This way you do not have to act like you know they are in pre-foreclosure and save some awkward feelings on both sides.Yes you can assign them if you get them under contract.

You can go door knocking, which if you talk to anyone that has done a lot of it they will tell you it probably has the best return per "touch" but you touch a lot less and I have to imagine it is horribly awkward

This can also make it a little awkward to mount/dismount the ladder when climbing onto a roof.

Some of you may remember my " Awkward first visit" when I went to meet my tenants, but instead was met by a half naked kid who promptly shut the door in my face.

Would it be uncomfortable/awkward, maybe.

As you've pointed out, the situation is "awkward" and your gut is telling you to walk away, or you wouldn't be here asking for advice. 

I don't think it is a protected status in most locales but it is definitely an invitation to awkward, unnecessary conversation that would likely otherwise sort itself out.

In my opinion, it sounds very difficult to play in a remote market with an "awkward" scale of SFRs.  

It is awkward, isn't it?

I have a degree in Kinesiology, which has helped me tremendously in figuring out how to contort my body in order to access those really small and awkward crawl spaces.