We Buy Houses in Millburn and Short Hills, NJ

One Township, Two Names

Millburn Township, in the southwest corner of Essex County, takes in both Millburn and Short Hills. The township describes Millburn as the historic Wyoming district, South Mountain and Millburn Center, while Short Hills covers Knollwood, Glenwood, Brookhaven, Country Club, Merrywood, Deerfield-Crossroads, Mountaintop, White Oak Ridge and Old Short Hills Estates. For a seller the name on the mailing address makes no difference: the same Tax Collector, Building Department and Fire Prevention Division handle every sale.

• 21,710residents in the 2020 census; 22,874 estimated for July 2025
• 81.3%owner-occupancy rate (ACS 2020–2024)
• $1,371,500median value of an owner-occupied home (ACS 2020–2024)
• 3.09persons per household (ACS 2020–2024)

Source: U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts, Millburn township, Essex County, New Jersey.

Most residents live in single-family homes, according to the township, and the median value is well above $1 million. That has a direct cost for sellers. On deeds recorded from July 10, 2025 onward, sellers owe a Graduated Percent Fee once the price reaches $1 million: 1% of the whole price up to $2 million, 2% from $2 million to $2.5 million, 2.5% to $3 million, 3% to $3.5 million, and 3.5% on anything higher. On a $1.5 million sale that is $15,000, on top of the realty transfer fee. Our offer shows both as separate lines so you can compare it honestly with a listing.

No CO for a Sale, but a Fire Certificate on a Sliding Fee

Millburn is one of the towns where the Building Department states plainly that a certificate of occupancy is not needed to sell a home. What you do need is the smoke and carbon monoxide certificate from the Millburn Fire Department, and here the timing changes the price. The Fire Prevention Division's fees:

Appointments are made at 973-564-7043 and depend on inspector availability, and since the firehouse is a working one, an emergency call can push an appointment back. Payment is due before the inspector signs off, online or by check to the Township of Millburn, and a missed appointment brings a re-inspection fee. The certificate is good for six months.

What the inspector checks

• Ten-year sealed battery smoke alarms on every level, or hard-wired alarms where the house already has them; hard-wired units cannot be swapped for battery models.
• A basement alarm at the bottom of the stairwell, mounted on the ceiling rather than between joists.
• Alarms within ten feet of every bedroom door, or one on the ceiling of each bedroom.
• Carbon monoxide alarms in the hallways within ten feet of the bedrooms, all alarms under ten years old and working.
• House numbers at least four inches tall, in a contrasting color and fixed to the house itself; numbers on a mailbox or lamp post do not count.
• A printed "CAUTION: Multiple Power Sources" label at the electrical panel and the meter when the house has solar panels, a backup generator or battery storage.

Homes with monitored, low-voltage fire alarm systems must keep those systems working as installed; battery alarms are not an acceptable substitute. When we buy, we request the inspection the day the contract is signed so it lands in the lowest fee tier, and we correct anything the inspector flags.

Open Permits and the SDL Portal

The township's own advice to sellers is to call the Building Department (973-564-7055) about open permits well before closing. Every inspection in Millburn must now be requested in writing, normally through the SDL Portal, which also lets anyone search a property's permit history. Additions, finished basements, pools and generators are common examples. A house in a designated historic district or listed as a historic site may also involve the Historic Preservation Commission, created in 1987, when a future owner plans exterior work. We price any open permit into our offer and close it out after we own the house.

Taxes, Sewer and the Tax Sale

Millburn sends two tax bills a year: an estimated third-quarter bill in mid-June, due August 1, and the final bill in mid-September, which covers November and the estimated first half of the next year. Quarterly installments are owed on the first of February and May, then of August and November. The grace period here is seven days, three fewer than nearby Livingston allows, and payments that reach the Tax Office after the 7th carry interest from the first at 8% on the first $1,500 and 18% above that. Postmarks do not count. Accounts more than $10,000 behind at year end also pick up a 6% penalty. The Tax Office is at 973-564-7084; Town Hall is temporarily at 22 East Willow Street.

The 2025 certified general rate was 2.019 per $100 of assessed value, and the state's effective rate for Millburn, 1.571, was the lowest in Essex County. Sewer is billed separately as a flat annual fee due April 1, again with a 7-day grace period, because the township's sewage goes to the Joint Meeting of Essex and Union Counties. Unpaid taxes and prior-year sewer balances go to the annual tax sale, which is advertised for four weeks in the Item of Millburn and Short Hills. At closing, every open quarter, sewer charge and certificate is paid from the proceeds. For water, the final reading is ordered from whichever company bills your account.

Flood-Prone Streets

The township acknowledges that parts of Millburn have flooded historically, most recently in the remnants of Tropical Storm Ida, and it points residents to FEMA's flood maps and the Rahway River forecast at Springfield. It held a flood mitigation information session in December 2025. If your house took water, you still must answer the state's flood risk disclosure, which every New Jersey seller completes. We buy houses with flood history, cleaned up or not, and our number is based on the house's actual condition; see selling as-is in New Jersey.

Relocations, Estates and Downsizing

Moves for work, empty nests and estates all bring Millburn and Short Hills houses to market. If you have already left the state, you can sign before a notary where you are, and the title company prepares the nonresident estimated-tax form. For an inherited house, the executor obtains letters from the Essex County Surrogate (973-621-4901) and can then sell with the contents still inside. Our relocation guide and inherited house guide go further.

How It Works With Us

1. Give us the address and the essentials, including solar, generators, alarm systems and any permit history you know of.
2. We tour the house once and send one written price, usually within a day.
3. We book the fire inspection right away and handle the permit check; our title company orders the payoffs.
4. You close on your date, at a New Jersey title office or remotely.

Millburn is part of Essex County. We also buy in Livingston and Maplewood.