New Jersey
New Jersey runs on attorney review, and that is exactly the window where things slip. The moment a Form 118 — or a local board or attorney-drafted contract — is signed, Ratifyly reads it, confirms the required paperwork is present and signed (the seller's property condition and flood disclosure, the Consumer Information Statement, and lead-paint disclosure on pre-1978 homes), and flags anything missing before the three-day clock and the closing calendar get away from anyone. Then it tracks every deadline the contract runs on — attorney review, inspection, financing commitment, municipal certifications, and closing — and keeps the brokerage, the agent, the attorney's file, and the client on one live view of the same transaction.
The contracts we read
Most New Jersey resale deals start on the NJ REALTORS Standard Form of Real Estate Purchase Contract (Form 118, statewide, for one-to-four-family homes and vacant lots), though local board and attorney-drafted contracts are also common. New Jersey is an attorney-review state: once buyer and seller sign, a three-business-day attorney-review window opens (N.J.A.C. 11:5-6.2), during which either side's lawyer can disapprove and revise before the contract binds — so the signed form is really the start of a two-stage process, and attorney-managed closings are the norm statewide. Ratifyly reads the executed document itself, whatever its source, so a board form, a brokerage form, or an attorney's own contract all audit the same way.
But Ratifyly isn't limited to those. Because it reads the document itself— not a fixed template — it handles whatever version an agent actually uses: the statewide association form, a regional or local board form, an attorney-drafted contract, or a brokerage's own paperwork. And it reads the whole packet, not just the contract — disclosures, addenda, the closing disclosure, title commitment, inspection reports, wire instructions, and more — so nothing in the file goes unreviewed.
Required paperwork we check
- Seller Property Condition Disclosure Statement — New Jersey imposes a common-law duty to disclose known, latent material defects (Weintraub v. Krobatsch), and sellers commonly use the disclosure statement published by the NJ Division of Consumer Affairs; a seller who stays silent can still face liability, so 'as-is' language does not erase the duty to disclose known defects.
- Flood risk disclosure — as of March 20, 2024, sellers must disclose FEMA flood-zone status and flood history on the property condition disclosure (flood questions added by P.L. 2023, c.93), covering Special/Moderate Flood Hazard Areas, prior flood damage, and flood-insurance history.
- Consumer Information Statement (CIS) on agency relationships — must be presented and the agency relationship disclosed at first substantive contact (N.J.A.C. 11:5-6.9).
- Federal lead-based paint disclosure and EPA pamphlet — required for homes built before 1978 (42 U.S.C. 4852d), with the buyer's assessment period.
- Municipal certificate of occupancy / smoke-carbon-monoxide-fire-extinguisher (CSDCMA) compliance — required by many New Jersey municipalities before transfer or occupancy; specifics vary by town.
Deadlines we track
- Attorney review — three business days after both parties receive the fully signed contract; the contract is not binding until this window passes without disapproval (N.J.A.C. 11:5-6.2).
- Home inspection / due-diligence period — buyer's inspection and repair-request window as negotiated in the contract, typically running from the end of attorney review.
- Mortgage / financing commitment — date by which the buyer must obtain a written loan commitment.
- Appraisal — lender-ordered, generally aligned with the financing-commitment timeline.
- Title search, survey, and municipal certifications (CO, smoke/CO compliance) ahead of closing.
- Closing / settlement — the contract closing date, with attorney-managed settlement the norm in New Jersey.
This page summarizes commonly used New Jerseyforms and requirements for reference only — it is not legal advice, and forms and statutes change. Always follow your brokerage's current compliance guidance, the controlling New Jersey statutes, and the forms your transaction actually uses.
See Ratifyly read a New Jersey contract.
Send us your New Jersey purchase agreement and we'll show you exactly what it pulls out, audits, and puts on the timeline.