Family Planned
When Julie and Kevin Rosenberg decided they had outgrown their two-bedroom condo, they began hunting for what many young families want: good value in a larger house and an outstanding school system.
They found both in Tustin Ranch, a master-planned development in the central Orange County city of Tustin.
The Rosenbergs’ neighborhood, a gated tract called San Miguel, consists of 138 homes and is one of about 15 new-home communities in Tustin Ranch.
The 1,750-acre Tustin Ranch extends to the northeast from the intersection of the Santa Ana Freeway and Jamboree Road to Pioneer Road. Begun in 1986 by the Irvine Co. and still being developed, Tustin Ranch has about 6,000 homes by 10 builders, including J.M. Peters, Graystone, J. Laing Homes, Fieldstone, Lennar and Lewis Homes.
“We looked for months at older homes,” said Julie Rosenberg, 31, a former medical transcriptionist and full-time mom, “but when we saw the new homes in San Miguel and what we could get for our investment, we decided to put in an offer the same day.”
Rosenberg and her husband, Kevin, 29, owner of BridgeGate Group, an executive recruiting firm in Irvine, have lived in San Miguel for about two years and have a 2-year-old son, Joshua.
They paid about $300,000 for their 2,500-square-foot four-bedroom two-bath home, built by California Pacific.
Although Joshua is still a toddler, the Rosenbergs’ decision to live in the Tustin Unified School District was deliberate.
“The Tustin Ranch Elementary school, which has an excellent reputation, is within the development and very convenient,” Kevin Rosenberg said.
What they appreciate the most now are the quiet, friendly neighborhood and the town-like atmosphere.
“San Miguel feels like its own town because it’s a gated community that has the golf course on one side and the foothills on the other,” he said.
When 10-year Orange County residents Kevin Keene, 30, and his wife, Pam, 33, decided to buy a home, they first considered the Whittier area to ease Kevin’s 45-minute commute to his business, Keene Auto Sales.
But after a six-month search and repeated visits to Tustin Ranch, they decided that the new community offered a family environment, a well-regarded school system and convenient access to freeways that would work best for their family.
“Kevin decided that he’d rather come home to a place he likes,” said Pam Keene, an interior designer who’s currently a full-time mom.
The Keenes, who also live in San Miguel, paid about $260,000 for their single-family detached home. The house has three bedrooms and 2 1/2 baths in about 2,000 square feet.
They chose one of the largest lots, 5,000 square feet, which includes an inviting private courtyard.
“In many of the homes we looked at, the front door felt like it was on the sidewalk,” Pam Keene said.
Beyond the courtyard, each home is landscaped with grass, bushes and small blooming flowers. The landscaping was completed when they moved in during the late summer of 1996.
“All we had to do was move our clothes in,” she said.
The Keenes, parents of two boys--23-month-old Trevor and 7-month-old Ryan--said most of their neighbors are thirtysomething. They and eight other families moved into the neighborhood at the same time.
“We all got to know each other right away,” Pam Keene said. “We look out for each other and our children. It’s amazing to have that feeling of safety after such a short time.”
Elaine Nermon, a Tustin Ranch resident and a real estate agent with First Team Real Estate who sells both new and resale homes, said two reasons San Miguel and similar divisions are a big draw are that they are gated and are priced in the mid-range of the housing market.
“The majority of the communities, which range from entry-level condominiums to estate-type homes, are gated and separated, which is appealing,” Nermon said.
Most home prices in Tustin Ranch range from $250,000 to $300,000. New home prices start at about $125,000 for an 800-square-foot condo and go up to $750,000 for a 4,000-square-foot five-bedroom house, Nermon said.
For families with children, the quality and location of Tustin Ranch Elementary School were important factors in the home-buying decision. The school, which opened in September 1995 and goes from kindergarten to fifth grade, recently received a citation for its architectural design, one of five elementary schools in the country to be recognized at the National Conference on Education.
“Three corridors branch off a central hall. Computer stations are located throughout these corridors. And each classroom has one computer and large screen that can access CD-ROMs and laser discs,” said Ronald Richardson, principal.
“It is a beautiful building, but the teaching staff, positive environment and parental involvement [are] the foundation of the successful educational program at the school,” he said, citing weekly broadcast, arts, music and science programs as well as after-school enrichment programs offered at the school.
Debbie and Bill Buchanan, Orange County natives, moved to a new home in Tustin Ranch about five years ago because of the location and school system.
When they decided that they wanted a larger house, they stayed in Tustin Ranch and in mid-1996 bought a 3-year-old, 3,400-square-foot, four-bedroom 3 1/2-bath home.
Bill Buchanan, 38, is a contractor who specializes in defense and aerospace, at Buchanan & Buchanan Construction in Tustin, and Debbie Buchanan, 36, is a chief financial officer for a property management firm.
In their work, both travel throughout Southern California, and they appreciate the community’s proximity to the freeway and to their offices.
“I like being close to the children,” said Bill, who regularly coaches after-school sports. The couple’s kids, Brian, 10, and Jennifer, 8, attend Tustin Ranch Elementary.
The Buchanans paid in the mid-$400,000s for their two-story Mediterranean-style home, built by California Pacific, in a gated community of about 200 homes.
“It’s a great community,” he said, “a quiet neighborhood with a good mix of ages.”
For Fariba Shaygan, Tustin Ranch had it all: a spacious lot and a beautiful single-family house that offers privacy, a good school system and a minimum commute.
“The timing, the place; it all came together,” said Shaygan, who drives to Chino each day to her family-owned business, Eurodesign, a 15-year-old cabinet manufacturing company.
Fariba and her husband, Sarzad, a prosthodontist in Irvine, bought their 3,600-square-foot, four-bedroom, 2 1/2-bath Standard Pacific home in September 1996 for about $500,000.
“We really wanted a single-family home with a big backyard and couldn’t find it anywhere,” said Fariba, who has plans for children, a pool, gardens, waterfalls and fountains. Their home is on a 17,000-square-foot lot.
Although the Shaygans loved the quality details of the house, such as 5-inch-high baseboards, rounded corners and high ceilings, they renovated the kitchen by adding a breakfast nook, built-in desk, granite counters and custom wood finish.
The Shaygans enjoy the activities offered at Tustin Ranch’s sports complex, which has 20 lighted tennis courts, a track, basketball and racquetball courts, and the golf course.
They are impressed with the house and the activities available and especially with their new neighbors.
“The neighbors have made us feel very welcomed, and have introduced themselves and their children. I appreciate and love the quality of the house and neighborhood more each day,” Fariba Shaygan said.
