We buy houses in Passaic County, NJ.

It's our home county.

Two kinds of county. The lower half, from Paterson and Passaic up through Clifton, Totowa, Wayne and Hawthorne, is dense, older housing: two- and three-family homes, capes and splits from the postwar decades, many still with original systems. The upper half, West Milford, Ringwood, Wanaque, Bloomingdale, is lake country with well water, septic systems and former summer cottages. We buy both, and the offer math is different for each.

Rivers. The Passaic, Pompton, Ramapo and Peckman rivers run through the county, and neighborhoods along them, including parts of Wayne, Little Falls, Totowa, Pompton Lakes and Paterson, sit in flood zones. Flood history and elevation certificates affect what a retail buyer will pay and what insurance costs. We buy flood-zone houses as-is and price them honestly. If your house has flooded, tell us; it won't stop the offer.

Estates and sheriff sales run through Paterson. The Passaic County Surrogate's Court, which issues the letters an executor needs to sell an inherited house, and the Sheriff's Office, which schedules foreclosure sales, are both at the county complex in Paterson. We deal with both regularly. If you have a sheriff sale date, call early; a signed contract and proof of funds can support an adjournment request.

Town certificates. Most Passaic County municipalities require some inspection before a sale closes: a certificate of occupancy in some, a smoke and carbon monoxide certificate in others, plus rental registration checks for two-families. We schedule and handle these, and we buy houses that would fail them.

Tenants. A large share of the county's housing is renter-occupied, especially in Paterson, Passaic, Clifton and Haledon. We buy with tenants in place, paying or not, and take over the lease at closing. You don't have to be the one who evicts.