Need some suggestion in Hopatcong area. (Rockaway, Mount Arlington: for sale, 2009, house)

[grantli2002]

Hello,

I am thinking moving to Hopatcong area. I work from home, so commute is not a problem to me. Maybe just grocery shopping once a week. No child, so school system is not a concern. I would like to purchase a lake front house, prefer under 400k. I have very limited knowledge about these area, but I passed by this area when vising state parks and really like here.

By looking at the realtor website, it seems there are house within my budget available. Can someone recommend city so I can look into more details? I really have no clue of difference between cities in these area. From the search of the forum, it seems Stanhope is a good choice.

Can someone give some pro and con of cities in these area? Is there a shopping mall closeby? I have a silly hobby to walk around the mall when I need some break from work.

Thank you very much.

Grant

[AntoinetteNJ]

Hi Grant,

There are four towns that surround Lake Hopatcong: Jefferson Twp. (the south section aka "Lake Hopatcong), Roxbury (Landing section), Mount Arlington and Hopatcong. All four have excellent proximity to major highways; Mt. Arlington has a newer NJ transit train station. For the most part, Jefferson, Landing and Mt. Arlington offer level lots, which can be considered preferable by most consumers.

Hopatcong's terrain has a tendency to be steep, so you could deal with as many as 80 steps down to your dock and to the lake. Somewhat tiresome, but at least you'll get a daily workout! Jefferson has public water around the lake, but septic systems. Mt. Arlington offers public water and sewer. Roxbury has public sewer; some homes are on well water, some public. Currently, there are 25 lakefront homes available for sale around the lake, at $400K or under, one a new construction in Jefferson. You can get a great deal on some of the homes, especially since many have been marketed in the past, expired and relisted. Just because a listing states "30 days on the market" doesn't mean it hasn't been offered for sale previously. Some homes have been on the market for as long as 3 years, so there should be a high level of motivation for a sale.

Shopping is no challenge in this area. In Roxbury, you have the choice between the Roxbury Mall and the Ledgewood Mall, both on Route 10. The Rockaway Mall is also minutes (around 15) away. If you feel like taking the ride to Lafayette in Sussex County, you'll enjoy Olde Lafayette Village, with its very unique shops.

If you have any specific questions, let me know. I've been a lakefront realtor for a few years and would be happy to assist. My website offers sale history for the past year (still have to update to 2009 however) if you'd like to review that info. We're not allowed to post links to personal websites, but the link should be on my profile.

Good luck with your research.