Orange County Historical Homes

Orange County has a small but remarkable collection of historic homes, from the Craftsman bungalows of Old Towne Orange to the period-revival estates of Floral Park and the mid-century Eichler tracts in the city of Orange. True historical homes are rare, they are easy to mis-identify, and the best of them rarely sit on the market long. This page explains what actually makes a home historical here, the benefits of owning one, and how to find the right one even when the usual search tools fall short.

Looking for a historic home? Email me for a full county-wide search, or call or text 949-430-7500.

What Makes a Home "Historical" in Orange County

Age alone does not make a home historical. A historical home is one that carries an official designation on a register of historic places at the national, state, county, or city level, or that contributes to a designated historic district. That distinction matters, because designation is what gives a home its protections and its tax advantages.

It is also why these homes are hard to shop for. A 1920s Spanish Revival in a historic district and a 1965 tract home can both turn up under a simple "built before 1970" search, but only one is actually historic. Knowing the districts and the designation records is the only reliable way to tell them apart.

The Rewards of Owning a Historic Home

Buyers are drawn to these homes first for the obvious reasons: the charm, the beauty, the architecture, and a quality of construction that is hard to find in newer houses. Beyond all of that, there is one more benefit that many buyers do not know about until they are in one: the Mills Act.

The Mills Act is a California program (Government Code sections 50280 to 50290) that many Orange County cities take part in. In exchange for a recorded contract to maintain and preserve the property, the owner receives a reassessment that commonly lowers the annual property tax bill by roughly 40 to 60 percent. The exact savings depend on the property and the county assessment. A few things worth knowing:

• The contract runs in renewing 10-year terms and transfers to the next owner when the home sells, so the tax benefit is part of what you are buying.
• The owner agrees to maintain and restore the home to the Secretary of the Interior's Standards, with periodic inspections.
• It is administered by the city, not the MLS, and each city runs its own program with its own application and availability.

For a buyer, a home that already carries a Mills Act contract can mean meaningful savings for as long as you own it. I can help you confirm whether a specific home is designated and under contract, and what that would mean for your tax bill.

Orange County's Historic Neighborhoods

Most of the county's genuine historic housing is concentrated in a handful of older downtowns and early neighborhoods:

• Old Towne Orange. Centered on the Plaza, this roughly one-square-mile district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997 and is the largest National Register district in California. It is known for Craftsman bungalows, Mission and Spanish Revival, and Classical Revival homes.
• The Anaheim Colony. The historic core of downtown Anaheim, on the footprint of the original 1857 colony settlement, with late-1800s and early-1900s homes.
• Floral Park, Santa Ana. One of the county's premier historic neighborhoods, known for its 1920s and 1930s period-revival homes and an annual home tour.
• Downtown Fullerton and Old Town Tustin. Early commercial-and-residential cores with concentrations of early-20th-century homes.
• Landmark towns. San Juan Capistrano, built around its 1776 mission, and the early art-colony cottages of Laguna Beach round out the county's most historic pockets.

Eichler Neighborhoods in Orange

The city of Orange is also home to three prized mid-century modern tracts of Joseph Eichler post-and-beam homes from the late 1950s and early 1960s: Fairhaven, Fairmeadow, and Fairhills. With their open floor plans, walls of glass, and atriums, Eichlers are among the most architecturally significant and sought-after homes in the county. See our dedicated Orange County Eichler homes page for more on these neighborhoods and what is available.

Selling a Historical Home

Selling a historic home is not like selling a standard listing. The buyers who pay a premium for these homes care about authenticity, condition, and what the house will cost to own and maintain, and the work to answer those questions belongs before the home goes on the market, not in the middle of escrow. Here is what we cover first:

• A full pre-listing inspection. Older homes carry older systems: wiring, plumbing, foundations, roofs, and additions made over decades. A thorough inspection up front tells us what is sound and what needs attention, so we can address or clearly disclose it rather than let it surface as a surprise during the buyer's inspection and put the deal at risk.
• The property tax picture, including the Mills Act. If the home already carries a Mills Act contract, that is one of its strongest selling points, and we document the current savings so a buyer sees exactly what transfers to them. If it does not, we provide the buyer the information on whether the home qualifies and how to apply, because the potential for a 40 to 60 percent tax reduction is a real part of the home's value.
• Restoring the original character. Over the years, some homes pick up odd or out-of-period customizations. Where that has happened, it can be worth bringing key elements back toward the home's original look before listing, since authenticity is exactly what historic buyers are paying for. In a designated district, we also confirm what the design-review guidelines allow.
• Correct identification and marketing. We make sure the home is presented as what it is, a genuine historic property, so it reaches the buyers who value it instead of getting lost among ordinary older homes.

If you are thinking about selling a historic home, the earlier we start, the more we can do to position it well. Email me or call 949-430-7500 and we will build a plan before you list.

How to Find a Historic Home: Just Email Me

Here is the honest truth about shopping for historic homes: there is no reliable public filter for them. The MLS has a "Historical" disclosure, but agents routinely leave it blank or check it inconsistently, so at any given time only a handful of genuinely historic homes in the entire county are correctly tagged. A plain search misses most of them and mislabels others.

So rather than send you chasing an inaccurate list, do this instead: send me a quick email with what you are looking for, and I will run a full county-wide search by hand, by district and designation, and bring you the real candidates. If you are selling a historic home, I will make sure it is identified and marketed correctly so the right buyers find it.

Email Me for a Full County-Wide Search »

Prefer to talk? Call or text 949-430-7500

Buying or Selling a Historic Orange County Home?

Eric Engelbert is an Orange County real estate broker who knows the county's historic districts, Eichler neighborhoods, designations, and Mills Act contracts. Send a quick email and get straight answers before you buy or list.