional contract signed on the day. The reserve stays private and stays with the sellers, so there is control at every point in the process.
"Get the process right, and the price will take care of itself."
The Marketing Program
Marketing is where the difference is made.
The existing campaign is well executed. What we add on top of it is scale, cinema and reach, funded entirely by Sellers Reserve, built to a production standard almost no listing in Orange County receives.
Cinematic Media Day
Twilight, aerial, architectural stills and a directed property film shot across one coordinated production day, with the canyon and coast in frame. Every asset created for this estate alone.
Dedicated Property Website
A standalone site for 28 Blue Summit with the full media suite, floor plan, HOA and disclosure pack and a bidder registration path. Shareable, trackable and built to convert.
Precision Digital Targeting
Multi-wave paid social and search targeted at Irvine, Newport Coast, Los Angeles, the Bay Area and international buyer corridors, with retargeting that follows engaged buyers for four full weeks.
Agent & Database Outreach
The Watson Team database, the REAL national network and our own qualified buyer list, plus personal calls to every agent who has shown a Summit, Shady Canyon or Newport Coast comparable this year.
International & Relocation
Bilingual campaign assets and this presentation in English and Chinese, targeting the Greater China, Korean and Indian buyer segments that transact heavily in Irvine, plus corporate relocation channels.
Curated Inspection Program
Broker preview, twilight tour, open homes each Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 2 PM, and private appointments nightly, each hosted with structured feedback captured for the sellers.
A clear difference in approach
Private treaty vs Sellers Reserve Auction.
| Private Treaty | SR Auction | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing Approach | A fixed asking price sets an upper ceiling on offers. | A price guide that rises with proven demand. No ceiling. |
| Timeframe | Open ended, and at this price point often measured in months. | A defined four week program leading to one sale date. |
| Sale Conditions | Subject to financing, appraisal and inspection contingencies. | Unconditional contract signed on the day. |
| Buyer Motivation | Without a deadline, capable buyers delay and negotiate harder. | A fixed date forces every interested buyer to act at once. |
| Negotiation Style | One-on-one, behind closed doors, information asymmetric. | Open competitive bidding, in front of the sellers. |
| Market Perception | Days on market accumulate and quietly discount the asset. | Positioned as a scarce event, generating energy and attendance. |
| Marketing Cost | Typically funded by the seller or capped by the brokerage. | Funded up front by Sellers Reserve. Nothing out of pocket. |
| Buyer Pool | Conditional and exploratory buyers consume time. | Qualified, funds verified and deposited before bidding. |
Control & Flexibility
The sellers stay in the driver's seat.
The reserve ensures 28 Blue Summit never sells below a level the sellers accept, and it is set late, on four weeks of hard evidence rather than an opinion formed in September. A lower price guide therefore carries no downside, because the reserve protects the sellers, not the guide.
If the home does not sell under the hammer, we do not start again. We move straight into Phase II with Jim, negotiating from a position of strength with buyers who have already qualified, verified funds and committed emotionally to the property.
Staying on the current path has a cost too, and it is already being paid: carrying costs, property tax at this assessed level, HOA dues, and a listing that grows a little quieter every week it stays visible at the same number.
Timeline
Four weeks. One outcome.
From strategy and media the week of September 28, to the relaunch and broker preview on Wednesday October 7, to the hammer falling on Saturday, October 24 at 2:00 PM, every day is staged. Open homes run 1 to 2 PM each weekend.
September 28 to October 4, 2026
Week 1 · Strategy & Reposition
- · Auction strategy confirmed with Jim and the sellers, reserve framework set
- · Competitive audit of every Turtle Ridge, Shady Canyon and Newport Coast comparable
- · Styling and presentation walkthrough, new copy platform written
October 5 to 11, 2026
Week 2 · Media & Relaunch
- · MEDIA DAY: twilight, aerial, architectural and lifestyle film
- · RELAUNCH Wednesday October 7 · broker preview for the top Orange County agents
- · Open home Saturday October 10 and Sunday October 11, 1 to 2 PM
October 12 to 18, 2026
Week 3 · Saturation & Depth
- · International and out of state buyer campaigns, second digital wave
- · Private appointments nightly, structured feedback captured after each one
- · Open home Saturday October 17 and Sunday October 18, 1 to 2 PM
October 19 to 24, 2026
Week 4 · Qualify & Auction
- · Proof of funds, bidder briefings, registrations and deposits
- · Final open home Saturday October 24, 1 to 2 PM · reserve confirmed
- · LIVE ON-SITE AUCTION · Saturday October 24 · 2:00 PM
Auction Day
Saturday, October 24, 2026
2:00 PM on-site.
A live, on-site auction staged in the grounds of 28 Blue Summit with registered, pre-qualified bidders. Open and transparent, hosted by an accredited auctioneer, with Jim alongside the sellers throughout. Unconditional contract signed on the day.
- Format
- Live on-site, open auction
- Open homes
- Saturdays & Sundays, 1 to 2 PM
- Bidders
- Qualified, verified & deposited
- Reserve
- Privately set by the sellers
Auction Day
The Specialist
A narrow brief, executed exceptionally well.
Sellers Reserve does one thing: we run auction campaigns for exceptional homes, in partnership with the listing agent. We are not the listing brokerage and we do not compete with Jim for the relationship. We are the specialist he brings in when a property warrants a different mechanism.
Founder & CEO
Michael Mahon
Founder, CEO · Sellers Reserve
Twenty seven years at the front line of high performance real estate and more than 2,000 homes sold. A leading auction specialist, keynote speaker and operator, Michael founded Sellers Reserve to give sellers and their agents a transparent, certain alternative to the private treaty listing.
michael@sellersreserve.com · +1 949 887 0350
CA DRE #02076897
Listing Agent
Jim Watson
The Watson Team · REAL
Jim leads the sale. He holds the relationship with the sellers, the local market authority across Irvine and the coast, and the buyer and agent network that makes a four week campaign viable. Co-listed with Tom Springer.
We are genuinely eager to work with The Watson Team on this estate, and we intend for this campaign to be the strongest piece of marketing 28 Blue Summit has ever had behind it.
tj@watson-team.com · (714) 342-4040
The Watson Team DRE #01196080 · REAL #02022096
333 Marine Ave, Ste 8, Balboa Island, CA 92662
Sellers Reserve is an auction marketing platform operating in partnership with the listing brokerage. The Watson Team · REAL · REAL #02022096.
Further Viewing
Two short films from Michael.
The thinking behind the method, in Michael's own words.
Time Kills Price
Why Auction?
Investment
Two separate lines, nothing hidden.
Two distinct services, priced separately. The Watson Team provides the brokerage representation exactly as agreed with the sellers today. Sellers Reserve provides and funds the auction campaign. One does not subsidise or inflate the other, and both are payable only on a successful sale.
Zero out of pocket marketing cost to the sellers
As agreed
Brokerage Commission · The Watson Team
Unchanged. Jim's existing listing agreement stands: representation, contract negotiation, disclosure management, escrow oversight and close. Any compensation offered to a buyer's agent remains entirely the sellers' decision.
1.5%
Sellers Reserve Platform Fee
A single flat fee covering the entire auction program. Sellers Reserve funds the campaign up front, so the sellers are never invoiced for marketing.
- ·Cinematic photography, film and drone
- ·Digital, social and print media buy
- ·Dedicated property website and collateral
- ·Bilingual campaign assets, English and Chinese
- ·Buyer qualification and bidder registration
- ·Accredited auctioneer and auction day production
Independent of the brokerage commission
0%
Buyer's Premium
Traditional auction houses add a 10 to 15% buyer's premium on top of the winning bid. We do not, because it is counter productive. Buyers simply deduct it from what they are willing to bid, so the seller pays for it indirectly, and it pulls the bidder into a calculating mindset at the exact moment you want them bidding with conviction.
Payable at close
Contingent on a successful sale. No sale, no fee.
Next Step
When you're ready,
we start the clock.
Approving the strategy this week secures the October 24 auction date, the October 7 relaunch, the media day and the full four week calendar, so everyone knows exactly when 28 Blue Summit sells.