What are the schools like in Rancho Santa Margarita?

Rancho Santa Margarita is served by the Saddleback Valley Unified School District and, in part of the city, the Capistrano Unified School District.

What types of homes are available in Rancho Santa Margarita?

Detached homes, townhomes and condominiums built from the 1980s through the 2000s, nearly all within homeowner associations.

Which neighborhoods are close to Rancho Santa Margarita?

Mission Viejo, Aliso Viejo, Laguna Niguel and Trabuco Canyon.

Who on the team can help me in Rancho Santa Margarita?

The Chavez Team covers south Orange County alongside north county and Los Angeles. Call or text (714) 328-4776 and we will pair you with the member of the team handling the area.

The town of Rancho Santa Margarita in its valley below green hills, California

Orange County

Rancho Santa Margarita Homes for Sale

Photo: Sven Piper / Unsplash

Rancho Santa Margarita sits in a valley at the foot of the Santa Ana Mountains, planned from the 1980s onward on the old Rancho Mission Viejo land and incorporated in 2000. The whole city reads as one design: Antonio Parkway and Santa Margarita Parkway as the spines, association neighborhoods stepped up the slopes, and the Saddleback ridgeline closing the view to the east.

Lago Santa Margarita — RSM Lake — is the community's center, with a private beach club, swimming, small boats and the lawn where the city's events happen. Trails run into Riley Wilderness Park and toward Trabuco Canyon and O'Neill Regional Park, and Cook's Corner and the canyon roads are minutes away. Housing is 1980s–2000s detached homes, townhomes and condominiums, nearly all under association, with the 241 toll road handling the drive north.

At a glance

Vibe: Planned valley town at the edge of the canyons
Housing: 1980s–2000s detached homes, townhomes and condominiums in association neighborhoods, hillside streets with ridge views
Location: South Orange County, east of Mission Viejo below the Saddleback foothills
Getting around: Santa Margarita and Antonio parkways to the 241 toll road; the 5 is a short drive southwest

Lifestyle

Summer at the RSM Lake beach club, the lake loop on foot, trails into Riley Wilderness and O'Neill Regional Park, and canyon drives up Trabuco and Live Oak.

Housing

A single generation of housing in several formats: condominiums and townhomes near the parkways, detached homes in the interior neighborhoods, and hillside streets with ridge and valley views.

Why we love it

A private lake and a wilderness canyon within the same city limits.

Quiet, walkable neighborhoods with the mountains right there.

Questions we get about Rancho Santa Margarita

What are the schools like in Rancho Santa Margarita?: Rancho Santa Margarita is served by the Saddleback Valley Unified School District and, in part of the city, the Capistrano Unified School District.
What types of homes are available in Rancho Santa Margarita?: Detached homes, townhomes and condominiums built from the 1980s through the 2000s, nearly all within homeowner associations.
Which neighborhoods are close to Rancho Santa Margarita?: Mission Viejo, Aliso Viejo, Laguna Niguel and Trabuco Canyon.
Who on the team can help me in Rancho Santa Margarita?: The Chavez Team covers south Orange County alongside north county and Los Angeles. Call or text (714) 328-4776 and we will pair you with the member of the team handling the area.