New Jersey Court Filings Intelligence

• Filing volume accelerating (+28.3%) — last 2 complete months (1002 filings) vs prior 2 complete months (781 filings). Excludes current month if still in progress.
• 28.4% off-site owners — share of New Jersey filings where the owner's mailing address differs from the property (rental, inherited, second-home, or transitional).
• Max gross cap rate 7.9% at HUD Fair Market Rent — $27,696/year on the $350,000 median estimated market value. Excludes operating costs.
• 47.2% of filings are Foreclosure — the dominant lead category in New Jersey during the observed window.

At a glance

Filing type breakdown

Each row is a distinct case verified for current owner-of-record before inclusion.

Motivation breakdown

Of 142 filings with a tagged motivation, the most common is High Urgency Pre-Foreclosure (52.8%), followed by Tax Distress (24.6%). This motivation breakdown is captured at the court-filing stage and is not available from property-data aggregators.

Based on 142 filings tagged with a motivation sub-type at the court-filing stage. This classification is not available from property-data aggregators.

Filing velocity by case type

How each distress category is trending statewide — are foreclosures accelerating while divorces cool, or vice versa? This breakdown is only possible with direct court-record data.

Trend = recent 2-3 month volume vs prior 2-3 months (current partial month excluded). Positive = accelerating; negative = cooling.

Lender concentration analysis

Foreclosure activity is spread across many lenders, suggesting diverse distress sources rather than a single institutional wave.

HHI (Herfindahl-Hirschman Index): <1500 = competitive, 1500-2500 = moderate concentration, >2500 = highly concentrated. Based on 163 foreclosure filings with identified plaintiffs.

Seasonal filing patterns

Court filings peak in Jun and are lowest in Feb. The 6.9x peak-to-trough ratio suggests strong seasonal patterns — investors who time their outreach around Jun can reach more distressed homeowners.

Average filings per calendar month across all observed years. Relative column shows each month as a percentage of the peak month (Jun), with a 6.9x peak-to-trough ratio.

ZIP code distress hotspots

Distress is geographically dispersed across 140 ZIP codes, with no single area dominating.

Top 10 of 140 ZIP codes with filings.

Non-resident owner analysis

Most filings (98%) involve owner-occupied properties. The relatively low absentee rate suggests distress is primarily hitting homeowners, not institutional investors.

Non-resident = owner's mailing address differs from the property address. Could indicate out-of-state landlords, inherited estates, second homes, or in-transition properties.

Distress composition and shifts

Tax Sale share is rising. Foreclosure, Estate share is declining. High diversity in distress types suggests multiple independent factors driving court filings, not a single economic shock.

Distress diversity score: 2.1 (Shannon entropy; higher = more diverse distress sources). "Recent" = last 2 complete months; "Earlier" = all prior months.

Top counties by filing volume

Counties with live deep-dive reports linked below. See all New Jersey counties tracked →

County-by-county comparison dashboard

Across 7 counties with 10+ filings, Ocean County leads in filing volume (1282 filings, 61.5% of the state). Monmouth County has the highest median property value ($595,600).

Counties with fewer than 10 filings are excluded. Median value based on county assessor records. Resolution rate from tracked docket outcomes. Average events = average docket entries per case (higher = more complex proceedings).

Monthly statewide filing activity

Most recent month may be partial.

Property value distribution

Median: $350,000. Mean: $466,479. From third-party property enrichment.

Day-of-week filing pattern

Filings cluster Monday through Friday, with weekend filings essentially absent (court system closed).

Housing stock + distress signals (filing-weighted across 8 New Jersey counties)

Underlying housing stock and distress indicators across New Jersey counties where we track filings, weighted by filing volume so high-filing counties dominate the rollup. From US Census ACS 5-year data. National reference values shown for context.

Source: US Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS 2023 5-year), filing-weighted across 8 New Jersey counties.

New construction across New Jersey (2025)

Total housing permits filed across the 8 New Jersey counties we track. Trend signal on whether new housing demand is accelerating or contracting state-wide.

Source: US Census Bureau Building Permits Survey, summed across 8 New Jersey counties.

Rent benchmark (New Jersey HUD Fair Market Rents, filing-weighted)

HUD Fair Market Rents averaged across 8 New Jersey counties (spanning 4 metro areas), weighted by filing volume. FY 2026. Used to set Section 8 voucher amounts; investors use it as a defensible rent-estimate floor.

Source: US Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents (2026), filing-weighted across 8 New Jersey counties.

Macro context: home prices and national delinquency

Court-filing volume should be read against the broader housing-market backdrop. New Jersey's home prices and the national mortgage-delinquency rate are the two macro signals most directly relevant to foreclosure exposure.

Sources: Federal Housing Finance Agency state house price indices (FRED series NJSTHPI); Federal Reserve Board, Mortgage Delinquency 30+Day Rate on Single-Family Residential Mortgages (FRED series DRSFRMACBS). Updated quarterly.

Local-market benchmark

Demographics of the ZIPs where New Jersey filings cluster, weighted by filing count and benchmarked against Census ACS 2023 5-year:

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year estimates, filing-weighted across 9 top ZIPs.

Most active foreclosure plaintiffs in New Jersey

Top mortgage holders and servicers named in New Jersey foreclosure complaints. Names are normalized to collapse common legal-suffix variants.

Source: plaintiff names extracted from New Jersey foreclosure complaint text. Court records are public information.

Post-filing sale outcomes in New Jersey

What happens to distressed properties after a court filing? By cross-referencing each filing's property with county assessor and deed-transfer records, we track which properties sold, how long the process took, and at what price. This analysis covers 1931 filings (92.9% of all 2078 filings) where parcel-level tracking is available.

Time from filing to sale

How quickly do distressed properties sell after a court filing is recorded? This distribution shows where post-filing sales cluster.

Sale rates by filing type

Not all distress types lead to property sales at the same rate. Foreclosures tend to result in eventual sales more often than probate or divorce filings.

How sales relate to the filing

Not every post-filing sale is caused by the court case. We classify each sale's relationship to the original filing so investors can focus on the highest-signal outcomes.

Source: county assessor and deed-transfer records cross-referenced with court filings by parcel ID. Sale outcomes tracked for 1931 of 2078 filings (92.9% parcel coverage). Timing based on 3 sales with valid filing and sale dates. Prices based on 2 sales with recorded sale amounts.

Court Docket Activity

Across 34 tracked cases, the average case has 1 docket entries (median 1). 100.0% of cases are in the "early stage (1-5 events)" stage. Foreclosure cases are the most court-active at 1.0 events on average. Higher docket activity signals that courts are actively processing the case, which can indicate timeline urgency for investor outreach.

Based on 34 of 2085 New Jersey filings with active docket monitoring (2%). Docket entries include filings, hearings, orders, and motions.

Procedural Stage Pipeline

Of 57 tracked cases, 8.8% reached the service-of-process stage.

Based on 57 cases with 63 recorded stage transitions from New Jersey court docket entries. Stages identified from docket events: service of process, responses, hearings, judgments, settlements, and dismissals.

Property Value Profile

The median assessed value of properties in court filings is $347,400. Pre-Probate filings involve the highest-value properties (median $721,000), while Tax Sale filings trend lower (median $251,000). The largest segment (34.5%) falls in the $250K - $500K range.

Based on county assessor records for 1832 properties with court filings (87.9% of total filings) across New Jersey. Values are tax-assessed amounts, not market listing prices.

Investment Opportunity Score by ZIP Code

Across 71 ZIP codes with sufficient court filing data, ZIP 08723 (Brick) ranks highest with an investment opportunity score of 75/100, driven by high filing volume (257 cases). 20 of 71 scored ZIPs are above the average score of 31.

Based on 2085 court filings across 71 ZIP codes in New Jersey. ZIPs with fewer than 3 filings are excluded. Property values from county assessor records. Absentee status from property ownership verification.

Distress Capital Analysis

$866,033,615 in assessed property value is currently tied up in 1832 court-filed properties. 86% of properties with equity data carry 20%+ equity, signaling owners with real financial stakes in resolution. Foreclosure filings represent the largest capital pool ($442,367,216 across 868 properties).

Equity Position of Distressed Properties

Capital at Risk by Filing Type

Based on 1832 properties with assessor valuations (87.9% of 2085 total filings) across New Jersey. Values are county assessor estimates. Equity calculated from estimated value vs outstanding mortgage balance where available.

Market Absorption & Turnover Analysis

2,067 court filings tracked with 0 resolved (0.0% absorption rate). The court system is accumulating cases faster than they resolve, creating a growing backlog of 2,067 active cases.

Resolution by Case Type

Absorption rate measures the percentage of filed cases that have reached a terminal resolution (judgment, dismissal, settlement, or sale). A low absorption rate indicates a growing backlog of active cases in the court system. Resolution timing based on 0 resolved cases out of 2067 total filings across New Jersey.

Equity-Outcome Correlation

1852 properties with assessed values analyzed across equity levels. High-equity properties (20%+) represent 2.8% of filings with a 0.0% resolution rate.

Equity Profile by Case Type

Equity positions derived from county assessor data (assessed values minus outstanding liens where available). Resolution outcomes classified from court docket entries. Only properties with non-zero assessed values are included. Data spans New Jersey's tracked counties.

Property Type Distribution

86.7% of distressed properties are classified as Agricultural, followed by Commercial (13.3%).

Property classifications from county assessor records for 30 properties (1.5% of total filings across New Jersey). Categories normalized from assessor codes.

Case Aging & Stall Analysis

0 cases (0.0%) have been active for over a year without resolution. 604 filings in the last <30 days represent fresh opportunities.

Case aging computed from filing date to present for unresolved cases across New Jersey. Resolution classified from court docket entries (judgments, settlements, dismissals, sheriff sales).

Property Age & Distress Profile

1,808 filings (87.5% of scope) have year-built data. 1960–1979 properties are most common (32%). Newer properties (2000+) average $701,074 — 1.3x the value of Pre-1960 stock ($534,022).

Value trend: 2000+ properties average $701,074 — 1.31x the value of Pre-1960 stock ($534,022).

Construction year sourced from county tax assessor records across New Jersey. Value is assessed value from the most recent available tax assessment. Resolution timing based on court docket events.

Municipality filing concentration across New Jersey

Court filings in NJ span 111 municipalities. Brick Township leads with 171 filings (12.5% of total), predominantly Tax Lien (43.3%). Distress is dispersed across many municipalities — the top 3 account for only 29% of filings.

Top 15 of 111 municipalities with court filings across New Jersey. Data from 1,367 filings (66% of total). Municipality names from county assessor records.

Property Value Distribution

The median property value in distressed filings is $317,200, with the largest concentration (29.2%) in the $500K+ range. Pre-Probate filings have the highest median value ($551,300) while Tax Lien filings are lowest ($247,050).

Assessed property values from county assessor records for 1,852 properties (89.6% of total filings) across New Jersey. Values reflect tax-assessed amounts, not market price.

Ownership Duration Before Filing

The median ownership duration before a court filing is 10.5 years, with 51.4% of owners holding the property 10+ years (a strong equity signal for investors). Estate cases show the longest tenure (17.2 yr median) vs. Tax Lien (7.2 yr).

Duration calculated from last recorded property sale to court filing date for 1,766 properties (85.4% of total filings) across New Jersey. Longer ownership often correlates with higher equity.

Repeat litigation patterns across New Jersey

Of 1,977 unique property owners in court filings, 61 (3.1%) appear in multiple cases, including 12 with 3 or more filings. The most active repeat filer has 8 cases spanning 4 months. Foreclosure cases have the highest repeat rate at 4.2%.

Repeat rate by case type

Analysis based on 1,977 unique owner names across New Jersey court filings. Repeat filers are property owners appearing in 2 or more distinct cases. This pattern identifies recurring distress — a signal invisible in aggregated property databases.

Serial distressed properties across New Jersey

Of 1,940 unique properties in court filings, 24 (1.2%) have multiple filings (averaging 2.1 filings per property). Average time between repeat filings: 1 months. Foreclosure properties have the highest repeat rate at 1.7%.

Serial distress rate by case type

Analysis based on 1,940 unique property addresses across New Jersey court filings. Serial distressed properties have 2 or more distinct case filings at the same address — indicating recurring financial or legal distress. These properties are high-value investor targets.

Land vs improvement value composition

Across 1,804 properties with assessed value breakdowns, the median land share is 45.3% (median land value $144,500, median improvement value $163,000). 753 properties (41.7%) are land-dominant (50%+ land value) — potential teardown or vacant-lot targets. Divorce cases skew most land-heavy (median 50.0%) while Foreclosure skews most improvement-heavy (43.1%).

Land share distribution

Land share by case type

Analysis of 1,804 New Jersey properties (87.3% of filings) with assessed land and improvement value breakdowns. Land-dominant properties (50%+ land value) may represent teardown candidates or vacant lots. Improvement-heavy properties (under 20% land) typically indicate rehab opportunities.

Prior sale value trajectory

Across 1,647 properties with purchase and assessed value data, the median value change since purchase is +50.7%. 504 properties (30.6%) are underwater (current assessed value below purchase price). Short-hold owners (<5 yr) show a median +0.0% value change vs +89.4% for long-hold (10+ yr). Tax Sale cases have the highest underwater rate (59.2%) while Pre-Probate has the lowest (16.7%).

Value change distribution

Holding period vs value change

Value trajectory by case type

Analysis of 1,647 New Jersey properties (79.7% of filings) with both prior sale price and current assessed value data. Underwater properties have a current assessed value below their last purchase price. This analysis reveals whether distressed properties carry equity upside (investor opportunity) or are overleveraged (indicating deeper distress).

The New Jersey pre-foreclosure visibility gap

The largest public foreclosure-aggregator interfaces surface only post-auction bank-owned properties in New Jersey. Pre-foreclosure court filings are not visible to their non-paying users. Keystone tracks the court filing the day it hits the docket, weeks or months before any property reaches the auction stage those aggregators surface.

Full audit: Court-vs-aggregator coverage gap report.

FEMA flood zone exposure across New Jersey

Are distressed properties concentrated in flood-prone areas? By checking each property's coordinates against FEMA's National Flood Hazard Layer, we identify which filings fall in Special Flood Hazard Areas (mandatory flood insurance zones). This analysis covers 1567 properties with geocoded locations.

Source: FEMA National Flood Hazard Layer (NFHL), queried by property coordinates. Zones A/AE/AH/AO/V/VE are Special Flood Hazard Areas (1% annual flood chance, mandatory flood insurance). Zone X is minimal risk. 1567 properties checked.

Methodology and data sources

• Court filings sourced direct from county court dockets in Keystone's New Jersey coverage area via daily automated collection. Court records are public information.
• Every filing is verified for current owner-of-record before inclusion. Entity-owned filings (LLCs, trusts, banks) and stale-owner filings are excluded.
• Property value figures come from third-party enrichment (87% coverage on this dataset).
• Individual case data, defendant names, and property addresses are not published. Reports show aggregated statistics only.
• See /reports/methodology for full data sources, sample sizes, and limitations.
• This report was generated 2026-07-12 from the live database.

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