Orange County Real Estate Information

Buying Planned Community Homes

Planned communities have shaped Orange County real estate since the early 1960s. With large parcels of land here owned and developed by the Irvine Company, a local business group with a long history, this region is one of the best examples in America of what happens when private companies take part in city planning. The results have been spectacular, and well documented: in 1963 Irvine Company architect William Pereira landed on the cover of Time Magazine for his vision of Irvine, California, a newly founded town which became famous for its balance of parks and housing, and high standard of living. Today, Irvine is a mid-sized city surrounded by other master-planned developments such as Newport Coast and Tustin.

For someone entering the Orange County real estate market, the area's unique history has important implications. As an example, consider home prices. You'll find that in planned communities, pricing tends to be more stable - this means buyers and sellers don't have to play the waiting game as often as in traditional real estate markets. As well, planned community homes are often subject to a more thorough review process than elsewhere, which helps ensure quality and steadily increasing value.

With so many advantages, planned communities have become popular across the county, but it was the Irvine Company's success in Orange County which popularized the idea. The Irvine model grew out of a 185 square mile ranch founded in 1864, and was sped up by the huge success of its namesake city in the 1960s. With many thriving planned communities here today, look for undeveloped areas north of Irvine to be the next part of the vision.

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