Usually many months, and frequently more than a year. New Jersey is consistently among the slowest states because every foreclosure goes through the courts.
Before a case is even filed, your lender must send a Notice of Intention to Foreclose at least 30 days in advance, and most lenders wait until a loan is well past due to begin. After the complaint is filed and served, you have 35 days to answer. Contested cases take longer still, and court backlogs add more time. The practical takeaway is that most homeowners have more time than they fear, and that time is the most valuable asset they have.
The most recent New Jersey-specific figure published by ATTOM put the average completed foreclosure at 1,697 days, about four and a half years, and while timelines have shortened since, the judicial process still runs on a scale of months and years, not weeks. Two warnings: first, an uncontested case (one where you never respond) moves much faster than the averages; second, the timeline is only an asset if you use it on an actual plan.
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Educational information, not legal advice. Your own court documents control your deadlines; a licensed New Jersey attorney can confirm what applies to your case.