The homes in Fountain Valley
Fountain Valley was farmland until the 1960s, when large housing tracts went up, and the city incorporated in 1957. Most homes date from the 1960s and 1970s. The typical house is a single-story or two-story tract home in a ranch or Spanish style, and many have been remodeled since. Townhomes and condos from the same years are scattered through the city, and there are some manufactured-home communities as well.
Neighborhoods and tracts
The 405 crosses the city on a diagonal, so people talk about homes north of the freeway or south of it. Mile Square Regional Park fills a full square mile on the north side, bounded by Edinger and Warner avenues and Brookhurst and Euclid streets, and the surrounding tracts are described by which side of the park they are on.
Green Valley is a planned community from the 1960s and 1970s built around a greenbelt with paths and shared recreation areas. It has both detached houses and attached homes, including the Green Valley Townhomes from 1966, and it has homeowners associations. Many other tracts in the city have no association at all. Ask Tony which tracts have an HOA before you tour.
Schools
Most of the city is in Fountain Valley School District for kindergarten through eighth grade and Huntington Beach Union High School District for high school, with Fountain Valley High School in the city. Fountain Valley School District schools include Courreges, Cox, Gisler, Newland, Oka, Plavan and Tamura elementary schools and Fulton, Masuda and Talbert middle schools.
The city is split, though. Part of Fountain Valley is in Garden Grove Unified, which runs Los Amigos High School on Newhope Street. Another part is in Ocean View School District for the lower grades. The address decides it, so ask Tony to confirm the assigned schools with the district before you make an offer.
Parks, shopping and landmarks
Mile Square Regional Park is the landmark. It began in 1942 as a Navy auxiliary airfield and opened in phases as a park starting in 1970. It has two lakes, two 18-hole golf courses, an archery range, sports fields and a nature area. OC Parks operates one section and the city runs the recreation center and sports park. The Santa Ana River Trail runs along the river on the east side of the city.
Getting around
The 405 is the city's freeway, with ramps at the main cross streets. Brookhurst Street, Magnolia Street and Euclid Street run north and south, and Warner, Talbert and Ellis avenues run east and west. OCTA runs the local buses. There is no Metrolink station in Fountain Valley. The nearest one is the Santa Ana station. John Wayne Airport is a short drive southeast, past Costa Mesa.
Buying in Fountain Valley
Check three things early. First, the school districts for the address, since the city is split. Second, whether the tract has an HOA and what the dues cover. Third, the flood map for the address, because the city sits beside the Santa Ana River and a lender may require flood insurance in a mapped zone. Homes backing to the 405 get freeway noise, so stand in the yard before you decide.
Tony is a REALTOR and a licensed mortgage loan originator (NMLS ID 2359276). He can go through what you may be able to borrow before you tour. That matters here because a detached house, a Green Valley townhome with association dues and a manufactured home are financed differently, and the monthly cost is more than the loan payment.
Selling in Fountain Valley
Most Fountain Valley homes are about the same age, so a house is judged against others in its own tract on condition, updates and lot. Have permits ready for any addition, pool or second unit. Put the school districts and any HOA in the listing so there are no surprises in escrow. Tony has held a California real estate license since 2007, speaks fluently in English and Arabic, and works in Fountain Valley from his office at The Real Estate Solution in Cerritos.
