How to Buy a Home in New Jersey When You Live Out of State

Yes, you can buy a home in New Jersey while you still live in another state. You narrow the towns from home, let a local agent preview houses and walk you through them on video, line up a New Jersey real estate attorney before you make an offer, and sign much of the paperwork from wherever you are. The parts that need the most care are the three-day attorney review after you sign and protecting your money when it's time to wire it.

I'm Dennis Mark Interdonato with The Dennis Mark Group, and buyers moving to Monmouth and Ocean County from other states are a big part of my work. This is how I run those purchases, step by step.

Can you buy a house in New Jersey without being there?

You can do most of it from a distance. My team and I preview homes in person, walk you through them on live video, and send you showing feedback, offers and inspection results in writing, so you know where things stand without being in the room. When you can come in person, we plan the showings around the homes and towns that made the cut, so no trip is wasted.

One out-of-state client put it this way in a Google review: "I live across country and they previewed multiple houses for a short term rental I needed while searching for the 'forever' home to buy." (Michael M.)

What should you do before you start touring?

1. Talk to a lender. A pre-approval tells you what you can spend and what the payment looks like with New Jersey property taxes in it. Your lender gives the lending advice, not me.
2. Pick the commute and the lifestyle, then the towns. Start with Monmouth County vs. Ocean County, and if New York is in the picture, commuting to NYC from the Jersey Shore.
3. Read the town pages. Every town in both counties is on the Where We Work page, many with a free guide and a Market Snapshot built from MLS data.
4. Set up your search. I send you the homes that fit as they come up, so you're ready when the right one hits.
5. Line up a New Jersey real estate attorney. More on why in a minute.

How do you tour homes from another state?

Here's what I do for buyers who can't be here:

• In-person previews. My team or I walk the house before you spend a flight on it.
• Live video tours. You see what I see, ask questions as we go, and I point out what photos leave out.
• A construction-level read. I've been in construction since 2003 as a New Jersey home builder and residential remodeler. I'll tell you what I'd want looked at closely during the inspection.
• The town, not only the house. The drive to the beach, the walk to downtown, the train station. I'm a Lifestyle Connector, and that's half the reason to hire someone local.

I compared the two kinds of showings in virtual tours vs. in-person showings.

What happens after your offer is accepted?

In New Jersey, a contract prepared by a real estate licensee for a home with one to four units starts with a three-business-day attorney review period. During those days, an attorney for the buyer or the seller can review the contract and disapprove it. Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays don't count, and the parties can agree in writing to extend it (N.J.A.C. 11:5-6.2). If no attorney disapproves in time, the contract is binding as written.

That's why I want out-of-state buyers to have a New Jersey attorney lined up before the offer goes in. The clock starts when the signed contract is delivered, not when you get around to calling someone. The full explanation is in what is attorney review in New Jersey.

After attorney review come the inspections, the appraisal and your lender's approval, then title work and closing. My articles on how fast the buying process moves and what happens on closing day cover those steps.

Can you sign closing documents remotely?

New Jersey law allows remote and electronic notarizations. The State's updated notary law, P.L. 2021, c. 179, permits them (NJ Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services). Whether your closing can be done remotely, or partly remotely, depends on your lender, your title company and your attorney, so ask all three early. If someone else will sign for you, your attorney handles how that's set up.

How do you protect your money from wire fraud?

This is the one I bring up with every buyer, and twice with buyers who aren't local. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau warns that scammers send fake emails posing as the real estate agent, the settlement agent or the attorney, with new wiring instructions for your closing money (CFPB). The CFPB's advice:

• Pick two trusted people, like your agent and your settlement agent, and talk through the closing and payment steps in person or by phone ahead of time.
• Before wiring anything, confirm the instructions by phone at a number you already have. Never use instructions, links or phone numbers from an email.
• Don't email financial information.
• If something goes wrong, call your bank right away to ask for a wire recall, and file a complaint with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.

What mistakes do out-of-state buyers make?

• Choosing by photos. Photos show the kitchen. They don't show the street, the block or the drive to work.
• Leaving property taxes for later. Two homes at the same price can carry very different bills. See how to compare property taxes between Jersey Shore towns.
• Waiting for the perfect trip. If the right home shows up and the numbers work, act. You already know what you want.
• No attorney until after the offer. Three business days goes fast across time zones.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to be in New Jersey for the closing?

Not always. New Jersey allows remote and electronic notarizations, but whether your closing can be remote depends on your lender, title company and attorney. Ask them early.

Can I make an offer on a house I've only seen on video?

Yes. Buyers do it, especially after an in-person preview by their agent. Attorney review and the inspection terms in your contract are where you protect yourself, and your attorney explains those terms.

Do I need a lawyer to buy a home in New Jersey?

New Jersey contracts prepared by licensees include a three-business-day attorney review period for an attorney to review and disapprove the contract. I recommend having a New Jersey real estate attorney lined up before you make an offer.

How do I avoid wire fraud when buying a home?

Confirm every wiring instruction by phone at a number you already have, never from an email, as the CFPB advises. If money goes to the wrong place, call your bank for a wire recall and report it at ic3.gov.

This is general information, not legal, tax or lending advice. Your attorney, lender and title company handle the legal and financial parts of your purchase.

About the author

Dennis Mark Interdonato is a REALTOR® and Master CDRE® who leads The Dennis Mark Group at Keller Williams Realty Ocean Living in Point Pleasant, NJ, helping buyers and sellers throughout New Jersey make their next move, with Monmouth and Ocean County as home base. Read more about Dennis Mark.

Keep reading

• How Dennis Mark helps buyers relocating to the Jersey Shore
• The relocation guide, with the move from start to finish
• Selling a New Jersey home as part of your move? Start with a free home value.
• Have a question this didn't answer? Send it to Dennis Mark and it may become the next article.