I will also look for houses with deferred maintenance and search them to see if there is an absentee owner and/or older in age, maybe ready to move or downsize!

In my state the standard contract used by realtors addresses this issue by allowing the agent to check a box specifically to limit the seller to keeping the EMD as opposed to going after "liquidated damages" like that.

You can also find real estate investing groups through meetup.com, Facebook, or a Google search.

Is there something like off-market commercial deals where I can search them (like Investorlift or New Western for residential) ? 

What is your REI buy box?

I have been reading the online resources about getting started, searching the market, and even doing tours, but I am hesitant to jump in and buy a house as I have quite a large amount of student debt.

The easiest is doing a search for REI Meetups.

The out of the box strategies and set ups sold will never replace customized AP/Tax strategies based on individualized circumstances. 

I searched for homes based on the mortgage I could afford.

I searched for homes based on the mortgage I could afford.