Saddlebrook Farms - Grayslake, IL

We downsized to Saddlebrook three years ago and never looked back. Where else in Lake County can you have a 3-bedroom, two full-bath home on a lake for less than $240,000? The convenience of having a maintenance staff onsite is so helpful, not only for lawn care and snow removal but for repairs. For example, when our garbage disposal stopped working a few weeks ago, I called the office and a worker came right out. Turned out it was a minor repair and I was charged only $17.50. Try to get a plumber to come out for that.

I have been here almost 2 years and still loving it. I attend classes at the new excise building and belong to the Fishing club.
It was a great decision to sell my big house and move into the Saddlebrook community

My husband and I are very happy living in Saddlebrook Farms. We moved here from a 2-story, 2,500 sq. ft. house which was costing a small fortune to maintain. My husband is still working as we are on the younger end of the age group here. Because of that, I cannot attest to expenses for those who are no longer working and on a fixed income. There are two other 55+ communities we had looked at in the area and they appeared to be quite a bit more expensive. We recently did some remodeling and the contractors had a favorable impression of the quality of the construction of our home. The common grounds are well maintained and response to snow clearing has been quick. Garbage, recycling, lawn maintenance, snow removal, water and cable are all included in the lot rent. Rather than searching the internet for someone to do a house project, Saddlebrook Farms has a staff of maintenance people who can install new skylights, clean gutters, etc. and you receive a bill AFTER the work is completed. We love our neighbors; everybody looks out for everybody else which is not to be taken lightly as we get older. While some residents may have had an unfavorable experience living here, my husband and I have had a very positive one.

I was impulsive when purchasing at SB. They not only charge you 3% (agreement says up to 3% but guaranteed you will be charged the max they can) but also add on extra annual increases to your monthly fee. I have been there for approx. 3 yrs., I now pay $117.00 more per month to SB. Had I known their fees would increase so drastically each year, I would have never bought there. Soon one will not be able to afford living there. The management is rarely easy to deal with (once you sign the dotted line). SB is so focused on selling their new homes they make it hard for one to sell an existing one.
Seems since Hometown took over there focus is all about how much they can legally squeeze out of resident's. Items that were initially in resident agreement since have charges for. It is not the type of community I thought I was purchasing in (I purchased soon after Hometown took over and I nor anyone had any idea how things would change so rapidly). We all make our own choices but I strongly recommend talking to a variety of people (not just ones SB might recommend) before making a decision. So many sellers of existing homes have had to take a substantial lose in selling, primarily due to the excessive lot fees charged makes it much harder to afford and sell. DO YOUR HOMEWORK BEFORE EVER PURCHASING AT SB.

SBF used to be a friendly place to live and everyone knew everyone, not the case anymore. Its staff used to be much friendlier and less apt to dismiss out of hand legitimate concerns of the residents, and they did not try to rip you off and raise the monthly fee so high it is no longer affordable, Biggest mistake was when they sold out to Home Town America, SBF has lost so much of its small town feel, With all the new homes going up one would think they did not need to be so greedy. I can no longer recommend SBF as a nice place to live, Bottom line is its all about how much money they squeeze out of you and even though you are a home owner you have no say in anything management decides to do. We are not consulted in any way, Bear all of this in mind if you are considering moving to SBF,