Back to School House Hunting: When the District Matters More Than the Home
Buyers don’t have to choose between a quality education for their children and a quality home—they can have both. The Orange County Department of Education
oversees 28 districts, and all but five include schools recognized with a California Gold Ribbon Award in 2015 (middle and high schools) or 2016 (elementary).
Nicole and Jon Dishon, a husband-and-wife real estate duo, each grew up in the Newport-Mesa Unifi ed School District and now send their children there. Jon
surmises that about half their clients are district-specific. “Most of our buyers will make compromises in what they’re looking for in a home just so they can be close to the school where they want to send their children,” Nicole says.
There’s little compromising needed with this 8,373-square-foot, two-story Tustin home in the Tustin Unified School District, where 24 of the district’s 29 schools landed a Gold Ribbon Award.
The 2001 Mediterranean-style home on Bronzewood Drive sits among fruit trees and palms on more than three quarters of an acre. Each of five bedrooms has a bath, and the home has an additional full bath and two half-baths. The $4.5 million property also has a pool, a spa, a built-in outdoor barbecue, and four garage spaces. Listed by Joan Simonoff, 949-370-6016
Newport-Mesa Unified
$2.65 million
In a district where 13 out of 31 schools have earned a Gold Ribbon Award, this 4,000-square-foot home on Aleppo Street in Newport Beach has four bedrooms and five baths. The kitchen and master bath have quartz countertops, and many rooms in the traditional two-story home have French oak flooring. Built in 2000, the house has a two-car garage. Brad Hinman, 949-554-1210
Orange Unified
$995,000
This brick-lined, corner-lot home on East Mabury Avenue in Orange is part of a district where 23 of 38
schools have earned a Gold Ribbon Award. The 1979 two-story residence has four bedrooms and four baths in 2,773 square feet. The kitchen has a breakfast nook, and the garage holds three cars. Sharon Kaak, 714-606-7136
Fullerton, Fullerton Joint Union High
$779,000
With 2,293 square feet, this two-story home on Ardemore Drive in Fullerton is part of the Fullerton and Fullerton Joint Union High districts, which have 12 Gold Ribbon schools out of 28. The 1981 home has four bedrooms, three baths, a kitchen with slide-out cabinet shelves, an arbor-covered patio, and a two-car garage. Mandy Woo, 714-482-9100
