Here are my initial thoughts on your post.

Good for you for having the initiative to do something at such a young age!

Zillow and realtor should be your initial go to. 

I wouldn't want to shoot myself in the foot by trying to increase rent too hard too fast and create vacancies right off the bat, but I need to make sure I get some return in the initial stages. 

Initially, I was planning on starting with single family homes because that’s what seemed easiest based on the information that I’ve accumulated over the last couple of years.

Initially I was thinking of buying a house.

I am just wondering what type of legal ramifications I may have against the law firm who initiated the initial process to obtain the warranty deed

I'm in the process of identifying my offer to private lenders, so my question has 2 parts, 1) Do you think my offer is enticing for passive investors, and 2) What type of clause should be in the agreement if the refinance doesn't fully recoup the initial investment?

It can also be a slippery slope, so set an initial amount (i.e. one months rent, $500, etc) as a one time offer and then stick to it.3) You could start the formal eviction process if you current lease indicated they'd move out by close of escrow.

After you buy the home and you have (6) months title seasoning you could refinance that investment to take out your initial cash to pay down your refinance costs.