I'm looking for a company in a different market (non-competitor) who would allow me to shadow their land person for a week or so, to gain some knowledge and training.  

You need to focus on one area and do it better than your competitor.

(I tried calling the company's number and the line has been disconnected so I don't know if the mortgage was ever payed in full)Now it does have about 1.5k of municipal liens.My questions is, is there anyone I can contact aside from the owner, where I can swipe in and buy the property?

Could your recommend a favorite and elaborate on why you prefer them over a competitor?

Competition & Time of year - From my experience, there is a ton of competitors, i'm always watching what their prices are and adjusting mine accordingly trying and beat the competition to get the place rented.

Anyway, if you decide to 'swipe right' to this post, I would love to snag coffee together and chat about basic out-of-state investing strategies, identifying good markets to invest in, and best practices and tips working remotely!

And you'd be learning to master a nitch that your competitors tend to avoid. 

you will have many competitors in New Jersey because i have noticed on the Newbie mail list from new investors seems that New Jersey has the most Newbie investors than any other state in the United States.  

They go in to the teller, swipe the card, hand them cash, and it shows up in your account electronically.  

Lowes is closer to me and will price match and beat competitor price by 10% (same brand and model).