We Buy Houses in Gloucester County, NJ

Who buys houses for cash in Gloucester County?

Vivid Properties. We are a local, family-owned real estate investment company from Philadelphia's Kensington and Fishtown area, and Gloucester County is one of the South Jersey counties where we buy. We pay cash, buy houses as they are, and never list them, because we are investors, not agents.

That covers a lot of ground here: an older twin near downtown Woodbury, a rental near Rowan University in Glassboro, a Sewell house that needs a kitchen and a roof, or a farmhouse on a well out past Mullica Hill. You get a fair written offer with no repairs, no cleaning, no commissions and no fees from us. You pick the closing day, and a real local person answers the phone. We pay all the closing costs, and your written offer shows exactly what you walk away with before you sign.

Towns and neighborhoods we buy in

Here is the county the way people who live here describe it, with the mailing names you will see on envelopes.

Do I need a certificate of occupancy to sell?

In many Gloucester County towns, yes. A certificate of occupancy (CO) here usually means a town inspector has walked through the house for basic health and safety items before it changes hands. Each town sets its own rules. These come from the towns' own websites:

On top of any town CO, every one- or two-family sale needs working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms checked by the local fire official. Since early 2025 state law no longer requires a fire extinguisher for that check.

If you already have a violation notice or a stack of open permits, tell us at the start. It does not rule out an as-is sale, but it shapes the timeline, and we would rather plan for it than find it a week before closing.

What if the house has an old oil tank?

Plan for the question, because it comes with the territory here. Census estimates show about 1 in 12 occupied homes in Gloucester County still heats with fuel oil, a higher share than in Camden or Burlington County, and houses that switched to gas years ago can still have a tank in the ground. New Jersey's Department of Community Affairs lays out the basics:

• Home heating oil tanks are "unregulated" under DEP rules, but only DEP-certified people and firms may work on an underground one.
• DEP strongly recommends removing out-of-service underground heating oil tanks, even when there is no sign of a leak.
• Insurance and mortgage companies are driving many of those removals because they do not want the risk.
• Removing or abandoning a tank takes a demolition permit from the town's construction office.

You do not have to pull a tank before selling to us. Tell us what you know, such as a fill pipe in the yard, an old tank sweep, or the year the house switched to gas, and we account for it in the offer. A buyer with a mortgage will often want the tank handled before closing; a cash buyer can take it on.

What are the houses like in Gloucester County?

Newer than in the other South Jersey counties we buy in. Census estimates for 2020 to 2024 put the median Gloucester County home at 1980, nearly 1 in 4 homes was built in 2000 or later, almost 3 in 4 are detached singles, and about 4 in 5 occupied homes are owner-occupied.

Many of the older houses are in the boroughs and river towns. The median year built is about 1945 in Pitman, 1946 in Swedesboro and Wenonah, 1948 in Woodbury, 1949 in Westville and 1955 in Paulsboro. Washington Township's median is 1982, Monroe's and Glassboro's 1986, Harrison's 1997, East Greenwich's 2001 and Woolwich's 2006. In Glassboro about 4 in 10 homes are rented.

Out in the farm towns, if the house is on a private well, New Jersey's Private Well Testing Act requires the water to be tested before closing, and both buyer and seller must receive and review the results.

How does probate work in Gloucester County?

Estates are opened at the Gloucester County Surrogate's Court, the county office for wills and estates, at 17 North Broad Street in Woodbury. The estate is opened in the county where the person lived, as shown on the death certificate. Visits are by appointment: call (856) 853-3282.

A will can be brought in any time after the death, but the Surrogate cannot issue the Short Certificate, the paper that gives the executor authority to act, until the 11th day after death. Without a will, an administrator can be appointed starting on the 6th day. Small estates may not need full administration: a surviving spouse can use an affidavit when the estate is worth $50,000 or less, and next of kin when it is $20,000 or less, and a house counts toward that value. The probate fee is $100 for a two-page will plus $5 for each extra page, including one Short Certificate.

For the full picture, read our guide to selling an inherited house in New Jersey.

When and where are sheriff sales?

Gloucester County's sheriff sales are held about every other Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. in Ceremonial Courtroom #201 of the County Courthouse, 1 North Broad Street, Woodbury, according to the sheriff's 2026 schedule. The Sheriff's Office itself is at 70 Hunter Street, (856) 384-4600.

New Jersey's courts explain the rules that apply in every county. After the final judgment, the sheriff has 150 days from the writ of execution to hold the sale. The owner and the lender can each ask for two stays (postponements), and a fifth is possible if both agree. After the sale, the owner has 10 days to redeem, by buying the house back or selling it, and if the sale brings in more than is owed, the rest goes back to the owner. Free foreclosure mediation is available too. Our New Jersey foreclosure guide has the full timeline.

What does the transfer fee come to?

The seller pays New Jersey's Realty Transfer Fee when the deed is recorded with the County Clerk at 1 North Broad Street in Woodbury. On a $280,000 sale at the standard rate it is $1,559. For a qualifying seller who is 62 or older, blind or disabled and files Form RTF-1, the state's own worked example puts the same sale at $475.

One detail for families: a deed from an executor or administrator to the heirs, to hand out the estate, is exempt from the fee. When the estate sells the house to an outside buyer, the fee applies. We pay all the closing costs, and your written offer shows exactly what you walk away with before you sign.

Selling to us, step by step

1. Call, text or send the form. (267) 551-5554 reaches a real local person.
2. Walk us through the house. Condition, tenants, the town's CO process, a tank, an estate or a sale date: we want the whole picture.
3. Get your written cash offer. Usually within 24 hours.
4. Close when you choose. No repairs and no cleaning.

Honest numbers: an as-is cash offer is usually lower than what the house could sell for after a full renovation, because we pay for the repairs, carry the taxes and utilities while the work gets done, and take the risk of surprises like a leaking tank. You skip the commission, the repair bills, the back-and-forth after a buyer's inspection, and months of showings. If your house is in good shape and you are not in a hurry, listing may get you more, and we will tell you so. See how we calculate our offer, compare a cash sale vs listing, and read our guides to selling as-is and selling with tenants. For the rest of the region, see South Jersey.

Get my cash offer Text or call (267) 551-5554

Gloucester County seller questions

This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. For your situation, talk to a New Jersey attorney or tax professional.