A Small Town That Keeps Getting Bigger
Harrison counted 19,450 residents in the 2020 census, and the Census Bureau's estimate for July 2025 is 22,105. That is growth of about 14% in five years by our arithmetic, packed onto just 1.21 square miles across the Passaic from Newark. Only about one household in five owns its home, the rest rent, and more than half of residents were born outside the United States.
For owners, that adds up to a market led by rentals. We buy Harrison buildings with tenants in them, houses whose owners moved away and kept them, and family homes being settled by heirs. Whichever of those describes yours, the town's paperwork is the same, and we take it on.
- 22,105estimated residents, July 2025 (19,450 in the 2020 census)
- 21.1%of occupied homes are owner-occupied
- $505,800median value of an owner-occupied home
- $2,226median gross monthly rent
Source: U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts, Harrison town, New Jersey (ACS 2020–2024 for owner rate, value and rent).
Harrison's Transfer of Title Inspection
In Harrison the resale inspection belongs to the Zoning Office, part of the Construction and Engineering department at 401 Warren Street (973-268-2446). Among its listed duties is inspecting properties for a Certificate of Continued Occupancy whenever title is transferred or occupancy changes. The request is made on the town's Transfer of Title Application, which asks for the owner, the purchaser, the number of units and the expected closing date.
The office-use section of that form shows what the town reviews before signing off:
- whether any construction permits are still open, and any monetary penalties on the property
- the legal use, the zone and the approved number of dwelling units
- the fire department's smoke detector approval
- state housing violations and the building's state housing registration number
- lead certification compliance under the state's lead-safe rules for rentals
The certificate itself states that a general inspection of the visible parts of the building found no violations or unsafe conditions and that the existing use was lawful. Inspections are booked through the town's SDL online portal, where an applicant picks three possible dates and receives the first one open, or by email to [email protected].
For a seller, the risky items are the ones that take time: an old permit nobody closed, a unit count that does not match town records, or a lead certification that was never obtained for a rental. When we buy, those become our problems. We file the application, attend the inspection, and resolve whatever comes back, and our price is set with that in mind. The details are in our as-is selling guide.
Tenants and the Tenant Occupancy Application
Harrison has a second form, the Tenant Occupancy Application, for when a new tenant moves into a rental unit. It adds a Health Department review to the same checklist. If you have a vacancy, there is no need to fill it before selling; we can buy the unit empty or occupied.
Occupied units stay occupied. Under New Jersey's Anti-Eviction Act a sale is not a ground for removing a tenant, so the leases come with the building and we honor them. Security deposits and the interest on them are transferred to us at closing, and each tenant gets written notice by registered or certified mail. Our page on selling a rental property covers the rest.
Property Taxes and the December Tax Sale
Harrison's quarterly taxes are due Feb. 1, May 1, Aug. 1 and Nov. 1, with a 10-day grace period. Bills go out once a year in the summer. The first two quarters are preliminary, based on half of the prior year's tax, and the balance is billed in August and November once the rate is certified. On the state's 2025 table Harrison's general rate was 2.384 and its effective rate 1.704 per $100 of value.
Pay after the grace period and interest runs from the original due date: 8% a year up to a $1,500 delinquency and 18% beyond that. Postmarks do not count. The town has been holding an accelerated tax sale at year end; for 2025, charges unpaid as of November 12 became eligible, and the sale was held on December 17 in the Municipal Council Chambers. A property on that list carries a lien, and the owner has to request a redemption statement from the Tax Department at 318 Harrison Avenue (973-268-2438).
A lien is no barrier to selling. Our title company orders the redemption figure and settles it out of your proceeds. State law since 2024 also protects equity for owners facing tax foreclosure. Our tax lien page has the details.
Water and Sewer: A Town-Run System
Harrison runs its own Water and Sewer Department from 600 Essex Street (973-268-2431). It maintains the water lines and the combined sewer system and reads meters for billing every six months; bills are paid at the Town Hall tax office. Unpaid water and sewer charges can turn into a municipal lien, so at closing the title company orders a final reading and pays it off.
If those bills have fallen behind, the state's Low Income Household Water Assistance Program can cover arrears and, according to the town, may also help with tax liens that came from water and sewer debt. It is worth applying at waterassistance.nj.gov or through NJ211 even if you plan to sell, because whatever it pays is money that stays with you.
Estates, Out-of-Town Owners and Foreclosure
Harrison estates are probated at the Hudson County Surrogate, 24 Central Avenue, Jersey City (201-795-6378). After the Surrogate issues letters, the estate's executor or administrator can sign, and nobody has to clean out the house first. Owners who live in another state or abroad can sign before a local notary; the title company prepares the state's estimated-tax form that nonresident sellers file at closing.
If a lender has filed for foreclosure, you own the house until the Hudson County sheriff sells it at 595 Newark Avenue. A sale to us before that date pays the loan off. If you live in the home, the law gives you ten business days after signing to change your mind, and we close after that period. For advice first, call the Waterfront Project at (551) 256-7578 for free counseling, Northeast New Jersey Legal Services in Jersey City at 201-792-6363, or, for older owners, the Hudson County Division on Aging at 201-369-4313.
How a Harrison Sale to Us Goes
- Give us the address and tell us who lives there.
- We visit once and send a written cash figure, usually within a day.
- We file the Transfer of Title Application and book the inspection through the portal.
- The title company pulls payoffs for the mortgage, taxes, water and sewer, and any liens.
- You sign on the date you picked and receive the balance.
Every seller also answers the state's flood risk disclosure, and the realty transfer fee is the seller's by law; both show up in our written offer. We buy next door too, in East Newark and Kearny, and across the river in Newark. The Hudson County page covers the county as a whole.