You can have it filled out on tenant estoppel forms I believe but only if everyone agrees which it appears they don't.

Do your best to ascertain whether or not there is an oil tank, lead paint, asbestos, or other potential contaminants that can become personal liability even if the property is held in an LLC.

I've been trying to stay away from the greater Boston area because the competition is fierce and I believe it will be harder to find deals there.

I do not believe once it is in the FC process (upset bid period), you can directly deal with the owner. 

I do believe that FoxConn might have something to do with it but the entire market is on fire right now.

I believe you are confused.....the strategy you are talking about is some version of Velocity Banking (which is some made up name for it by the Renatus group) and it involves getting a heloc on a property you already own, in addition to your first mtg..  

They are headquartered here in Cleveland and I believe they do a lot with self-directed IRAs. 

I know of the traditional routes of going through a bank but I don't believe that is the best option, so I know there are private and hard money lenders but how do I go about finding them and presenting potential deals?

I believe it takes 5 business days, or you can pay a $2.99 fee to lower it to 3 business days. 

I have put in a lot of time and effort into learning what it takes to accurately and ethically quote buyers and sellers on properties for assignments of contracts from seller to buyer (I know a lot of real estate agents feel that this walking a very thin line & many believe it's even illegal-also not sure what to make of that).