The age rule
At least one resident 55 or older — a younger spouse is fine. Rules for other permanent occupants are in the recorded Declaration, which I pull for you rather than paraphrase from memory.
For buyers
The listing sheet will not tell you which lots get afternoon sun
Anyone can send you links. What you actually need is someone who has been inside a few hundred of these houses and will tell you the unflattering parts.
How this works
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A conversation about what you are really after
Not a wish list. The two or three things that would make you regret a purchase, and the ones you could live with. That conversation narrows the search faster than any filter.
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Financing sorted early
Pre-approval before touring, so we know the real range. I can introduce you to lenders I trust; I take nothing for the referral.
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Saved searches that actually arrive on time
You hear about matching homes the day they hit MRED. In a thin market that head start is frequently the whole ballgame.
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Touring with someone who says the quiet part
Roof age, window vintage, which phase it was built in, the road you will hear from the patio. I would rather talk you out of three houses than into the wrong one.
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HOA, assessment and covenant review — in English
Especially in Sun City. I hand you the disclosure package and then tell you what actually matters in it.
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Offer, inspection, close
Structured to compete on terms as well as price, then managed through inspection, appraisal and closing so it does not unravel in week five.
If you are relocating
A meaningful share of my buyers arrive from Arizona, Florida, Texas or the Chicago suburbs, and many have never seen an active-adult community. I do video walk-throughs, I answer questions at inconvenient hours across time zones, and I will tell you honestly when a community is not the right fit. That last part is the useful one.
Two things worth reading before that first call. What the Sun City assessment covers, and what it does not answers the question most out-of-state buyers ask third and should ask first. The guides to Huntley, Algonquin, Lake in the Hills, Crystal Lake and Gilberts cover the towns around it, which is where about half my buyers end up instead.
Worth knowing
Buying into a 55+ community
If Sun City is on your list, these are the five things that decide whether it works for you.
The assessment
A real monthly cost that funds the clubhouses, pools, fitness centers and grounds. Budget for it as you would a mortgage line.
The property tax
The seller’s bill is often not the bill you will pay. Many owners here carry a senior assessment freeze a new buyer does not inherit, so expect the tax to reset toward the full resale rate — about 2.2% of value in McHenry County, 2.1% in Kane (Ownwell, April 2026), against the community’s ~1.5% average. Price it on what the parcel will bill you.
The floor plan
Fifty-six plan variants across thirteen series, and they trade differently. Square footage alone will mislead you on both price and livability.
The resale pool
A structurally smaller buyer pool at resale. It is not a problem, but it should shape what you pay today.
FAQ
Buyer questions
Do I need to be pre-approved before we start looking?
Before we write an offer, yes — and it is worth doing before we tour, because it tells us what we are actually shopping for. I can introduce you to two or three lenders I have worked with for years, but you are free to use anyone. I do not take referral fees for this.
What does it cost me to work with you as a buyer?
Since the 2024 industry changes, buyers and their brokers sign a written representation agreement stating compensation up front, before touring homes. Sometimes the seller offers to cover it, sometimes it is negotiated into the deal, sometimes the buyer pays directly. I will explain the options in plain English before you sign anything, and there are no surprises later.
I am moving from out of state and have never heard of Del Webb. Where do I start?
With a phone call, before you book flights. There are things about a 55+ community — the covenant, the assessment, what the association does and does not handle — that determine whether it suits you at all. Half an hour on the phone can save you a wasted trip, and I would rather tell you it is not a fit than sell you a house you regret.
Can you tell me about the schools?
I can point you to the district boundaries and the state report cards, and I will always tell you which district a home is in. What I will not do is rate schools or steer you toward or away from an area based on demographics — that is a Fair Housing line, and any broker who crosses it is doing you no favors.
How fast do homes move around here?
It varies sharply by town and price band. In the tighter segments a well-priced home can be under contract in a weekend. That is exactly why saved searches matter — my clients hear about matching homes the day they list, not when the portal gets around to it.
Set up a search that beats the portals
You will hear about matching homes the day they list. In this market that head start is often the entire advantage.