You can call the county tax office and see if they will sell the taxes to you. 2.

We will both be on title and are planning to split costs and ownership evenly. 

Ali,When planning to buy in NJ the biggest thing I would tell you is to plan/research for the closing costs.

If I was ready to sell and in a bad place and got a letter that was handwritten I would more than likely respond well to it.

There may be costs associated.

none of them. get closer to a capital market and major city within 30 miles. all of these are too far. look at homestead or north of palm beach county, closer to tampa, etc not an hour away these are over delivered and new builds from tract builders are selling for less than 200 per sq ft right now in some of these markets rents have softened. there's no jobs or macro city that's driving these areas. these are softer markets for BTR than other ones. get more involved and directly contract with builders. miami dade county, even Orlando has better 

I figured the only holding costs will be the utilities. 

Managers cost so much and make repairs cost even more, I do not see their value until you have 50+ units and no time. 

You essentially would be digging deep into your own pocket when these costs arise.

Can't recommend @Joseph Cornwell enough, he helped me buy my first duplex in Cincinnati and he has a contracting business, so he can give you advice on repairs, remodel costs, etc