Orange County Neighborhoods We Serve | Thomas Real Estate Group

Costa Mesa

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Costa Mesa calls itself the “City of the Arts,” home to the Segerstrom Center for the Arts, South Coast Repertory and the Orange County Museum of Art, all clustered around South Coast Plaza, one of the highest-grossing shopping centers in the country. Just inland from Newport Beach, it offers a more attainable entry point to the coastal lifestyle, with surf-culture roots on the Eastside and Westside neighborhoods.

Living in Costa Mesa

Eastside Costa Mesa, bordering Newport Beach, is prized for its large lots and remodeled mid-century homes. Mesa Verde offers a golf-course community feel, while the Westside has become a hub of breweries, design studios and new townhome developments. Newport-Mesa Unified serves the city, and the 405, 55 and 73 freeways converge here.

Why work with us here

Costa Mesa is one of the few coastal-adjacent cities where buyers can still find value, and we help clients identify the pockets with the strongest long-term appreciation.

Newport Beach

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Newport Beach is Orange County’s signature coastal city, with 10 miles of beaches, the largest recreational harbor on the West Coast and some of the highest home values in the state. Each area has its own character: the Balboa Peninsula and Balboa Island for beach-cottage and harbor-front living, Corona del Mar for village charm and ocean-view bluffs, Newport Coast for gated hillside estates, and Dover Shores and the Back Bay for waterfront homes close to Fashion Island.

Living in Newport Beach

The city’s median income and property values consistently rank among the highest nationally. Newport-Mesa Unified serves the city, with Corona del Mar High School and Newport Harbor High School as the main campuses, alongside several private schools. Hoag Hospital, Fashion Island and the John Wayne Airport are all within minutes.

Why work with us here

Hillary Thomas built much of her early career in the coastal market and maintains deep relationships with Newport agents, lenders and builders. For clients moving between inland Orange County and the coast, that dual expertise is hard to find.

Irvine

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Irvine is one of the largest master-planned cities in the United States, developed by the Irvine Company around a set of self-contained villages, each with its own parks, schools and shopping. Because Irvine is home to highly rated public schools, a large concentration of skilled jobs and some of the lowest crime rates in the country for a city its size, demand here is steady in every market cycle.

Living in Irvine

Villages range from established 1970s neighborhoods like University Park and Turtle Rock to newer communities such as Great Park Neighborhoods, Portola Springs and Orchard Hills. Irvine Unified School District and UC Irvine anchor the city’s reputation. Housing is predominantly newer construction with HOAs, and Mello-Roos assessments vary significantly by village, which matters when comparing list prices.

Why work with us here

Irvine is where many of our clients relocate to or from. We help buyers compare villages on total monthly cost, not just list price, and we help sellers position against new-construction competition.

Yorba Linda

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Yorba Linda is an affluent, family-oriented city in northeastern Orange County that consistently ranks among the best places to live in the country. It is known for its equestrian heritage: more than 100 miles of horse and hiking trails thread through the city, and many neighborhoods still allow horses. The Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, the Yorba Linda Town Center and the Black Gold Golf Club are local landmarks.

Living in Yorba Linda

Lots tend to be generous, from quarter-acre family homes to multi-acre estates in gated communities like Kerrigan Ranch and Vista del Verde. Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified, including Yorba Linda High School, is a major draw. Despite its semi-rural character, the city is minutes from the 91 and 57 freeways.

Why work with us here

Yorba Linda buyers often come to us from Villa Park and Orange looking for more land. We know how the two markets trade against each other and where the value is in any given month.

Anaheim Hills

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Anaheim Hills is the eastern, hillside half of Anaheim, developed largely from the 1970s onward as a series of master-planned villages. It stretches from the 91 freeway at Imperial Highway south into the Santa Ana Mountains foothills, with Yorba Linda to the north and Orange to the south. The result is a neighborhood of winding streets, greenbelts and homes oriented toward canyon and city-light views.

Living in Anaheim Hills

Housing runs from attached homes near the Festival shopping center to gated custom estates in communities like Peralta Hills and Mohler Drive. Anaheim Hills Golf Course, Oak Canyon Nature Center and miles of trails give the area an outdoor feel, and the Orange Unified schools serving the area, including Canyon High School, are well regarded. Access to the 91 and 241 toll road makes Riverside and Irvine commutes manageable.

Why work with us here

Views drive value in Anaheim Hills more than square footage does. We help sellers price for the view they have and help buyers understand what a given sightline will cost.

Tustin

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Tustin sits in the geographic center of Orange County, which makes it one of the most practical places to live if you commute in any direction. Old Town Tustin, along El Camino Real and Main Street, has a walkable main street of restaurants and historic buildings. North Tustin and Lemon Heights, just outside city limits, offer large hillside lots and custom homes in a semi-rural setting.

Living in Tustin

The former Marine Corps air station has become Tustin Legacy, a master-planned community with new construction, parks and the Tustin District retail center. Tustin Unified is among the county’s highest-rated districts, with Beckman and Foothill High Schools regularly cited among the best in the state. Inventory ranges from condos and townhomes near the Market Place to estate properties in the hills.

Why work with us here

We have sold homes across Tustin and North Tustin for four decades and understand the difference between city and unincorporated county addresses, which affects everything from school boundaries to Mello-Roos.

Orange

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Orange is a city with many flavors. Old Towne Orange is one of the largest National Register historic districts in California, with early-1900s Craftsman and Victorian homes radiating out from the Plaza and its antique shops, cafés and Chapman University campus. Head east and the city climbs into Orange Park Acres, with equestrian estates and dirt trails, and into the hillside neighborhoods above Santiago Canyon where views stretch to the coast on a clear day.

Living in Orange

Whether your budget fits a starter home, a multi-million dollar hillside custom or an equestrian estate, Orange has it. The city is anchored by major employers and medical centers, including UCI Medical Center, CHOC Children’s and St. Joseph Hospital, and sits minutes from Angel Stadium, the Honda Center and the Outlets at Orange. Parks, trails and sports facilities abound.

Why work with us here

A large share of our active listings are in Orange’s hillside neighborhoods. We track these micro-markets street by street, and we can tell you how a view lot in Shady Glen compares to one in Rocking Horse Ridge before you ever tour.

Villa Park

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Villa Park is a city of roughly 2 square miles and under 6,000 residents, and it has guarded that scale on purpose. There are no apartments and almost no commercial strip; the entire city is detached single-family homes, many on half-acre to one-acre lots that were orchards within living memory. Mature trees, wide setbacks and quiet cul-de-sacs give it an estate feel that is rare this close to the 55 and 91 freeways.

Living in Villa Park

Homes here range from mid-century ranches on flat lots to extensively rebuilt custom estates with pools, sport courts and guest houses. Because inventory is tight and turnover is low, listings often sell to buyers who have been waiting specifically for Villa Park. Students attend Orange Unified schools, including Villa Park High School. The Villa Park Towne Centre handles daily errands, and the Fourth of July parade and the Villa Park Run are the kind of small-town traditions that keep families here for decades.

Why work with us here

Thomas Real Estate Group’s office is in Villa Park, and we have represented buyers and sellers on these streets for more than 40 years. We know which lots were split, which homes have been taken to the studs, and what a half-acre with a view is actually worth this season.