NJ town wants door-to-door Realtors to knock it off

A New Jersey town plans to strengthen a local law to keep vendors from disturbing residents.

Jackson Township prohibits solicitation at residences on a registry that display a no-knock sticker on their door.

An expanded law would include Realtors, said council president Barry Calogero.

“The revision of the ordinance was the result of many residents coming before the council at the meetings talking about specifically Realtors that were harassing them. People were coming, knocking on the doors, not taking no for an answer,” he said. “Based on the feedback that we’re getting in council, it seems to be pretty widespread.

An improving housing market may be causing some real estate agents to become more aggressive in trying to get residents to sell their home, Calogero said.

“If somebody wants privacy and has a sticker and is on a registry that says, ‘Don’t knock on my door,’ no matter who the vendor is, they should observe that right of the resident and not knock on their door,” he said. “If they don’t have a sticker on their door, if they’re not on the registry, God bless, go knock on their door. Sell your wares, and good luck.”

The proposed revision to the local law increases the fine for no-knock violators and calls for a 90-day jail sentence.