Newbie and question on REO's

[Frank Ruopoli]

Hello my name is Frank. I am as new to this as it gets. This is my very first post. I have a family of four and am a sole provider working full time. Wanting something better I read rich dad,poor dad like over night and am now digging in to set for life. With that being said I am eager to learn about possibly flipping houses but more about BRRRR. Now to the question... I see a lot of properties in my area that are foreclosed and going to auction. In the description a few state REO-occupied. I am not familiar with the auction process and am curious if these properties pose more possible issues and what I need to be aware of. The area I am looking in is in central NJ. Also I have just been browsing zillow and realtor.com. Are these sites a good start to gain info or am I most likely wasting my time. Like I said I am completely new to this. Sorry for the long winded post. Thanks in advance for any info or advice.