Were there other saints living in Shirdi before Sai Baba became famous there?

Yes, the text confirms that other holy men resided in Shirdi before Sai Baba's celebrated return. The prologue of Chapter 5 of the Shri Sai Satcharitra sets the stage by mentioning that Shirdi was already a home for saints. Specifically, it notes that a person named Devidas had made Shirdi his home, and later, another saint known as Janakidas Gosavi also came to live there. This context shows that Shirdi already had a spiritual atmosphere before Baba's arrival with Chand Patil's wedding party made it his permanent abode.