Short answer
New Jersey has 9,023 real estate establishments with paid employees, employing 49,995 people (Census, 2023): 3,956 lessors, 2,315 brokerage offices, 2,025 property managers and smaller groups of appraisers and other services. Bergen County has the most, with 1,389. The public real estate companies headquartered in the state include Essential Properties Realty Trust in Princeton, UMH Properties in Freehold and Alexander's in Paramus.
- Lessors are 43.8% of New Jersey's real estate establishments, against 32.9% nationally.
- Bergen, Essex and Ocean counties have 3,235 of the state's 9,023 real estate establishments.
- The seller pays New Jersey's realty transfer fee and the graduated fee on the part of a price above $1 million.
- Anywhere Real Estate, headquartered in Madison, merged into Compass on 9 January 2026.
- New Jersey brokerage offices average 4.5 employees and $97,512 in pay, both above the US norm.
On this page
Google answers "real estate companies in New Jersey" with local brokerages (a Hudson County brokerage tops the list), a statewide listings page and guides to the big franchise brands, so most searchers are buying, selling or renting and want a firm. Others are job seekers, investors and businesses that sell to landlords and brokerages. This page covers what the market contains county by county, which public companies are based here, how to check a licence, what a seller pays at closing, and how to prospect.
New Jersey real estate in Census data
County Business Patterns (CBP) 2023, real estate (NAICS 531), New Jersey:
| Measure (2023) | New Jersey |
|---|---|
| Establishments | 9,023 |
| Employees | 49,995 |
| Annual payroll | $3,574,328,000 |
| Employees per establishment | 5.5 |
| Average annual pay | $71,494 |
| Share of US real estate establishments | 2.18% of 414,824, 14th of the states |
| Employees | Establishments |
|---|---|
| 1 to 4 | 6,810 |
| 5 to 9 | 1,280 |
| 10 to 19 | 558 |
| 20 to 49 | 258 |
| 50 to 99 | 71 |
| 100 to 249 | 36 |
| 250 to 499 | 5 |
| 500 to 999 | 4 |
| 1,000 or more | 1 |
| County | Establishments | Employees |
|---|---|---|
| Bergen | 1,389 | 8,265 |
| Essex | 924 | 4,340 |
| Ocean | 922 | 4,393 |
| Middlesex | 696 | 4,925 |
| Monmouth | 681 | 4,066 |
| Hudson | 654 | 3,811 |
| Morris | 622 | 4,234 |
| Union | 509 | 2,354 |
CBP counts establishments with paid employees, not companies, and leaves out self-employed agents and owners. A brokerage with offices in Hoboken and Montclair counts twice.
The kinds of real estate company
| Type (NAICS 2017 code) | Establishments | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lessors: landlords, equity REITs, self-storage (5311) | 3,956 | 18,549 | $59,144 |
| Agents and brokers (531210) | 2,315 | 10,441 | $97,512 |
| Residential property managers (531311) | 1,422 | 13,664 | $60,827 |
| Nonresidential property managers (531312) | 603 | 5,102 | $89,698 |
| Other services: escrow, listing services (531390) | 517 | 1,315 | $80,076 |
| Appraisers (531320) | 210 | 924 | $70,421 |
Average pay is our calculation: payroll divided by employees.
Of the lessors, 2,249 lease apartments and houses, 1,062 lease commercial buildings, 454 run self-storage and 191 lease other property. Brokerage offices are bigger than the US average (4.5 employees against 2.4) and better paid. Developers and builders are classified in construction, so they aren't counted here; for the codes, see the NAICS code for real estate.
Public real estate companies headquartered in New Jersey
SEC-registered listed companies with real estate codes and a New Jersey business address, checked against each latest Form 10-K:
| Company | What it does | Headquarters | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essential Properties Realty Trust | Net lease REIT | Princeton | $561.2 million (2025) |
| UMH Properties | Manufactured home community REIT | Freehold | $261.8 million (2025) |
| Alexander's | REIT with New York City properties | Paramus | $213.2 million (2025) |
| Lightstone Value Plus REIT IV | Non-listed REIT | Lakewood | $30.5 million (2025) |
| First Real Estate Investment Trust of New Jersey | Apartment and retail REIT | Hackensack | $29.3 million (year to 31 October 2025) |
| Cherry Hill Mortgage Investment | Mortgage REIT | Tinton Falls | $61.1 million interest income (2025) |
One large name has left the list. Anywhere Real Estate, whose last 10-K gave Madison, New Jersey as its principal executive office, became part of Compass when their merger closed on 9 January 2026, according to Compass's 10-K. How they compare with the giants: the biggest real estate companies in the US.
Checking a New Jersey brokerage or agent
The New Jersey Real Estate Commission, part of the Department of Banking and Insurance, administers the state's licensing law (N.J.S.A. 45:15-1 and following). It licenses brokers and salespersons, schools and instructors, and sets standards of practice.
- Search the Commission's licensee search for the agent and the brokerage.
- Check who gets paid. Under N.J.S.A. 45:15-16, salespersons, broker-salespersons and referral agents may register an entity with the Commission to receive commission. If an agent asks for payment to a company, ask whether it's registered.
- For a manager, ask for the management agreement, where rents and deposits are held, and the fee on renewals.
- Ask for recent local work. Shore towns, Hudson County high-rises and Bergen County colonials sell to different buyers.
What New Jersey sellers pay at closing
- The realty transfer fee is the seller's. The Division of Taxation says the state "imposes a Realty Transfer Fee (RTF) on the seller of real property for recording a deed for the sale," charged per $500 of the price on a sliding schedule.
- Above $1 million, a graduated fee is added, also on the seller. It's 1% of the part of the price between $1 million and $2 million, rising in steps to 3.5% above $3.5 million. On a $1.5 million sale the graduated fee alone is 1% × $500,000 = $5,000, on top of the standard fee. The Division says the seller "is statutorily responsible for the RTF and the Graduated Percent Fee."
- Ask about reduced rates. A lower RTF schedule applies to senior citizens, blind or disabled sellers, and low- and moderate-income housing.
- Treat the listing fee as a negotiation. Realtor MLSs have carried no offers of buyer-agent compensation since 17 August 2024, and the National Association of Realtors tells consumers that compensation is "not set by law and is fully negotiable."
Prospecting New Jersey real estate companies
| Segment | Establishments | Who decides |
|---|---|---|
| Apartment and house lessors | 2,249 | Owners and principals; on-site superintendents for repairs |
| Residential managers | 1,422 | Owners, regional managers |
| Brokerage offices | 2,315 | Broker of record and office managers; see selling to real estate agents |
| Commercial lessors and managers | 1,665 | Asset and property managers |
Illustrative example. The company, rates and results are invented.
Garden Meter Co. (gardenmeter.example) installs utility submeters in apartment buildings. It targets residential lessors with 5 to 49 employees: 424 + 152 + 63 = 639 establishments. Two contacts each (owner and property manager) makes 1,278 people; a 3% reply rate gives about 38 conversations, and if one in five leads to a building survey, about 8 surveys. Bebop finds owners like these and writes the first-touch research for each.
Subject: Water bills at [building] Hi [first name], if water and sewer at [building] in [town] are bundled into the rent, we can help. We install submeters and handle the billing, so each unit pays for what it uses. Can I send the numbers from a similar 40-unit building?
Sources
| Source | What it gives you |
|---|---|
| NJ Real Estate Commission licensee search | Licence status for brokers and salespersons |
| NJ Real Estate Commission | Licensing, entity registration and enforcement |
| Realty transfer fee | Rates, the graduated fee and exemptions |
| New Jersey REALTORS | The state Realtor association |
| Choose New Jersey | Statewide economic development |
For the markets next door, see real estate companies in NYC and real estate companies in Philadelphia, and for every industry in the state, companies in New Jersey.
Next step: if you're classifying landlords for a list or a form, see the NAICS code for rental property.
Sources
- County Business Patterns (CBP), 2023, US Census Bureau, accessed 30 October 2026
- New Jersey Real Estate Commission, New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance, accessed 31 October 2026
- Real Estate Commission licensee search, New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance, accessed 31 October 2026
- Realty Transfer Fee, New Jersey Division of Taxation, accessed 31 October 2026
- NAR Settlement FAQs, National Association of Realtors, accessed 30 October 2026
- Essential Properties Realty Trust, Form 10-K for 2025, SEC EDGAR, 11 February 2026
- UMH Properties, Form 10-K for 2025, SEC EDGAR, 25 February 2026
- Alexander's, Inc., Form 10-K for 2025, SEC EDGAR, 9 February 2026
- Lightstone Value Plus REIT IV, Form 10-K for 2025, SEC EDGAR, 30 March 2026
- First Real Estate Investment Trust of New Jersey, Form 10-K for fiscal 2025, SEC EDGAR, 29 January 2026
- Cherry Hill Mortgage Investment, Form 10-K for 2025, SEC EDGAR, 5 March 2026
- Anywhere Real Estate, Form 10-K for 2024, SEC EDGAR, accessed 31 October 2026
- Compass, Inc., Form 10-K for 2025, SEC EDGAR, 27 February 2026
Written by the Bebop team at Blackpearl Group. Published .
Questions people ask
What are the biggest real estate companies in New Jersey?
By 2025 revenue in their 10-K filings, the largest public real estate companies headquartered in New Jersey are Essential Properties Realty Trust in Princeton ($561.2 million), UMH Properties in Freehold ($261.8 million) and Alexander's in Paramus ($213.2 million). Anywhere Real Estate, formerly based in Madison, merged into Compass in January 2026. Private brokerages don't publish comparable figures.
How many real estate companies are in New Jersey?
Census County Business Patterns counted 9,023 real estate establishments with paid employees in New Jersey in 2023, employing 49,995 people. They include 3,956 lessors, 2,315 brokerage offices and 2,025 property managers. Bergen County had the most (1,389), followed by Essex and Ocean. The count leaves out agents and landlords with no employees.
Who pays the realty transfer fee in New Jersey?
The seller. New Jersey's Division of Taxation says the state imposes the realty transfer fee on the seller when the deed is recorded, and that the seller is statutorily responsible for both the fee and the graduated percent fee on sales over $1 million. The graduated fee starts at 1% of the part of the price between $1 million and $2 million.
How do I check a real estate license in New Jersey?
Use the New Jersey Real Estate Commission's licensee search on the Department of Banking and Insurance website to look up the agent and the brokerage. If an agent asks for commission to be paid to a company, check that the entity is registered with the Commission, which N.J.S.A. 45:15-16 allows for salespersons, broker-salespersons and referral agents.