Ocean County, New Jersey
An inherited house in Ship Bottom, 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 Ship Bottom
What families find in Ship Bottom.
Ship Bottom is where the Manahawkin Bay Bridge sets Route 72 down on Long Beach Island, with Surf City and Long Beach Township on either side and Stafford across the bay. Its first official name in 1925 was Ship Bottom-Beach Arlington, and the name recalls an 1817 wreck in which rescuers cut through an upturned hull and found a woman alive inside. Around 1,100 people live here all year, while summer numbers climb far higher. For most families, an inherited house here is the beach house everyone grew up visiting.
The family beach house
In 2010 Ship Bottom had 2,066 homes and only 555 households living in them, so most houses are summer places. When a parent's beach house passes to several children, each may feel differently about keeping it. We talk with every heir on their own, privately, and leave the family to decide together without pressure.
Island storm records
After Sandy, island streets lay under as much as four feet of sand, and residents weren't allowed back until November 10, 2012. A parent may have rebuilt, raised the house, or left some work undone. We take island homes with that history and don't ask the estate to complete repairs.
One bridge to manage
Every car reaching Long Beach Island comes over on Route 72, which ends in this borough. Heirs living on the mainland or out of state face that single route every time they come to check on the house or clear it out. We need just one visit to the house, and the family can leave behind whatever they don't want.
Probate for a Ship Bottom 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.
Ship Bottom and the towns around it
Neighboring towns we also serve
We serve every municipality in Ocean County and all 21 New Jersey counties.
Ship Bottom questions
Our parents' beach house is still full of their things. Must we empty it?
No. Take what matters to you, and we deal with the rest after closing.
Some Sandy repairs were never finished at Mom's house. Is that a problem for the estate?
No. We take on unfinished storm work ourselves and reflect the condition in our offer.
Where is probate filed for a house in Ship Bottom?
Probate for someone who lived in Ship Bottom 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 Ship Bottom 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