You’re welcome! Good luck in your search!

If you’re unable to find anything in Mendham I would consider Chester and Long Valley. Both have excellent schools, with Long Valley being closer in commuting distance to Hackettstown (5-15 minutes depending on if you’re on the mountain side or the valley side). I’ve lived here about 3 years and love it- very peaceful, safe town close to outdoor activities, farms and fresh food, etc. Don’t have kids but the schools are rated excellent and you get a bit more house for your budget. That being said it is definitely more rural than some other towns.

If you would prefer more options in terms of activities/restaurants/more people, I would recommend going as far south as Readington/Bridgewater areas which would put you at approx. a 40 minute commute. Bridgewater has a ton going on (shopping, restaurants, Life Time gym, hotels, Wegmans/Whole Foods, great schools, etc) as well as lots of companies headquartered there. It’s always been a competitive housing market there and you’ll still get less house for your money, but the upside is there is a ton more in the area than, in my opinion, a town like Mendham. I grew up in Bridgewater and still work in the area and would highly recommend it to raise a family. Readington, Clinton and surrounding towns are also very nice, however more rural than Bridgewater and less diverse, and still about a 40 min commuting distance to Hackettstown. Upside is you get a little more house for your money than Bridgewater.

What’s your budget? I live in the area and can make some recommendations but they would vary greatly depending on what your budget is. FWIW Mendham is an excellent town but has always had low inventory and you will pay more for less house for sure.