Harbor and ocean outlook
Views toward Dana Point Harbor from a corner lot, with more space from neighbours than a typical interior site.
A Sellers Reserve Auction Strategy · Presented with Nicole Herring, Mint Real Estate
3 Calle Agua,
San Clemente.
A harbor view corner home on a third of an acre in Sea Pointe Estates, ready for its next chapter. Relaunched as an event on Wednesday, October 7. Sold under the hammer, on site at twilight, Wednesday, October 28, 2026 at 5:00 PM.
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Introduction
Prepared with Nicole,
for people she cares about.
3 Calle Agua is more than a listing to Nicole Herring. The owners are her friends, and she has carried this home with the care that only comes from a personal relationship. Her most recent campaign did something important: it acknowledged, openly, that buyers had seen this home before, and invited them to see it again with fresh eyes.
This document builds on that instinct. It is not a critique of anything done to date. It asks one practical question: after several rounds on the market, what method gives the owners the strongest, most certain result, on a date they choose?
Our answer is a Sellers Reserve Auction. Our role is narrow and specialist by design: we bring the auction method, the campaign production and the bidder qualification, all funded by us. Nicole remains the listing agent, the trusted voice for the owners and the relationship at the centre of the sale, from the first conversation through to close of escrow.
Michael Mahon, Sellers Reserve
The Listing Agent
The right person is already beside the owners.
Nicole has more than twenty years in real estate, specialising in portfolio management, relocation and guiding families through major life transitions, including downsizing, probate and trust sales. She is known for a hands on approach and clear communication, and for working alongside attorneys, financial advisors and family members so that nothing is missed.
That is exactly the experience this sale needs. Complex situations are resolved by people the owners trust, and they trust Nicole. Nothing about her stewardship of this home needs defending.
Our proposal keeps everything Nicole has built and adds one mechanism on top of it. She remains the listing agent and the face of this sale. We supply the method, fund the campaign, and deliver qualified, deposited bidders on October 28.
Trusted relationship
A friend to the owners, and their advocate throughout.
Life transition expertise
Twenty years guiding families through complex sales.
Sellers Reserve
The auction method, campaign funding and bidder qualification.
The Property
Good bones, great views, and room to grow.
A private Mediterranean home on a corner third of an acre in Sea Pointe Estates, one of San Clemente's most coveted communities. Soaring ceilings, fireplaces, stone counters, a pergola draped courtyard and a serene patio with a water feature, with views toward Dana Point Harbor.
Built in 1997 and lovingly lived in, the home is ready for a buyer who wants to make it their own. The plan was designed with a second story extension in mind, and that opportunity is a large part of its appeal. We will present it honestly, as a canvas in an address that rarely comes to market.
Bedrooms
4
Bathrooms
3 full, 1 half
Interior
Approx. 3,900 sq ft
Lot
0.33 acre corner
Built
1997
Garage
3 car
Sea Pointe Estates · resort pools, tennis and walking paths · Capistrano Unified: Palisades Elementary, Shorecliffs Middle, San Clemente High · Interior per MLS, county record shows 3,390 sq ft
The Location
Buyers can change a kitchen. They cannot change the address.
Sea Pointe Estates sits on the hillside above the Pacific in San Clemente's southern reaches, a community where corner lots with harbor views are genuinely scarce. That is the story we will tell, because it is the part of the value no renovation can add.
Resort style community
Resort pools, tennis courts and scenic walking paths, with the calm of an established, well kept neighbourhood.
Surf town lifestyle
Minutes to the San Clemente Pier, Trestles, T Street and the dining along Avenida Del Mar.
Highly rated schools
Capistrano Unified, with Palisades Elementary, Shorecliffs Middle and San Clemente High all rated 8 to 9 out of 10.
A third of an acre
Lot size that gives a buyer real options: a second story, an outdoor room, a pool, or simply privacy.
Proven rental demand
The home has previously been offered for lease at $9,850 to $12,000 a month, useful context for buyers weighing a hold.
The Campaign to Date
What the market has told us, and what it has not.
Since mid 2024 the home has been offered several times, and each round has been sensibly adjusted toward the market. Nicole's campaign this year was the most realistic yet, and her copy was honest and warm. The challenge is not the effort. It is the format.
Jun 2024
Listed
$3,495,000
Jul 2024
Adjusted
$3,250,000
Jun 2025
Relisted
$3,000,000
Sep 2025
Relisted
$2,850,000
May 2026
Nicole's campaign
$2,900,000
Public listing history via Movoto and Zillow, September 2026.
What went right
Strong photography, an honest description, and a price that moved steadily toward the market. Nicole has kept the home visible and the owners informed.
Listing fatigue
Buyers who follow this community have seen the address across three years. Each return reads as the same home, and quietly encourages them to wait for the next round.
The renovation conversation
When a home needs updating, a fixed price invites buyers to subtract their own renovation estimate, often a generous one. The number becomes the argument.
What the market has not said
No buyer has yet been asked to compete. Every conversation so far has been one to one. We have never seen what several motivated buyers will do in the same room.
Pricing Strategy
Stop defending a number. Start a competition.
The objective is the highest price the market will pay for 3 Calle Agua, on terms that give the owners certainty. We approach price with care. The owners have a figure in mind for good reasons, and the reserve protects it. The price guide has a different job: to bring every capable buyer through the door.
Relaunch Price Guide
$2,395,000+
We recommend relaunching with a guide from $2,395,000. This is an engineered entry point, not a valuation and not a ceiling. It sits below the $2.5 million search break, so it reaches buyers who have filtered this home out, and those buyers then compete their way back up.
The reserve stays private and stays with the owners
Recent nearby sales, 2026
615 Calle Hidalgo, San Clemente
4 bd · approx. 3,000 sq ft
$2,450,000
4 Via Del Tesoro, San Clemente
4 bd · approx. 4,100 sq ft
$2,500,000
33401 Via De Agua, San Juan Capistrano
4 bd · approx. 3,000 sq ft
$2,400,000
26946 Calle Real, Dana Point
4 bd · approx. 3,400 sq ft
$2,400,000
110 Del Cabo, San Clemente
4 bd · approx. 2,800 sq ft
$2,000,000
None of these carry a harbor outlook on a third of an acre corner, which is exactly why a fixed price struggles here. Automated estimates currently sit between $2.62 million and $3.1 million. October 28 replaces every estimate with one number real buyers actually bid.
"When a home needs work, every buyer is doing their own arithmetic. Competition is the only thing that makes them round up instead of down."
The Best Approach Forward
Why a Sellers Reserve Auction fits this home.
We create a competitive environment among qualified buyers, drive urgency with a fixed date, and reveal true market value in the open. The owners hold the reserve. Buyers compete openly. The market, not negotiation, sets the price.
01
A fresh event, not a fifth listing
Buyers in this corner of San Clemente have seen this address before. We do not ask them to look at the same listing again. We invite them to a dated event with a countdown, a bidder register and a twilight auction on the corner.
02
Let buyers price the vision
This home suits a buyer with vision. Rather than defend a number against every renovation estimate, we let qualified buyers bring their own plans and compete openly for the opportunity.
03
Certainty for the owners
A defined date, defined terms and a contract signed on the day. The reserve stays private and stays with the owners, so they keep control of the outcome and the timing.
The Marketing Program
New eyes, new audience, new story.
We build on Nicole's groundwork and add scale, production and reach, funded entirely by Sellers Reserve.
Golden Hour Media Day
Twilight and aerial imagery that puts the harbor view first, plus a short film, so returning buyers genuinely see something new.
Vision Pack
Concept renderings of a second story and refreshed interiors, with indicative contractor pricing, so buyers bid on potential instead of discounting for it.
Builder & Investor Reach
Direct outreach to South County builders, designers, renovators and move up buyers who actively seek a canvas in a premium community.
Precision Digital
Multi wave paid social and search across Orange County, Los Angeles, the Inland Empire and relocation corridors, with four weeks of retargeting.
Agent Network
Nicole's network, the Mint Real Estate team and our qualified buyer list, plus calls to every agent who has shown in Sea Pointe this year.
Curated Inspections
Broker preview, twilight tours on Wednesdays, open homes each weekend from 1 to 4 PM and private appointments, with feedback captured for the owners.
A clear difference in approach
Another listing vs Sellers Reserve Auction.
| Another Listing | SR Auction | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | A fixed price buyers discount for renovation. | A guide that invites competition, with no ceiling. |
| Perception | The same home, back again. | A new, dated event with a countdown. |
| Timeframe | Open ended. | Four weeks to one sale date: October 28. |
| Conditions | Financing, appraisal and inspection contingencies. | Contract signed on the day, inspections done beforehand. |
| Negotiation | One to one, behind closed doors. | Open bidding, in front of the owners. |
| Marketing cost | Funded by the seller or capped by the brokerage. | Funded up front by Sellers Reserve. |
Control & Certainty
The owners stay in the driver's seat.
The reserve ensures 3 Calle Agua never sells below a level the owners accept, and it is set late, with Nicole, on four weeks of real evidence. A lower guide carries no downside, because the reserve protects the owners, not the guide.
If the home does not sell under the hammer, we move straight into Phase II with Nicole, negotiating with buyers who have already qualified and committed to the property.
Above all, a fixed date gives the owners what an open ended listing cannot: a known finish line, and the ability to plan their next chapter with confidence.
Timeline
Four weeks. One outcome.
Strategy and refresh from October 1, relaunch on Wednesday October 7, and the hammer falling at twilight on Wednesday October 28 at 5:00 PM.
October 1 to 7, 2026
Week 1 · Strategy & Refresh
- · Strategy confirmed with Nicole and the owners, reserve framework set
- · Light presentation refresh: landscaping, declutter, key room styling
- · MEDIA DAY Monday October 5 · RELAUNCH Wednesday October 7
October 8 to 14, 2026
Week 2 · Launch & Reach
- · Broker preview and twilight tour for South County's top agents
- · Contractor and designer walkthroughs with renovation guidance on hand
- · Open homes Saturday October 10 and Sunday October 11, 1 to 4 PM
October 15 to 21, 2026
Week 3 · Depth & Feedback
- · Second digital wave · out of area and relocation buyers
- · Private appointments, structured feedback after every tour
- · Open homes Saturday October 17 and Sunday October 18, 1 to 4 PM
October 22 to 28, 2026
Week 4 · Qualify & Auction
- · Proof of funds, bidder briefings, registrations and deposits
- · Final open homes October 24 and 25 · reserve confirmed with the owners
- · LIVE ON-SITE TWILIGHT AUCTION · Wednesday October 28 · 5:00 PM
Auction Day
Wednesday, October 28, 2026
5:00 PM, at twilight.
A live, on-site auction at 3 Calle Agua as the light falls over the harbor, with registered, pre-qualified bidders. Open and transparent, hosted by an accredited auctioneer, with Nicole beside the owners throughout.
- Format
- Live on-site, open auction
- Open homes
- Weekends, 1 to 4 PM
- Bidders
- Qualified, verified & deposited
- Reserve
- Privately set by the owners
Auction Day
The Partnership
Two roles, one shared goal.
Sellers Reserve runs auction campaigns for exceptional homes in partnership with the listing agent. We are not replacing Nicole and we do not compete for the relationship. We are the specialist she brings in when a home warrants a different mechanism.
Listing Agent
Nicole Herring
Mint Real Estate
Nicole leads the sale. She holds the relationship with the owners, guides every decision alongside them, and brings twenty years of experience with families in transition.
NHerring@MintRealEstate.com · 949-676-2247
CA DRE #01497895
Founder & CEO
Michael Mahon
Founder, CEO · Sellers Reserve
Twenty seven years at the front line of real estate and more than 2,000 homes sold. Michael founded Sellers Reserve to give sellers and their agents a transparent, certain alternative to the traditional listing.
michael@sellersreserve.com · +1 949 887 0350
CA DRE #02076897
Investment
Two separate lines, nothing hidden.
Nicole's brokerage representation stays exactly as agreed with the owners today. Sellers Reserve provides and funds the auction campaign. Both are payable only on a successful sale.
Zero out of pocket marketing cost to the owners
As agreed
Brokerage Commission · Mint Real Estate
Unchanged. Nicole's listing agreement stands: representation, negotiation, disclosures, escrow and close.
1.5%
Sellers Reserve Platform Fee
One flat fee covering the entire auction program, funded up front by Sellers Reserve so the owners are never invoiced for marketing.
- ·Photography, film and drone
- ·Vision Pack renderings
- ·Digital, social and print media
- ·Dedicated property website
- ·Buyer qualification and registration
- ·Accredited auctioneer and production
0%
Buyer's Premium
Traditional auction houses add a 10 to 15% buyer's premium on top of the winning bid. Buyers are not fooled by it. They do the maths and lower their bids to match, so the cost comes straight out of the seller's result.
Worse, it breaks the spell of the room. Great auctions run on emotion and momentum, and every raise becomes a sum with a surcharge attached. Bidders hesitate, calculate and stop early. With Sellers Reserve there is no buyer's premium, so every bid is the real number and bidders compete freely for the home.
Payable at close
No sale, no fee.
Next Step
When you're ready,
we start the clock.
Approving the strategy this week secures the October 28 auction date, the October 7 relaunch and the full four week calendar.