Others might disagree, but I certainly would not look to purchase my first property without a realtor.

I will follow up with them after purchase and ask to have an inspector come out to examine property with us.

Some would agree and some would disagree.  

If you think there's a flaw in their method, examine what could be done to fix it.  

Docs are drawn by lender or a paid doc prep company($1,495 = $795 underwriting + $700 admin), and title is not only examined but also insured by title ($1,032) ... and that is all way more than normal

So in many cases, the buyer gets screwed over if a mistake is made during the tax-sale process.Maybe others will disagree with me, but I generally don't think tax sales are ideal for a quick flip.

I disagree.

I respectfully disagree on using the number of solicitations as a sign the market has peaked.

Spreading your limited resources on multiple marketing channels won't get you more deals, it'll actually hurt you.You should examine what your strengths and weaknesses are, and understand what it would cost you to deploy one of those channels in an efficient manner to make your own decision. 

I have to disagree with @Henri Meli, if you firmly believe that a crash is coming and you still want to invest in RE, it might be the best to move cash in to commercial MFs.