Q: Found a property which has been abodoned in New Jersey: placed business logos on the property and have taken furniture.
Last sale listed in 2015, without an owner or realtor agent listing.
Claimed the property on Realtor.com.
What are the next steps I can take toward legal ownership of this property?
A: You can't just take furniture from a place because you feel its been abandoned it may not be. That can be a criminal offense. If your trying to get a property by adverse possession be careful as many people end up not getting the property but getting a criminal charge instead for such things as theft of movable property, trespassing etc.
A: Check to County Board of Taxation to see who is listed as owner. Run the owner's name through the County Clerk's records to see if there has been any ownership changes. Check with the municipality to see if the real estate taxes have been paid. If not, bid in at the tax certificate sale. Pay the taxes and follow the procedure for a tax sale certificate foreclosure action.
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A: You have no legal right to be in the property. You are a trespasser and subject to ejectment. If anything you did caused damage to the property you are going to be liable for that as well.
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