Currently I'm completely outta real estate except for my primary residence, and have all my investments in precious metals and related assets.

More preciously, how do we go from the winning auction, to 'assignment of a bid', to getting the money to my bank account?

"Precious metals no longer seem to be the contrarian investment."

I'm ready to pick up some steam and achieve financial freedom so that can stop trading my most precious asset, TIME, for money, and instead spend it how I want!

My worry is that you may lose plenty of precious time in that wait which otherwise you could be learning RE investing. 

Also, the current tenants are both on a month to month and their rents are actually higher than disclosed preciously.

That is a win-win because they will do the coordinating and work, you will not pay full cost or tie up precious time, and they get to personalize it and may stay longer.

Contractually, there must be adequate consideration exchanged for the option contract itself, of course.My issue with wholesaling is the same as others have alluded to: a marketer who is pretending to buy a property but cannot perform and close themselves tie up an opportunity, perhaps using precious time that the seller needs to complete a sale lest something bad happen, such as foreclosure or tax sale. 

I've been converting US Dollar savings to precious metals since 2005.

Therefore, I have the most precious commodity in the world.