Step One: The First Conversation
We start with a few questions. Where is the house, what kind of building is it, and what shape is it in? Does anyone live there, and are they tenants, family or nobody? Is there a mortgage, a second loan, back taxes or a court case? And when would you like this to be finished?
None of the answers rule a house out. They tell us which steps the sale will need, so the timeline we give you is a real one. If you are selling for an estate, a relative or a business, tell us who is on the deed and who has the authority to sign.
Step Two: The Visit and the Written Offer
Someone from our team walks through the house once. There is nothing to clean or stage, and someone else, such as a relative, a tenant or your agent, can open the door if you cannot. We look at what nearby houses of the same type have actually sold for, then subtract what the house needs: repairs, clean-out, the town's resale inspection items and our holding costs.
You get one figure in writing, normally within 24 hours of the visit. You will not get a range, and no later inspection is used to cut it. The one exception is something no one could see, such as an unknown lien that turns up in the title search; if that happens, we show you the document before anything changes.
Show the offer to an attorney, a family member or an agent. Ask an agent what a listing might bring and what it would cost to get there. Our number should make sense next to that comparison, or you should not take it.
Step Three: The Contract and Attorney Review
If you accept, we sign a purchase contract. When a New Jersey real estate licensee prepares a contract for a one- to four-family home, state rules require a notice that it becomes final only after three business days of attorney review. The three days run from the date the signed contract is delivered to buyer and seller, and weekends and legal holidays are skipped. During that time either side's attorney can propose changes or cancel.
You are welcome to have a New Jersey attorney review any contract we sign with you, whoever prepared it. If the house is in foreclosure, a separate law gives you ten business days to cancel; our foreclosure page explains it.
Step Four: Title, Payoffs and Certificates
After the contract is final, the title company searches the records for everything attached to the house: mortgages, judgments, municipal liens, unpaid water and sewer charges and tax sale certificates. Each lienholder then provides a payoff amount calculated to the settlement day. Those amounts are paid from the price at settlement, and the deed transfers clear of them.
At the same time, the house needs New Jersey's resale certificates:
- Smoke and carbon monoxide alarm certificate. A one- or two-family house cannot be sold without one from the local fire or code office. Houses built before 1977 that rely on battery smoke alarms need the sealed ten-year version. We arrange the inspection.
- Town resale inspection. Some municipalities run their own inspection in place of, or alongside, the state certificate. Newark's Certificate of Continued Compliance is one example, and it expires after 90 days.
- Flood risk disclosure. All New Jersey sellers have had to complete the flood questions since March 20, 2024: the FEMA flood zone, past flood damage, insurance claims and federal flood aid. Answer from what you know.
Step Five: Settlement
Settlement happens at a title company or attorney's office on the date you chose. Living in another state, or unable to travel, is no obstacle: a local notary can witness your signatures and the originals go back by courier. Your signatures go on the deed and on the settlement statement. The title company then clears each lien and wires your share to you.
If the house has tenants, you hand over their security deposits with the interest owed, and you notify each tenant in writing by registered or certified mail that the deposit has moved to the new owner. If you need to stay on after settlement for a short time, we agree that in writing before you sign.
The Costs New Jersey Puts on Sellers
Two state charges apply to most sales, whoever the buyer is:
| Charge | Who pays | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| Realty transfer fee | Seller | Charged per $500 of the price in brackets when the deed is recorded. Sellers 62 or older, blind or disabled who live in the one- or two-family home they sell can qualify for reduced rates. |
| Graduated percent fee | Seller, since July 10, 2025 | Residential sales of $1 million and up pay a flat percentage of the whole price by band: 1% between $1 million and $2 million, then 2%, 2.5% and 3%, and 3.5% above $3.5 million. |
| Nonresident estimated tax | Sellers who do not live in New Jersey | Paid at closing: 10.75% of the gain, but never less than 2% of the price. New Jersey residents sign a form saying they are exempt instead. Without one of these forms, the county will not record the deed. |
Your written offer shows each of these and who is paying it, along with any payoffs we know about, so you can see your net amount before you sign.
How Long It Takes
With no lender on our side, the timeline depends on paperwork rather than on a bank. The usual pacing items are the attorney review days, the title search, booking the alarm inspection and, in towns that have one, the municipal resale inspection. A clean file can be ready in a matter of weeks. Estates, foreclosures and houses with old liens take longer, and we will tell you why. If you would rather close later, the date is yours to set.