Union County, New Jersey
An inherited house in Fanwood, handled with care.
When your family sells the property to us, we handle the probate at the Union County Surrogate's Court and can cover its costs, including the family's estate attorney fees. We speak with each heir separately and privately, and we take the property as it stands.
Inherited property in Fanwood
What families find in Fanwood.
Fanwood is a small borough of about 1.34 square miles, ringed almost entirely by Scotch Plains, touching Plainfield on its southwest side. It grew up around its 1874 train station and became a separate borough in 1895. South Avenue carries Route 28 through town, and a Rahway River tributary, the Robinsons Branch, runs toward the reservoir. This page is for families who have inherited one of the borough's roughly 2,800 homes and are now working through the estate.
Inside Fanwood Park
Fanwood Park's curving streets were planned beginning in 1874 and the 52-acre district on North and North Martine avenues was listed nationally in 2004, counting 57 contributing buildings. A parent's house there may be more than a century old. Heirs who don't want to take on restoration can sell it to us in its present condition.
Near the Robinsons Branch
The Robinsons Branch flows through the borough on its way to the reservoir. If an inherited house is close to the stream, someone should look at the basement after heavy rain while the place is empty, which is hard when heirs live elsewhere. We coordinate access with the executor and take the property as it is, water history included.
A century of belongings
A year before Fanwood became a borough, the Georgian Revival Urner/Gibbs House went up as a wedding present. Houses held for decades often come with full attics, basements and garages. Heirs can keep what they want, and we take care of what's left after closing, so no one has to spend weekends emptying rooms.
Probate for a Fanwood property
The Union County Surrogate's Court, handled for you.
In New Jersey, an estate is opened in the county where the person who passed away lived. For Union County that's the Union County Surrogate's Court in Elizabeth. With a will, the executor is appointed there; without one, an administrator is appointed, and the other heirs typically sign renunciations.
Before an inherited house can be sold, New Jersey also usually needs an inheritance tax waiver — or, for close family, an affidavit — and any liens, judgments or back taxes have to be resolved. We coordinate all of it for you. Read our full New Jersey probate guide →
1 · Reach out
A short, unhurried call about the property and your family.
2 · Private offer
A private, written offer for the property, with every number shown.
3 · We handle probate
We handle it with the Union County Surrogate.
4 · Get paid
Close as-is, often in 30 to 60 days.
Fanwood and the towns around it
Neighboring towns we also serve
We serve every municipality in Union County and all 21 New Jersey counties.
Fanwood questions
Mom's house is inside the Fanwood Park district. Does the estate have to restore it before selling to you?
No. We purchase the house as it is, and any restoration decisions become ours after closing.
My brother wants to keep the Fanwood house and I don't. Will you talk to both of us?
Yes. We speak with each heir separately and privately, give both of you the same information, and leave the decision to the family.
Where is probate filed for a house in Fanwood?
Probate for someone who lived in Fanwood is handled by the Union County Surrogate's Court in Elizabeth. That's where a will is admitted, or an administrator is appointed when there's no will. When your family sells to Gembrook Properties, we handle this step with you, and in most cases you just sign where needed.
Can you cover the probate costs for a Fanwood property?
Yes, when your family sells the inherited property to Gembrook Properties. In many cases we cover the cost of opening the estate, including the family's estate attorney fees, so the family pays nothing out of pocket.
What if the heirs don't agree?
That's common. We speak with each heir separately and privately, so no one has to negotiate as a group, and the executor or court-appointed administrator signs the sale.
Inherited an Union County property?
Talk to a real person — not a call center.
No pressure, no cost. Just an honest conversation about the property and your options.
New Jersey counties we serve