Crystal Lake · McHenry County · IL
Homes for sale in
Four Colonies.
- Active listings
- 5
- Median list
- $420K
- Avg time on market
- 9 days
- Sold · last year
- 36
Active listings
5 homes on the market
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About the community
A large, established Crystal Lake neighborhood around a 19-acre park.
Four Colonies is one of Crystal Lake's larger and more established neighborhoods, on the west and central side of town in McHenry County. Developed mostly from the early 1970s through the 1990s, it is a mixed-density community, predominantly single-family homes with pockets of condos and townhomes, anchored by the 19-acre Four Colonies Park. It reads as an approachable, family-oriented neighborhood with a range of price points and a five-minute drive to downtown Crystal Lake and its Metra station.
At a glance
19-acre Four Colonies Park
Ball fields, tennis and basketball courts, trails, a picnic shelter, and a stocked fishing pond.
Mixed housing
Mostly detached single-family homes plus pockets of condos and townhomes, built 1970s to 1990s.
District 47 and 155
Crystal Lake District 47 for K-8 and Community High School District 155.
5 minutes to the Metra
Downtown Crystal Lake and its UP-Northwest Metra station are about a five-minute drive.
HOA varies by type
Detached homes generally have no mandatory HOA; condos and townhomes carry monthly fees.
Routes 14 and 31
Quick access to the main Crystal Lake arterials and the Randall Road corridor toward I-90.
What’s close
Four Colonies sits on the west and central side of Crystal Lake near Barlina Road and Sarasota Lane, about five minutes from downtown and the Metra.
- Park
- The 19-acre Four Colonies Park with ball fields, courts, trails, a picnic shelter, and a fishing pond.
- Schools
- Crystal Lake Community Consolidated District 47 for K-8 and Community High School District 155. Confirm the exact schools by address.
- Highway
- Routes 14 and 31 as the main arterials, with the Rakow and Randall Road corridor toward I-90.
- Train
- The downtown Crystal Lake station on Metra's Union Pacific Northwest line runs to Ogilvie in Chicago.
- Shopping
- Retail, grocery, and dining along the Route 14 and Randall Road corridors within a short drive.
- Downtown
- Downtown Crystal Lake's restaurants and shops are roughly a five-minute drive.
What it’s actually like to live here
Four Colonies is a bread-and-butter, family-oriented Crystal Lake neighborhood rather than a luxury or new-construction enclave. It draws move-up families, first-time buyers stepping out of condos and townhomes into detached homes, and long-tenured owners who bought in the 1970s through 1990s and stayed. The mix of price points, from lower-priced condos and townhomes to $400,000-plus single-family homes, means the neighborhood supports a range of budgets and life stages, which is part of why it reads as approachable and stable rather than exclusive.
Day to day, the appeal is convenience and established suburban life: a five-minute drive to downtown Crystal Lake with its restaurants, shops, and Metra station, easy access to Routes 14 and 31, and the recreation of the 19-acre Four Colonies Park with its ball fields, courts, trails, and stocked fishing pond. It is the kind of place where the commuter parks at the Crystal Lake Metra lot, takes the UP-Northwest into Ogilvie, and comes home to a quiet residential grid with mature trees.
The honest tradeoffs are the age of the homes, the taxes, and the commute distance. The housing stock is 30 to 50 or more years old, so many homes will show original systems, kitchens, and baths, and buyers should budget for updates. McHenry County property taxes are high relative to home value, which raises the true monthly cost of ownership. And while the Metra makes Chicago reachable, this is an outer suburb, so a downtown commute is a real 60 to 75 minute rail trip each way. HOA exposure also varies by property type, with detached buyers generally avoiding mandatory dues and attached buyers taking on monthly fees.
The questions buyers actually ask
Four Colonies FAQ
The questions I get most from buyers shopping Four Colonies. If yours isn't here, text 224-385-8779, same-day reply.
- What are property taxes like?
- Roughly $5,000 – $9,000 per year, depending on home size and value. McHenry County assessor records are the source of truth. Happy to pull a specific bill on any home you're considering.
- What's the typical closing timeline?
- 30 to 60 days from accepted offer to keys. Cash deals can close in two weeks. Conventional financing is usually closer to 60.
- What school district is Four Colonies in?
- Two districts, which is standard for Crystal Lake. Crystal Lake Community Consolidated School District 47 for K-8, and Community High School District 155 for high school.
- Which specific schools serve Four Colonies?
- Depending on the address, elementary is typically South, Woods Creek, or Indian Prairie; middle school is Lundahl; and high school is Crystal Lake Central or Crystal Lake South. Because the neighborhood spans attendance boundaries, confirm your exact address with District 47's school search tool.
- Is there an HOA?
- It depends on property type. Detached single-family homes generally have no mandatory HOA dues, while condos and townhomes carry monthly association fees covering exterior and common-area upkeep. A Four Colonies Property Owners Association also exists, so confirm dues and scope for a specific home.
- How old are the homes and how big?
- Most were built from the 1970s through the 1990s, with single-family homes generally about 990 to 3,450 sq ft on lots of roughly a fifth to a half acre, plus smaller condos and townhomes.
- How far to the Metra and downtown Crystal Lake?
- Downtown Crystal Lake is about a five-minute drive, and the downtown Metra station on the Union Pacific Northwest line is right there, with a peak ride of roughly 60 to 75 minutes to Chicago.
- What are property taxes like?
- McHenry County taxes are relatively high. Expect a rough range of about $5,000 to $9,000 or more a year depending on the home, and confirm the exact bill per parcel with the county treasurer.
- Who is the real estate agent for Four Colonies?
- Joe Keegan is the local licensed Illinois real estate broker who covers Four Colonies in Crystal Lake, IL through Subdiview, a neighborhood-first home search for the Chicago suburbs and collar counties. Joe prices and negotiates from the live MRED sold comps for Four Colonies specifically, not national averages, and can help you buy or sell here. Reach Joe at 224-385-8779 or joe@joekeeganhomes.com.
Your local agent
Joe knows Four Colonies
Most agents will list anything. I focus on the places I actually know, and the things that move value here don't show up in the MLS write-up: which streets and buildings hold demand, what the HOA or assessments really cover, how the comps read once you account for condition and location, and where buyers consistently want to be.
When you're ready to tour or list, you want someone who has read the last 50 closed comps in this specific market, not a national average, and can tell you what they actually mean for your price. That's how I work. Text or call any time, and I'll give you a real take, not a brochure.
- Licensed Illinois broker
- Comp-driven pricing
- Crystal Lake specialist
- Honest local market take
- Brokerocity
Market snapshot
Four Colonies, by the numbers
Live MRED data, refreshed daily. The numbers below tell you what this market is doing today, not what Zillow's algorithm thinks it might be doing six weeks from now.
Typical list price
$419,900
Typical sale price · last 90 days
$350,000
Homes for sale right now
5
Avg time on market
9 days
Sold in the last year
36
This representation is based in whole or in part on data supplied by Midwest Real Estate Data, LLC for the period August 14, 2025 through August 14, 2026. Midwest Real Estate Data, LLC does not guarantee nor is it in any way responsible for its accuracy. Data maintained by Midwest Real Estate Data LLC may not reflect all real estate activity in the market.
Thinking of selling?
What's your home actually worth?
Not a Zestimate. A real CMA from someone who's sold this neighborhood, knows the floor plan premiums, and can tell you which upgrades the buyer pool here actually pays for.
- Pricing range with comp-by-comp logic
- Pre-list improvements that pay back, and the ones that don't
- No obligation, no spam, no auto-dialer
Schools serving Four Colonies
Where Four Colonies homes go to school
Homes in Four Colonies are most often zoned to Crystal Lake South HS and Crystal Lake Central HS. Open a school to see its area, the district, and every home for sale that feeds it.
Crystal Lake South High School
D155 · Homes for sale
Crystal Lake Central High School
D155 · Homes for sale
School assignment is derived from the school the MRED listing agent entered and is not a guarantee. Always verify current attendance boundaries with the district before writing an offer.
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