Mission Viejo Real Estate and Homes For Sale If you are thinking about selling or buying a home in the Mission Viejo area or just looking for pertinent real estate information about the area, you've come to the right place. Our MLS search software enables you to Search For and View all homes and condos listed for sale in Mission Viejo with a few keystrokes. You can easily find new listings or properties for sale by price, number of bedrooms, size, location and much more. Each property listing contains pertinent property details, along with the asking price, sub-division location, age, multiple photos, and description. You can also find information about local schools, real estate market trends, recreation here. To get started, you can perform a quick and easy Property Search , or conduct a more detailed Advanced Search. Save your own custom search and be the first to know when new listings that meet your criteria hit the market in Mission Viejo...
Why relocate to Mission Viejo? For starters, the city has been designated as one of the safest places to live in the United States by numerous studies and year after year! Mission Viejo has long been considered one of the finest examples of a planned community. Each neighborhood has been designed so you´re never far from amenities such as beautiful parks and fantastic local schools. Other amenities include, Lake Mission Viejo, great shopping at "The Shops at Mission Viejo" mall, numerous restaurants, and two major hospitals! Irvine business center is an easy commute for residents as is John Wayne Airport.
The area was originally settled by Spanish Missionaries so you will see a Spanish influence in much of the architecture of the homes and other buildings. Homes are available in every price range and size - from starter condos, tract home communities, custom homes, and even lake-front mansions! Views are abundant in Mission Viejo as one of it´s features is an abundance of gently rolling hills. Looking for a new place to call home? Simply use our search the MLS function on this website to let us know the features you´re looking for, or send us an email and we´ll create a customized search for you!
Mission Viejo History The land upon which Mission Viejo is developed was part of the 52,000-acre Rancho Mission Viejo. The chain of title to the land dates back to July 27, 1769, when a Spaniard named Gaspar de Portola led an expeditionary force from Mexico across the southern border of the ranch and claimed the land for Spain.
Seven years later, the ranch witnessed the first attempt to found Mission San Juan Capistrano. Although lack of water forced the friars to relocate and the whereabouts of this old mission remain a mystery, the name Mission Viejo bears testimony to this structure's sojourn in San Juan Canyon more than two hundred years ago.
After Mexico won its independence from Spain in 1821, a new flag flew over California and a new spirit filled the air. The missions, which had been established to further the spread of the Christian faith, became secularized, and their vast landholdings were granted as ranches to prominent citizens.
One man who happened to be standing in the right place at the right time was an English trader named John Forster. John or Juan, as the name reads on the old land grant, married the Mexican governor's sister and acquired the three ranchos historically known as El Trabuco, Mission Viejo, and Los Potreros. But fate frowned on Don Juan Forster. Fencing 205,000 acres drained his capital, droughts destroyed his cattle, and futile efforts to attract settlers dried up his last remaining credit. When Forster died, his estate was in shambles, and his sons were forced to sell.
In 1907, an Irish cattleman named Richard O'Neill acquired an undivided interest in Rancho El Trabuco and Rancho Mission Viejo. When a 1963 study indicated that urbanization was spreading south from the Los Angeles area, his grandchildren, Richard O'Neill and Alice O'Neill Avery, decided to sell 10,000 acres. Donald Bren, Philip J. Reilly, and James Toepfer purchased the property and organized the Mission Viejo Company.
In 1965, a master plan for Mission Viejo was approved by the Orange County Board of Supervisors. One year later, Forster's dream of attracting settlers became a reality as families stood in line to pay $21,000 for homes on his former cattle range. In April 1966, these pioneering residents moved into the new neighborhoods near the intersection of La Paz Road and Chrisanta Drive.