You better reach out to them days before the auction and give them a simple choice: allow foreclosure sale  to occur or allow you to take it over from them, with equity justifying your purchase.    

Your idea of using a second home mortgage for house hacking is both creative and practical, especially given your flexibility.

I just wanted is sue a warning against one such company - due to the egregious manner in which he exercised his predatory practices  - in the guise of a legitimate company!!

also curious if its best practices when assuming a loan to forgo the escrow and just pay the taxes and ins out of pocket when needed....but perhaps that triggers something else? 

I don't have the skill set YET to gauge rehab costs and try to BRRRR, but I'd like to learn.This is definitely a choice but my option is that you will do better if you focus on duplexes and cherry-pick a few SFRs as you come across them.As for your Strengths, it sounds like you have an excellent ability to save and your ability to bulk analyze data will serve you well to identify big-picture areas, property types, and characteristics to focus on.I like that you realize the first investment will not be your best investment.

I would recommend finding a way to continue to practice in some capacity, at the very least to cover living expenses.

Not practicing law in your state though, so you need to consult a qualified lawyer in your jurisdiction to see what to do

Does anyone have any practical experience with similar situations and if so what was the outcome and how long did it take to resolve everything?

I do think that having a contractor give you quotes is MUCH better, but often not completely practical or ideal either.

The idea here being you buy a 3-4 bedroom house near your practice facilities--and renting the extra rooms to your teammates.