There are CT state laws governing what amounts of lead time are given on a cancellation. 

I am looking for my first investment here, and am not willing to make any purchases sight unseen.The property has been vacant for roughly a year, which leads me to believe there are some significant rehab costs and/or liens on the property (is this fair to say?) 

which has lead me here. 

@Neil Aggarwal Pretty much all vendors in the industry use "Preforeclosure" to mean the period of time between the notice of default and notice of trustee sale in non-judicial foreclosure, or between the lis pendens and the notice of sale in judicial states (with some state to state variation thanks to things like combo notices).For the period you mention, during which the owner is simply late on their payments, those are called "mortgage late" leads or 30/60/90 day late leads.

Good rates, team, and they always have leads on people selling buildings and put together deals.

This leads me to believe my input of $1000 per unit of rental income for the one bedrooms is obtainable.

I have my first, legitimately strong lead after months of driving for dollars and I'm seeking ideas on how to structure an offer.

This should lead you to a larger supply of inventory & a smoother buying experience.

Is it a good idea or bad idea to target pre-foreclosure leads that are occupied with the homeowner still living there?

I have ideas on building leads for a buyers/investors list.