Suggestions needed! Waterfront Home with FRESH WATER boating location? (Toms River: for sale, house)

[LennonGuy]

Ladies and Gentlemen of the forum,

I searched for a similar thread before posting this one but didn't find what I needed and I sincerely hope there are some folks patient enough to bear with me in reading this post and make some good suggestions.
(I'll even take "bad" suggestions under advisement! LOL!)

My wife and I aren't retired yet but have the ability to make our own schedules so we can be free during the week sometimes as well as weekends, depending on time of year, to enjoy our hobby, pleasure boating.

BUT.....because of our business, we like to be within an hour or two, no more, of home, which is 1/2 between AC and Philly in south jersey.

So, a couple years ago, we bought a house in Tuckerton, NJ on a lagoon and we have really enjoyed boating on the bay, although the shallow waters outside the channel markers make for nerve-wracking moments in unfamiliar waters.

The thing is, I am tired of the salt water damage to boats, the lack of "swimability" where we are because the family doesn't like the idea of a great white shark dragging them under in the lagoon (yes, I know, I know, but tell that to my crazy wife and kids after seeing a recent movie about some shark attacks that happened in south jersey a hundred years ago), and, seriously, the shallow low tides have exasperated me once too often.

So we'd like to sell the house we have and buy something similar (not too expensive rancher, waterfront) on a fresh water lake that is suitable for casual boating.

I was thinking about Lake Hopatcong, at the outside limit of driveability for us, but know NOTHING about the lifestyle there, the neighborhood, etc, and whether it is a place where we'd be happy, so I am hoping maybe some of you folks can fill me in on what that area is like to live and own in, and hopefully, what the boating is like.

I would also LOVE some suggestions about other areas where we should look, whether it's lake-front or river-front, within a 2 hour and preferably less drive time from the 08037 zip code.

Our budget is our biggest problem, I think. I have to stay under 400K, and I would love to stay WELL under that number if possible. The place doesn't have to be "turn-key ready". Our boat home now needed a lot of work when we bought it and now it looks really nice, and should sell "relatively" easily. We can price it very competitively to other similar homes in our area and ours looks very nice as compared to others we have seen for sale, so we have a degree of confidence we can make this happen if we find the right place for us.

I look forward to hearing from you and really appreciate your patience in reading this and taking the time to respond!

[fmmm]

Hi Lennon Guy.I have been in the same problem as you are. I lived in LEH for three years and the boating there was not so good. Many problems with low water and poor markers. Finding lakefront or river front that is in that price range and that is on fresh water is going to be hard. The major lakes are usually pricey and get hit hard on weekends and summer time. Lake communities are ok but Jersey lakes are small and crowded.Most of the larger rivers are brackish at some point. That is my point of view only, I have lived in NJ for 70 years so i guess you can say i know something about it.

[JERSEY MAN]

We live on a lagoon close to the bay just south of the Toms River. The bay is wide and fairly deep from the Toms River all the way down to Barnegat. We cross the bay and have Island Beach State Park there. We fish, crab and swim in the backyard and the water is 15ft. deep. As the above poster has said trying to find a cheaper house on a freshwater lake in NJ will not be easy. Good luck it's a pain in the butt to move.

[Mattie]

Look at the listings for Culver Lake in Sussex Cty. It would work for your 2 hour window, not the 1 hour time frame.

[Mightyqueen801]

What about Greenwood Lake on the West Milford side?