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Selling a house in foreclosure or probate in South Jersey
Updated October 2026
We buy houses across the bridge too: Camden, Burlington, Gloucester and Mercer counties. New Jersey handles foreclosure and probate differently than Pennsylvania, so here's how it works on this side of the river.
Free help in New Jersey: Legal Services of New Jersey offers free legal help to eligible homeowners through its hotline, 1-888-LSNJ-LAW (1-888-576-5529). The New Jersey Courts also run a free Foreclosure Mediation Program; you must ask for it within 60 days of receiving the foreclosure complaint.
How foreclosure works in New Jersey
New Jersey is a judicial foreclosure state: the lender has to go through the court.
- Before filing
Notice of Intention to Foreclose
The lender must mail this notice at least 30 days before filing. It tells you how much it takes to catch up. In most cases, federal rules also bar a filing until you're more than 120 days behind.
- 35 days
Complaint and your answer
After you're served, you have 35 days to file an answer with the court.
- 60 days
Ask for mediation
Request foreclosure mediation within 60 days of receiving the complaint. A free housing counselor helps you prepare, and you meet with the lender to try to work something out. Mediation doesn't pause the case on its own.
- Judgment
Final judgment and sheriff sale
If nothing is resolved, the court enters judgment and the county sheriff schedules a sale. You can request up to two adjournments of the sale date.
- 10 days after
Last chance to redeem
You have ten days after the sale to redeem by paying what's owed, or longer if objections are filed. The lender can also sue for any shortfall within three months.
Selling an inherited house in New Jersey
- Surrogate's Court: probate starts with the Surrogate in the county where the person lived: Camden County in Camden, Burlington County in Mount Holly, Gloucester County in Woodbury, and Mercer County in Trenton.
- Letters: the Surrogate issues letters testamentary to an executor named in a will, or letters of administration when there's no will. The person holding them can sign the sale.
- Inheritance tax: spouses, children, grandchildren, parents and stepchildren (Class A) pay nothing. Siblings and a child's spouse (Class C) pay nothing on the first $25,000, then 11% to 16%. Most other heirs (Class D) pay 15% to 16%.
- No estate tax: New Jersey's estate tax doesn't apply to deaths on or after January 1, 2018.
- Tax waiver: selling real estate from an estate usually needs an inheritance tax waiver, which the estate's attorney or title company requests.
How selling to us works in New Jersey
The same as in Pennsylvania: we look at the house, give you a written offer with the math behind it, and close at a New Jersey title company or attorney's office on your timeline. Liens and the mortgage are paid at closing, and you keep the rest. Before you sign, you're welcome to get an appraisal and talk to a lawyer.
Frequently asked questions
Which New Jersey counties do you buy in?
Camden, Burlington, Gloucester and Mercer counties. If your house is nearby but outside those counties, call anyway.
How long do I have once a New Jersey foreclosure starts?
It varies, but Legal Services of New Jersey says homeowners generally have about 8 to 13 months once a foreclosure begins. The earlier you act, the more options you have.
Can I still sell after the sheriff sale in New Jersey?
Only briefly. New Jersey gives the owner ten days after the sheriff sale to redeem the property by paying what's owed, or longer if objections to the sale are filed. Selling before the sale is far easier.
Do we have to pay New Jersey inheritance tax on a parent's house?
Children, grandchildren, spouses, parents and stepchildren are Class A beneficiaries and pay no New Jersey inheritance tax. Siblings and more distant relatives can owe tax, and New Jersey has no estate tax for deaths on or after January 1, 2018.