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

I wouldn't focus singularly on individual city initiatives/projects and would recommend focusing more on fundamentals.

So, your focus may need to pivot from high rental cash flow to little to no cash flow as a rental with an appreciation upside.I would recommend taking your $150K to $200K and securing a solid equity position in something that will cover its expenses and maybe provide a small cash flow, but then is poised to appreciate nicely over the course of the next several years. 

I think very highly of Neal.

Looking forward to your recommendations. 

You can also check their reviews online at Google, Facebook, or Yelp.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Recommend you first figure out the property Class you want to invest in, THEN figure out the corresponding location to invest in.Property Class will typically dictate the Class of tenant you get, which greatly IMPACTS rental income stability and property maintenance/damage by tenants.If you apply Class A assumptions to a Class B or C purchase, your expectations won’t be met and it may be a financial disaster.If you buy/renovate a property in Class D area to Class A standards, what quality of tenant will you get?

From there they port out to all the normal other sites.

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.

If it’s doable financially I’d recommend the duplex.