Looking to move to Hackettstown
Where are the best homes in Hackettstown? Can anyone share information about Brook Hollow Estates?
DRV 
danny zucko Water street is in independence. If you’re also looking in independence, look at Ketchum road.
ConsigliereWater Street connects Mountain Ave to Rt 46. It is opposite Bells Lane and the new Quick Check.
Greg 
Metsman Brook Hollow built by K. Hovnanian.
Quality of construction, meh.
Homes very close together.
Property taxes SKY HIGH.
Stymie Hackettstown sucks!! Currently moving out of it. For Warren County, having HMC, M&M Mars, and Centenary, our taxes are way too high. They are building like crazy, more apartments going on top of the new place they are building by CVS, another 55+ community also coming to town...Trying to get through town now is a PITA, wait till all this building is done.
3wbdwnj 
ianimal Irish girl you know Centenary doesn’t pay any property tax right? Also there are no 55+ communities being built in town.
Jim L It all depends on what you're looking for. The "SKY HIGH" taxes are also a matter of perspective. My wife and I moved to Hackettstown from Maplewood four years ago, and we are very happy here. Taxes are less than half what they were in Maplewood, and our property is considerably larger. We live within a few blocks (walking distance) to everything downtown has to offer -- restaurants, breweries, shops, services. The only time we drive is to go to work and once a week to the grocery store.
I don't really know the surroundings well enough to speak to which areas are "best" to live in, except to say, again, that we are very happy living in town. Mostly I just wanted to point out that not everyone in Hackettstown is as eager to leave as some of these responses would indicate. Always remember that, statisically, people are much more likely to come online to complain than to come on and say something positive.
Monty Sky High is definitely for you to decide what is Sky High or not. It depends where you live currently in NJ. Hackettsttown and the surrounding areas: Independence, Great Meadows, Liberty etc. have a lot of nice areas, streets, communities in which to live. Drive around these areas and take a look. Don't listen to what others have to say because their perspective may not be the same as yours. My best to You in your search!
Mrs. Pipes Thanks everyone. I am very familiar with Hackettstown, having previously lived in Mansfield for many years. My wife and I like the small town feel and walkability of Hackettstown.
Any further information on good neighborhoods in Hackettstown would be helpful. I know the neighborhood on the west side of town is nice, as well as the homes around the college. I asked about Brook Hollow Estates because I am not as familiar with that area, though I know it is opposite the hospital.
Sky high taxes as opposed to ASTRONOMICAL taxes in Maplewood, Millburn and South Orange.
If you like the walkability of Hackettstown, DRV, skip the "estates" and move to the historic district. Beautiful houses built to last and no HOA fees.
honestyseasy So to answer your question, College View section is very nice. Also Willow Grove Park area by the hospital and Willow Grove Elementary School. Homes are a little older but well made. Beautiful area. Lived there while our kids were young. Moved to North Carolina a few years ago to be by our grandchildren. Love it here but miss Hackettstown! Good luck!
Pat 
iJay 
AJMS Double check the zip codes and mailing addresses. Some addresses are Hackettstown yet they are not in Hackettstown and kids won't go to Hackettstown schools. Some Hackettstown mailing addresses are in Mansfield and Long Valley.
Do your homework. Have your realtor double check for you too.
Afriend Brook Hollow is a little removed from the walkable Main street area.
Something to think about if you envisioned walking to shop and dine often.
Metsman..you're right on! Water Street not nice at all! Hard to even drive on it as road is so narrow & cars park on the street.
I live in a 55+ apartment in Hackettstown, but not by choice. I'm only here because it's all I can afford. There are some nice homes, but other areas of town not so much.
Joyce Polack Are there two water streets in the area? The only water Street I know is in independence and it’s terminus is 46 by the Jersey Gas station. Someone above mentioned it being narrow and cars parking on the street. I’m assuming we’re talking about different roads.
Water Street is on the east side of Mountain Ave, between Bells Lane and the QC driveway. It runs east and then turns and parallels Mountain Ave until it connects to US-46.
DRV
Looks like you want to move into the Brook Hollow Estates development. The houses are expensive, all look alike, and, one right after the other. Nothing original. The construction I am not sure about but they were built quickly.
Do you want to live in this environment?
Bernie Brook Hollow is great! We’ve loved here since 1999. Low association fee ($39/month) and the homeowners’ association is pretty chill. Not walkable close to Main Street, but still a great neighborhood
ImOnSaxton Plus you could probably get a beautiful Victorian in the center of town for the same price as one of the cookie cutter houses in Brook Hollow. You're not going to want to walk to Main Street from there.
One great thing about Mountain View Estates (College View development) is that no one uses it as a "cut-through" to get somewhere else, like many other neighborhoods in town. Great for families. Many homes are a bit outdated, though, although most have been upgraded over the years.
Rich Best bet is to move to Long Valley and get the benefits of a way better school system
Michigan Thanks again everyone. We are just beginning to look and these comments are very helpful. There are many good neighborhoods in Hackettstown. Living near the college would be ideal but I am not sure what is available there. Someone mentioned the Willow Grove Park section of Hackettstown - is that Seber Street and Pine Street across from the hospital? The west side of town in the area of Baldwin and Prospect streets also is appealing, from what I remember of the area.
DRV, IMO because I live near you don’t want anything near Willow Grove. The traffic is horrible and will get worse. To go from the hospital to Walmart can take anywhere from 10 to 15minutes, just depends on the time of day and how lucky you get. The local traffic is fine, it’s the daily just passing through traffic that creates havoc.The same with around the college. Don’t get me wrong it’s very pretty there. Don’t buy anywhere near any of the schools. The quietest part of town is the other side of East Prospect. Far enough from traffic noise, and just far enough from the train noise. Choose wisely and very carefully. Take the time to see the area during peak hours including Saturdays. Good Luck.
auntiel Be careful of the CVS property that is being developed all the way to Fourth Street
.This is going to be a "cut through" to 517.
But that end of town is nice and near Brook Hollow.
We have lived in Brook Hollow for the past 13 Years and we love it . Neighbors are really like family to us. Very safe and filled with families with kids. Unlike other parts of town utilities are under ground , do even in the worst of storms we barely loose power. Having had medical emergencies the proximity to the hospital has been convenient. We walk to Main Street as it is only a mile and you can go through the park
In terms of traffic I always use Franklin to cross town ( no lights or stop signs)
Hope this helps
Htown mom I just want to point out that from the hospital to Walmart takes 9minutes without any traffic at all, according to Google. So on weekends and after school it might take that extra 1-6 minutes you see so many complaining about. That 5min of incredibly horrible inconvenience is a good thing, at least to me, it means more people are interested in the area, meaning more money for local businesses. These are the same people that will complain about vacant stores on main St. They are just afraid of change. Can't have it both ways.
Edit: Just also wanted to point out anyone making it that distance from the hospital side of town to Walmart under 10 mins are probably not respecting traffic laws. At the very least you should be driving on the slower side anyways, you are driving through mostly RESIDENTIAL areas, where children and families are playing and walking.
Yesimpc DRV,
I’ve lived in Mansfield for 17 years now, and I love Diamond Hill. You’ll find really nice houses there.
Ed Lived in Brook Hollow for over 21 years. I have zero complaints and personally wouldn’t consider living anywhere else in Hackettstown. Way back when my wife and I were starting out it was a good opportunity to have a new home built as we wanted. Prices were less than in Morris county and new construction was running $60-$80k more. The taxes are high for what we get. The schools are ok but I don’t think any worse than the neighboring areas.
The traffic is what it is. It’s a small town and poorly designed for growth. How it’s grown is another topic of discussion. Again it’s a small town.
You’ll still need to go to Morris county for a lot of things. The upside that it isn’t that far to do so.
It’s a quiet and safe town. I’ve never felt unsafe anywhere. I like where we are and I avoid Main street whenever possible but school drop offs make it almost impossible and that can be a grind. It also complicates things that the town decided to build almost every school down a dead end and a middle school smack in the middle of town.
I grew up in Succasunna so it’s really night and day. Roxbury is sprawling compared to here.
Steve Hi again. Thanks for all of your comments, particularly the insights on Brook Hollow Estates. Does anyone know, do homes in this neighborhood have basements? The current home listed for sale on Rolling Rapids Ct does not. Also, is the neighborhood dog-friendly? We would like to have a fence for our dogs. Thanks, DRV
If you want a McMansion try old turnpike road. Five acre lot and house next to my brother is only $750,000.00. In Lebanon township five miles from town. Hackettstown is mostly older homes.
Robert Rowe I saw a McMansion go up in a neighborhood of older homes. But the lot was so small and the house looked cheap not like some of the older sturdy homes
In Brook Hollow- basements were offered as an upgrade by the developer. not a standard feature.
Basements also affect the tax assessment of the property, hence the tax bill.
Some homes in Brook Hollow are on slabs but yes, many do have basements. Just not much for sale in town right now.
Some homes in Brook Hollow have basements, some do not. It was a builder’s option at the time of construction. People walk dogs through the neighborhood all the time. There are several fenced yards throughout. I don’t remember if there are any HOA specifications for fencing materials.
"Living near the college would be ideal but I am not sure what is available there."
I live three blocks from the college. There are always a few homes for sale scattered around the area. When we bought in 2018, I would guess we looked at probably 10 or 12 homes all over the area, and probably 6 or 8 of them were within walking distance of where we are now.
As someone said above, the homes near the college are old. If our experience is any guide, you will find them to be in various states of repair, ranging from those in need a complete renovation to (a few) in more or less move-in condition. Prices will also range accordingly.
I don't know what your prior homeowning experience might be, but you should know that upkeep on these older homes can be quite costly. You need to love it. Every time we have moved in our lives, we have agreed not to buy old again, but in fact each house we have owned has been older than the last. It scares me to think how much money we've poured into our homes over the course of time, but every time we shop for a modern home, they just seem so bland to us. Anyway....
Having said all that, there are dogs everywhere in our neighborhood (much to our own dog's chagrin). And as I mentioned before, the location cannot be beat. We can walk to literally everything we need except the grocery store. And honestly, if we utilized FruityMex better than we do, we could probably cut our grocery store trips in half, too.
"Also there are no 55+ communities being built in town."
Oh, did the Paftinos run out of room?
NPGA College homes very different vibe with potential old Victorians. Several other neighborhoods like Collegeview, or Hurley have typical bi-levels of the period they were built. Brook Hollow and the bigger Hunters Brook are the newer modern colonial types.
Great great neighbors, very family feel, particularly known for the unusual dog breeds we have around.
I live very close to the house in question, the exact same plan and yet I have a nice builder completed finished basement. It's probably the biggest single option in the houses apart from the plan that changes the size of the house.
GC Thanks again everyone for your insights. I wanted to clarify: what is the difference between Hunter's Brook and Brook Hollow Estates? Do they have the same HOA? Are they separate neighborhoods? They are connected, so I was a bit confused.
They are both built by the same builder, but that's about the only connection other than they are adjacent to each other.
Brook Hollow was built first, then Hunters Brook several years later next door. The HOA's are entirely different entities. Hunters Brook are houses with larger square footage, and so more expensive.
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