I feel it's extremely important that I link with like-minded individuals.

Quote from @Diana Teng: Hi all,I think my question above is pretty direct.I'm interested to buy my first rental property, and after doing a brief search I see that there are quite a number of places out-of-state (I live in NY state)  that offer affordable homes that deem to be in hot market areas right now (according to many different articles online). 

Truthfully horrified that this is an individual who wants to raise capital from others "to scale" after owning section 8 rentals for 2 years.

I would make sure a bundle of rights for ownership are available individually, per unit of course, then worry about warranty and purchase options.

However, I’d like to have a space of my own before living with others again (I plan to house hack again with my next property).I’m seeking advice on how to move forward, as I need to consider things like utilities, taxes, landlord/umbrella insurance, and managing the property, especially with someone renting my garage.Specifically, I’m curious about renting out individual rooms and living on my own for a little while.

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 auctions, although online now, are live foreclosure auctions, i.e. the auction style sale which is the culmination of the foreclosure process. 

@Ken M. rents are softening in the places that have had a lot of new units come on line.  

What is the recourse for the tenant who signed the lease under each individuals name?

In my opinion, an in person meetup > an online connection.You may want to consider making a connection here and meeting up for coffee or attending a real estate networking event.Best of luck!