New Jersey foreclosures & REO
Government portals, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac listings, federal seized-property sales, online auctions, and the sheriff sale list for all 21 counties. Checked and explained by a local REALTOR® who has been selling estate and foreclosure properties since 2000.
Portals
These are the official sites. Each one is free to search. Look-alike sites that charge for "exclusive" lists are selling information you can get here for nothing.
Many bank-owned homes also show up on the regular MLS. Tom can set you up with a saved search that only sends REO and foreclosure listings in the towns you pick. Get listing alerts.
Sheriff sales
New Jersey forecloses through the courts, so every foreclosure ends at a public auction run by the county sheriff. Sixteen counties post their list on CivilView. Ocean posts a weekly PDF, and Mercer, Somerset, Sussex, and Warren use their own sites. Lists change several times a week.
Free sheriff sale alerts
County lists are checked every morning. No email on days with nothing new in your counties.
Each listing shows the sheriff's number, docket number, address, and the plaintiff's approximate judgment or upset price.
Order a title search. You cannot go inside, so drive by and pull the tax record. Sales are adjourned often, so check the list again the morning of the sale.
Bidders may be asked to sign in and show certified funds before bidding starts.
The lender's attorney opens the bidding and stops at the upset price. Above that, the highest bidder wins.
Standard bidders pay a 20% deposit by certified or cashier's check. The balance is typically due within 30 days.
The former owner can generally still redeem for about 10 days after the sale. After that, the sheriff's deed is delivered.
Sheriff sales are sold subject to any prior mortgages and municipal, state, or federal liens. A title search is the only way to know what comes with the property.
The Community Wealth Preservation Program lets eligible buyers put down 3.5% instead of 20% and take 90 business days to close, with a mortgage. Counties are applying the right of first refusal differently while the law is reviewed in court, so call the sheriff's office and register before the sale.
If you lost a home at sheriff sale, you may be owed surplus money. You can claim it yourself. Be careful with anyone who calls offering to recover it for a large fee.
Run the numbers
Plan what you need to bring to a sheriff sale, then check closing costs for a bank-owned listing with the NJ Closing Cost Calculator.
Sheriff's fees and commissions come out of the purchase price. Terms vary by county and are read aloud as the Conditions of Sale. Not legal advice; confirm with the sheriff's office and an attorney.
Free tool
Buying a bank-owned home through a regular listing? Estimate what you'll pay at the closing table in New Jersey before you make an offer.
ZIP Pulse
An asking price or upset price doesn't tell you what a home is worth. Start with the trend in its ZIP code: median prices, how fast homes sell, and which way the market is moving. ZIP Pulse tracks it ZIP by ZIP, starting with Ocean County.
Popular Ocean County ZIPs
Guides
The same house can pass through all three. Here is how they differ for a buyer.
| Bank-owned listing (REO) | Sheriff sale | Online auction | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where it's listed | HomePath, HomeSteps, HUD, VA, USDA, and the MLS | The county sheriff's sale list | Auction.com, Xome, Hubzu |
| See inside first? | Yes, through the listing agent | No. The sheriff cannot authorize entry | Depends on the listing |
| Financing | Conventional, FHA, VA, or USDA mortgage | Certified funds. CWPP-eligible buyers may use a mortgage | Set by each listing's terms |
| Money down | Normal earnest money deposit | 20% at the end of the sale (3.5% for CWPP-eligible buyers) | Deposit set by the listing, plus a buyer's premium on many |
| Title | Seller conveys title. Buy an owner's title policy | Sold subject to prior liens. Title search is essential | Read the auction terms |
| Best for | Owner-occupants and investors | Experienced cash buyers | Investors comfortable with auction rules |
Usually not. Standard bidders pay 20% of the winning bid by certified or cashier's check at the end of the sale, and the balance typically within 30 days.
The exception is the Community Wealth Preservation Program (CWPP), signed into law on January 12, 2024. Eligible participants put down 3.5% of the upset price, may finance with a mortgage, and get 90 business days to close.
It depends on the county right now. Following an August 28, 2025 court order, Morris and Union counties extend the right of refusal only to the defendant homeowner, next of kin, and tenants. Ocean County, pending court review, honors it only for the defendant homeowner. Each county has its own registration steps, and most require every document before you sign in on sale day, so call the sheriff's office well ahead of the sale.
No. The sheriff sells the property, not access to it, and cannot let anyone inspect. Drive by, check the tax record and any open permits with the town, and budget for surprises.
HUD bids must be submitted by a HUD-registered broker. Fannie Mae does not accept offers directly, so HomePath offers go through the listing agent or the HomePath site with your agent. Every HomeSteps home has a listing agent, and you'll work with an agent of your own to make an offer.
First Look holds a new listing for people who plan to live in the home. On HomePath it is the first 30 days on the market, open to owner-occupants, public entities, and some nonprofits, and each listing shows the date its window ends. Fannie Mae defines an owner-occupant as someone who moves in within 60 days of closing and stays at least a year. HomeSteps also gives owner-occupants a 30-day window. Investors can only offer after the window closes.
Yes. FHA 203(k) and Fannie Mae HomeStyle renovation mortgages cover the purchase and the repairs in one loan. They take longer to close, so line up a lender who does them regularly before you make an offer.
Market notes
Short takes on the reports that matter if you're shopping foreclosures. Updated monthly.
New Jersey Realtors counted 22,746 homes for sale in September, 12.1% more than a year earlier. The statewide median sale price still rose 2.8% to $550,000, and homes took a median 39 days to sell. Single-family homes hit $615,000, townhouses and condos $437,500, and adult community homes $379,000.
For bank-owned buyers: more choices means more room to negotiate, especially on listings that need work.
Source: ROI-NJ
Redfin data for the three months ending September 2026 put Ocean County's median sale price at $488,906, down 0.3% from a year earlier. Homes sold after 32 days, a little faster than last year's 35.
For bank-owned buyers: a steady market means REOs here still sell close to value. Comps matter.
Source: Redfin
ATTOM counted 227,548 U.S. properties with a foreclosure filing from January through June, up 21% from 2025. New Jersey's rate, 0.22% of housing units, was among the 10 highest in the country. Foreclosures are also moving faster, averaging 563 days to complete, the shortest since 2013.
For bank-owned buyers: expect more homes moving through sheriff sale lists and onto REO portals.
Source: ATTOM
ATTOM's first-quarter Housing Risk Report scored 580 counties on foreclosure filings, underwater mortgages, affordability, and unemployment. Cumberland County came in fifth most vulnerable in the nation.
For bank-owned buyers: worth watching if you invest in South Jersey.
Source: Quartz
Your local guide
Broker Associate · Keller Williams Preferred Properties
Tom has been licensed in New Jersey since 2000. He worked Atlantic County before moving to the Ocean County market in 2013, and has handled a long list of estate and foreclosure sales along the way. He knows which REOs are worth chasing and which sheriff sale listings to skip.