We Buy Houses in South Jersey

Where in South Jersey do we buy houses?

In all three counties across the river from Philadelphia. Here are the towns people name most, with a link to each county page.

We also have town pages for Barrington and Runnemede. Our office is in Philadelphia, a short drive over the bridges, and a real local person answers at (267) 551-5554.

Who pays the transfer fee when you sell a house in New Jersey?

The seller. New Jersey charges its Realty Transfer Fee to the seller at closing, based on the sale price. It is figured per $500 of price in brackets, and the brackets change once a sale goes over $350,000.

• The reduced rate is claimed on Form RTF-1 at closing. It is a personal exemption, so an estate or a trust cannot use it.
• An executor's transfer to an heir named in the will is exempt. A sale to a buyer is not.
• Since July 10, 2025, sales over $1 million carry a seller-paid Graduated Percent Fee of 1% to 3.5% of the whole price, replacing the old 1% fee buyers used to pay.

For comparison, the transfer tax on a $250,000 house in Philadelphia is $11,445, usually split between buyer and seller (see our Philadelphia page). When you sell to us, we pay all the closing costs, and your written offer shows exactly what you walk away with before you sign.

What if I live outside New Jersey?

If you own a South Jersey house but live in Pennsylvania or anywhere else, plan for one more line on the closing statement. Nonresident sellers file a GIT/REP form at closing and usually make an estimated New Jersey income tax payment from the proceeds: 10.75% of the gain, but never less than 2% of the sale price. If that is more than you owe, you get the difference back after you file a New Jersey nonresident return, or sooner with Form A-3128. New Jersey residents file a residency form instead and settle up at tax time. A sale by an estate is different again: an estate set up under New Jersey law counts as a resident.

How does probate work in South Jersey?

In New Jersey, wills are probated and estate administrators are appointed by the county Surrogate. When someone dies without a will, you apply to the Surrogate of the county where they lived.

Note that Camden County's Surrogate sits in Blackwood, not Camden City. Some older county forms still show a Camden City address.

Inheritance tax basics. Class A heirs (a spouse, civil union or domestic partner, children, stepchildren, grandchildren, parents and grandparents) pay none. Class C heirs (brothers, sisters, and sons- or daughters-in-law) get $25,000 tax-free, then pay 11% to 16%. Class D heirs (everyone else, such as nieces, nephews and friends) pay 15% on the first $700,000 and 16% above that. There is no New Jersey estate tax for deaths on or after January 1, 2018.

The state also holds a lien on a decedent's New Jersey real estate for inheritance tax, and a title company will want it released with a tax waiver before closing. For a New Jersey resident whose heirs are all Class A, the estate can usually request the waiver with Form L-9 instead of filing a full return. More: selling an inherited house in New Jersey.

How does foreclosure work in New Jersey?

Through the court, in steps, which gives you time to act if you start early:

1. Notice of Intent to Foreclose. The lender must send it first. You then have 30 days to pay or make other arrangements, and you can ask for mediation.
2. Free mediation. The New Jersey courts run a free foreclosure mediation program. Ask as soon as you get a foreclosure notice.
3. Judgment and writ. After a final judgment, the court issues a writ telling the county sheriff to auction the house.
4. Sheriff sale. The sheriff has 150 days from the writ to hold the sale. You and the lender can each ask for two stays to delay it.
5. After the sale. You have 10 days to redeem, meaning buy it back or sell it. If the sale brings in more than is owed, the extra goes back to you.

Until then, the house is yours to sell, and the loan gets paid off at closing. Details: foreclosure in New Jersey.

Can I sell a South Jersey house with tenants living in it?

Yes. New Jersey's Anti-Eviction Act covers most rentals, single-family homes included: a landlord needs one of the reasons listed in the law to evict a tenant or refuse to renew a lease. Owner-occupied buildings with no more than two rental units are an exception.

The sale-related reasons are narrow. For a house or small building, the owner of a building with three or fewer units must have a contract to sell to a buyer who will live there, with the unit empty at closing. Even then, the tenant gets a Notice to Quit at least two months before the landlord files, and nothing can be filed until the lease runs out.

We are investors, not moving in, so that reason does not apply to a sale to us. Your tenants keep their protections, and state law makes the new owner responsible for their security deposit and its interest. More: selling a house with tenants.

Does my town require an inspection before I sell?

It depends on the town, and each one sets its own rules. Examples from the towns' own websites:

The Mount Laurel and Runnemede checklists both call for handrails on steps with four or more risers, house numbers you can read from the street, safe sidewalks, unbroken window glass, working gutters and closed-out permits. Runnemede's list even requires abandoned tanks to be removed with a permit.

When you sell to us, the town inspection still happens where the town requires it. We read the checklist when we make the offer, and the repairs are ours, not yours.

What about an old oil tank in the yard?

If the house was ever heated with oil, there may be a tank in the basement or buried in the yard. The state's construction code office (DCA Bulletin 95-1B) lays out the rules:

• The DEP treats home heating oil tanks as unregulated, but only DEP-certified firms may work on underground ones.
• The DEP strongly recommends removing out-of-service underground tanks even with no sign of a leak, and insurance and mortgage companies often push for removal.
• Removing a tank or filling it in place takes a demolition permit from your town's construction office.
• If contamination turns up, it is reported to the DEP hotline, 1-877-WARNDEP (1-877-927-6337), and cleanup runs through DEP's Unregulated Heating Oil Tank program.

The state fund that once helped pay to remove non-leaking home tanks stopped taking new applications on May 3, 2011, according to the New Jersey Economic Development Authority. We buy houses with tanks, removed or not. Tell us what you know, such as old sweep results or removal papers, and we will factor it into the offer.

What does a cash offer in South Jersey look like?

Honest answer: lower than a fully repaired house would sell for on the open market. Our offer has to cover repairs, town inspection items, carrying costs while we work, our risk on what we find, and our costs to sell later. In return you skip the repairs, the cleanout, the showings, the commission and the months of waiting. See how we calculate our offer. If listing with an agent would put more in your pocket, we will tell you.

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

Guides for New Jersey sellers

• Selling an inherited house in New Jersey
• Foreclosure in New Jersey
• Selling a house with tenants
• Selling a house as-is
• Selling with back taxes or liens
• Selling a parent's house
• Selling a house during a divorce
• Selling from out of state

Questions South Jersey sellers ask

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