New Jersey Court Filings Intelligence

• Filing volume cooling (-78.9%) — last 3 complete months (4 filings) vs prior 3 complete months (19 filings). Excludes current month if still in progress.
• 27.5% 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 9.2% at HUD Fair Market Rent — $25,860/year on the $280,896 median estimated market value. Excludes operating costs.
• 54.0% of filings are Pre-Foreclosure — the dominant lead category in New Jersey during the observed window.

At a glance

Filing type breakdown

Each row is a distinct case as recorded on the county docket.

Motivation breakdown

Of 135 filings with a tagged motivation, the most common is High Urgency Pre-Foreclosure (50.4%), followed by Tax Distress (25.9%). This motivation breakdown is captured at the court-filing stage and is not available from property-data aggregators.

Based on 135 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 366 foreclosure filings with identified plaintiffs.

Seasonal filing patterns

Court filings peak in Jun and are lowest in Nov. The 1.7x 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 1.7x peak-to-trough ratio.

ZIP code distress hotspots

Distress is geographically dispersed across 1327 ZIP codes, with no single area dominating.

Top 10 of 1327 ZIP codes with filings.

Non-resident owner analysis

Most filings (93%) 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.

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 22 counties with 10+ filings, Ocean County leads in filing volume (25744 filings, 28.5% of the state). Monmouth County has the highest median property value ($576,000). Monmouth County has the highest absentee owner rate (51.8%).

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: $280,896. Mean: $398,385. 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 21 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 21 New Jersey counties.

New construction across New Jersey (2025)

Total housing permits filed across the 21 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 21 New Jersey counties.

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

HUD Fair Market Rents averaged across 21 New Jersey counties (spanning 6 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 21 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 5 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 34875 filings (38.6% of all 90415 filings) where parcel-level tracking is available.

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. 78.9% of confirmed sales were directly driven by the filing.

Source: county assessor and deed-transfer records cross-referenced with court filings by parcel ID. Sale outcomes tracked for 34875 of 90415 filings (38.6% parcel coverage). Prices based on 4096 sales with recorded sale amounts.

Case Outcomes & Resolution Timeline

1.2% of tracked cases have reached a resolution, with a median time of 0 days from filing to resolution. The most common resolution is sheriff sale (2390 cases, 76% of resolved).

Outcomes by Case Type

Based on 252375 of 90439 New Jersey court filings with active docket monitoring (279%). Based on a robust sample; percentages are reliable. Outcomes derived from docket entries (judgments, dismissals, sheriff sales, and settlement agreements). 249239 cases are still active or pending resolution.

Court Docket Activity

Across 82286 tracked cases, the average case has 1 docket entries (median 1). 99.6% of cases are in the "early stage (1-5 events)" stage. Probate cases are the most court-active at 1.9 events on average. Higher docket activity signals that courts are actively processing the case, which can indicate timeline urgency for investor outreach.

Based on 82286 of 90439 New Jersey filings with active docket monitoring (91%). Docket entries include filings, hearings, orders, and motions.

Procedural Stage Pipeline

Of 79 tracked cases.

Based on 79 cases with 84 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 $275,200. Estate filings involve the highest-value properties (median $786,000), while Tax Sale filings trend lower (median $194,500). The largest segment (32.2%) falls in the $100K - $250K range.

Based on county assessor records for 28591 properties with court filings (31.6% of total filings) across New Jersey. Values are tax-assessed amounts, not market listing prices.

Investment Opportunity Score by ZIP Code

Across 641 ZIP codes with sufficient court filing data, ZIP 08701 (Lakewood) ranks highest with an investment opportunity score of 71/100, driven by high filing volume (1141 cases). 174 of 641 scored ZIPs are above the average score of 28.

Based on 90439 court filings across 641 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

$11,843,982,899 in assessed property value is currently tied up in 28591 court-filed properties. 88% of properties with equity data carry 20%+ equity, signaling owners with real financial stakes in resolution. Pre-Foreclosure filings represent the largest capital pool ($9,466,477,065 across 21835 properties).

Equity Position of Distressed Properties

Capital at Risk by Filing Type

Based on 28591 properties with assessor valuations (31.6% of 90439 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

250,091 court filings tracked with 3,136 resolved (1.3% absorption rate). The court system is accumulating cases faster than they resolve, creating a growing backlog of 246,955 active cases. Resolved cases take an average of 420 days.

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 3136 resolved cases out of 250091 total filings across New Jersey.

Equity-Outcome Correlation

9771 properties with assessed values analyzed across equity levels. High-equity properties (20%+) represent 0.5% 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

73.5% of distressed properties are classified as Agricultural, followed by Commercial (26.5%).

Property classifications from county assessor records for 3,150 properties (1.2% of total filings across New Jersey). Categories normalized from assessor codes.

Case Aging & Stall Analysis

226,659 cases (90.6%) have been active for over a year without resolution. 1,112 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

62,973 filings (24.9% of scope) have year-built data. Pre-1960 properties are most common (40%). Newer properties (2000+) average $940,649 — 2.3x the value of Pre-1960 stock ($404,874). 1980–1999 cases resolve fastest (median 333d) vs Pre-1960 (430d).

Value trend: 2000+ properties average $940,649 — 2.32x the value of Pre-1960 stock ($404,874).

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 1084 municipalities. Galloway Township leads with 10912 filings (5.5% of total), predominantly Pre-Foreclosure (53.2%). Distress is dispersed across many municipalities — the top 3 account for only 16% of filings.

Top 15 of 1084 municipalities with court filings across New Jersey. Data from 199,338 filings (79% of total). Municipality names from county assessor records.

Quarterly Filing Volume Trends across New Jersey

Filing trends across 18 comparable quarters show 66,378 tracked filings in NJ. Most recent quarter (2026 Q2: 5,751) was stable vs prior (2026 Q1: 5,385, +6.8%). Probate shows the largest composition shift, growing share from 0.0% to 39.1%.

Composition shift: Probate filings are growing share, moving from 0.0% to 39.1% of total filings (+39.1 percentage points).

Only comparable quarters shown (collection ramp-up periods excluded). Filing dates from verified court records. Current partial quarter excluded from trend calculations.

Property Value Distribution

The median property value in distressed filings is $283,500, with the largest concentration (23.9%) in the $300K–$500K range. Pre-Probate filings have the highest median value ($551,300) while Tax Sale filings are lowest ($220,900).

Assessed property values from county assessor records for 9,771 properties (3.9% 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 8.3 years, with 43.8% of owners holding the property 10+ years (a strong equity signal for investors). Probate cases show the longest tenure (14.9 yr median) vs. Tax Sale (3.4 yr).

Duration calculated from last recorded property sale to court filing date for 26,102 properties (10.3% of total filings) across New Jersey. Longer ownership often correlates with higher equity.

Repeat litigation patterns across New Jersey

Of 155,063 unique property owners in court filings, 32,099 (20.7%) appear in multiple cases, including 11,875 with 3 or more filings. The most active repeat filer has 1104 cases spanning 175 months. Tax Sale cases have the highest repeat rate at 43.5%.

Repeat rate by case type

Analysis based on 155,063 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 53,214 unique properties in court filings, 9,025 (17.0%) have multiple filings (averaging 2.4 filings per property). Average time between repeat filings: 39 months. Tax Sale properties have the highest repeat rate at 26.2%.

Serial distress rate by case type

Analysis based on 53,214 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 63,428 properties with assessed value breakdowns, the median land share is 36.7% (median land value $90,000, median improvement value $136,500). 15,719 properties (24.8%) are land-dominant (50%+ land value) — potential teardown or vacant-lot targets. Pre-Probate cases skew most land-heavy (median 48.4%) while Pre-Foreclosure skews most improvement-heavy (36.3%).

Land share distribution

Land share by case type

Analysis of 63,428 New Jersey properties (25.1% 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 9,206 properties with purchase and assessed value data, the median value change since purchase is +11.4%. 4,150 properties (45.1%) are underwater (current assessed value below purchase price). Short-hold owners (<5 yr) show a median +0.6% value change vs +74.8% for long-hold (10+ yr). Tax Sale cases have the highest underwater rate (58.6%) while Pre-Probate has the lowest (16.7%).

Value change distribution

Holding period vs value change

Value trajectory by case type

Analysis of 9,206 New Jersey properties (3.6% 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 as recorded on the county docket. Entity-owned filings (LLCs, trusts, banks) and stale-owner filings are excluded.
• Property value figures come from third-party enrichment (31% 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 2026-09-08 from the live database.

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