Ocean County, New Jersey
An inherited house in Lakewood, handled with care.
When your family sells the property to us, we handle the probate at the Ocean 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 Lakewood
What families find in Lakewood.
Lakewood Township lies in northern Ocean County along the branches of the Metedeconk River, which fill Lake Shenandoah, Lake Manetta and Lake Carasaljo. Once a winter retreat known for the Laurel House and similar hotels, it is now the county's most populous township, bordered by Howell, Jackson, Toms River and Brick. Inherited property here can be an older house from its early decades, a mid-century home, or a condominium unit in one of the two Leisure Village communities.
Inheriting a condo unit
Leisure Village, a condominium community south of Route 70, first sold units in 1963, and its neighbor Leisure Village East is run as its own development. Each has an association with its own sale rules, and monthly charges keep running while the estate is open. We buy units in both communities and coordinate with the association directly.
Houses from the resort era
The lakeside Gould estate, once owned by George Jay Gould and now the Georgian Court University campus, a reminder of the township's resort years in the 1880s and 1890s. Houses from those early decades can need major work before a lender would finance them. If heirs don't want to take that on, we purchase the house as it stands.
A changing township
From 2010 to 2020 the township's population grew by about 46 percent, and land that held woods and cranberry bogs in the 1960s is now covered by large developments. An inherited house that hasn't been updated in decades now sits among much newer homes. We take it in its current form and handle title work with the family.
Probate for a Lakewood property
The Ocean 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 Ocean County that's the Ocean County Surrogate's Court in Toms River. 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 Ocean County Surrogate.
4 · Get paid
Close as-is, often in 30 to 60 days.
Lakewood and the towns around it
Neighboring towns we also serve
We serve every municipality in Ocean County and all 21 New Jersey counties.
Lakewood questions
Mom's unit is in Leisure Village. Who deals with the association while the estate is settled?
The estate remains responsible for the unit until it transfers. When the family sells to us, we work directly with the association on its sale requirements.
The house near Lake Carasaljo needs a lot of work. Should the estate repair it first?
Not for us. We purchase Lakewood houses as they stand, and family members can take what they want before closing.
Where is probate filed for a house in Lakewood?
Probate for someone who lived in Lakewood is handled by the Ocean County Surrogate's Court in Toms River. 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 Lakewood 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 Ocean 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