Bergen County, New Jersey
An inherited house in Old Tappan, handled with care.
When your family sells the property to us, we handle the probate at the Bergen 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 Old Tappan
What families find in Old Tappan.
Old Tappan sits on Bergen County's northern border with Pearl River and Tappan, New York; on its west side, the Hackensack River and Lake Tappan separate it from River Vale. Its main routes are Orangeburg Road, Westwood Avenue, Washington Avenue, and Old Tappan Road, and roughly a fifth of the borough's area is water. Formed in 1894, it has about 2,100 homes, including four Haring family houses on the National Register. Inherited properties here tend to be spread out, with more ground for an estate to look after.
The Haring houses
The Teunis Haring House at 70 Old Tappan Road, the Gerrit Haring House at 224 Old Tappan Road, and two more Haring homes on De Wolf Road are on the National Register. Stone and frame houses of that age need their own kind of care. If a parent owned an older home like these, we purchase it without asking the family to restore anything.
Beside Lake Tappan
Lake Tappan, created when the Hackensack was dammed in 1967, crosses into River Vale and belongs to a private water utility, which also owns watershed land in town. A parent's lot near that property may raise easement or boundary questions when the estate looks at the deed. Our team reviews title and survey and resolves those questions as part of the purchase.
Room to maintain
Old Tappan has about 1,800 residents per square mile, less crowded than Bergen's inner towns, so houses often come with more yard. While the estate is open, someone still has to mow, clear leaves, and watch for storm damage. Once the family decides to sell to us, we set a closing date that ends that upkeep.
Probate for a Old Tappan property
The Bergen 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 Bergen County that's the Bergen County Surrogate's Court in Hackensack. 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 Bergen County Surrogate.
4 · Get paid
Close as-is, often in 30 to 60 days.
Old Tappan and the towns around it
Neighboring towns we also serve
- River Vale
- Harrington Park
- Northvale
- Norwood
- Orangetown, NY
We serve every municipality in Bergen County and all 21 New Jersey counties.
Old Tappan questions
Our parents' Old Tappan property backs onto watershed land. Will that complicate the estate's sale?
It can raise a boundary or easement question. We review title and survey ourselves and work through any issue with the family before closing.
Mom's Old Tappan house is one of the very old ones. Will you buy it without restoration?
Yes. We purchase historic and older homes without asking the heirs to restore or update them.
Where is probate filed for a house in Old Tappan?
Probate for someone who lived in Old Tappan is handled by the Bergen County Surrogate's Court in Hackensack. 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 Old Tappan 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 a house in Old Tappan?
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