Auction Site #1: no auctions until 8/31/20202.

You can buy at foreclosure auction with cash as well( Though this is much more risky proposition and you need to do your homework.Ultimately this option gives you the most flexibility and doesn't put burden of an expensive hard money loan over your head. 

Is it possible to go to auction with a hard money lender

We look at foreclosure auction sites, MLS, online auction sites and we have a couple of brokers that we work with.1a.

Your Ira has to foreclose and most likely have an auction for the amount owed.

Until you have looked at 100 houses, you don't really know your market.That means all kinds of properties; listed properties, open houses, auctions, wholesalers deals, your own marketing, FSBO, and most importantly any deal another investor will let you see, tell you about how he or she found it, and the numbers behind the deal. 

MLS, county auctions, HUD.

Wholesaling foreclosures is a good strategy BUT you need to know your numbers cold; we have gotten several solicitations from wholesalers that won a property at auction, we didn't buy any of them because we felt the wholesaler underestimated the renovation costs and over estimated the after rehab value.  

I know a fellow investor that purchased a property at auction, the owners were still occupying the property. 

If the property has gone through foreclosure or is an estate auction or general property auction you may be ok.