For Investors
Invest in NJ real estate.
Run the numbers first.
Know the cap rate, cash-on-cash return, and monthly cash flow before you make an offer. I work with investors in 12 NJ counties to find properties that pencil out.
Investment strategies I work with
For a first rental or a growing portfolio, these are the counties I'd look at first for each strategy.
Single-family rentals
The lower-priced counties I cover have lower entry prices and higher rents relative to price. They suit buy-and-hold investors who want the best rent-to-price ratios of the 12.
Best counties: Ocean, Burlington, Mercer
Why these: prices are lowest relative to rents of the 12 (see the table below), so these come closest to paying for themselves. At today's mortgage rates, most financed purchases still need a large down payment or a below-median price to cash flow.
Multi-family properties
2–4 unit properties in Hudson, Essex, and Passaic counties are close to NYC jobs and transit, and you can live in one unit while the tenants help cover the mortgage.
Best counties: Hudson, Essex, Passaic
Why these: 2–4 family homes make up a large share of the housing in these counties, so there's more to choose from. The table below sets one typical rent against the county median price, which understates a 2–4 family: two to four rents come in against one purchase price. I'd underwrite each building on its own rents.
Fix-and-flip and value-add
NJ has a lot of older housing stock, so value-add opportunities come up regularly. In fast-moving suburbs, a well-priced renovation can earn above-average returns.
Best counties: Union, Morris, Monmouth
Why these: in these high-demand suburbs, well-renovated homes sell quickly, so you carry the property for less time and resale prices support the rehab.
NJ county investment snapshot
The table sets each county's typical rent against its median sale price (Sep 2026), sorted by estimated cap rate. Gross yield is a year of rent divided by the price. The estimated cap rate is the rent left after property tax and other operating costs, divided by the price. I'd use it to pick which counties to search first, then run each property on its own numbers.
| County | Median price | Typical rentRent | Gross yieldYield | Tax rate | Est. cap rateCap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ocean | $489K | $2,588 | 6.4% | 1.47% | 3.0% |
| Burlington | $400K | $2,264 | 6.8% | 2.17% | 2.6% |
| Mercer | $434K | $2,523 | 7.0% | 2.40% | 2.5% |
| Middlesex | $559K | $2,554 | 5.5% | 2.10% | 1.7% |
| Monmouth | $734K | $2,827 | 4.6% | 1.58% | 1.7% |
| Morris | $673K | $2,909 | 5.2% | 2.00% | 1.6% |
| Hudson | $752K | $3,015 | 4.8% | 1.81% | 1.6% |
| Somerset | $634K | $2,618 | 5.0% | 2.03% | 1.4% |
| Bergen | $761K | $2,895 | 4.6% | 2.06% | 1.1% |
| Union | $659K | $2,529 | 4.6% | 2.11% | 1.1% |
| Passaic | $585K | $2,168 | 4.4% | 2.37% | 0.7% |
| Essex | $706K | $2,273 | 3.9% | 2.24% | 0.5% |
Typical rent is Zillow's Observed Rent Index: asking rent across all home types, countywide, Sep 2026. Median is Redfin's Sep 2026 median sale price. The estimated cap rate subtracts property tax at the county's typical 2025 effective rate (the median town rate, NJ Division of Taxation), plus 30% of rent for insurance, repairs, vacancy, and management. It's before any mortgage. The tax rate for each county appears in its own column on wider screens. These are countywide figures: typical rent leans toward apartments, while the median price leans toward houses, so treat them as county comparisons, not a property estimate.Run your own numbers →Investor FAQ →
Why invest in New Jersey?
Rental demand
Renters come for NYC access, the state's universities, and its corporate campuses.
Markets at every price point
Among the 12 counties I cover, median sale prices run from about $400K in Burlington County to about $761K in Bergen County, so there's room for a first rental and for a larger multi-family.
Appreciation over time
Over the long run, many NJ markets have built equity through appreciation, though growth varies year to year, and at today's prices and rates rent rarely covers a fully financed purchase on day one. In my view, picking the right county matters more than almost anything else.
12 counties, one agent
I compare investment opportunities across all 12 counties I serve, so you can weigh a property against options in other counties before you commit.
Want to run the numbers together?
Tell me your budget and strategy. I'll pull rents, taxes, and recent sales in the counties that fit, so the properties you tour already work on paper.