A non-countersigned lease is worthless, esp. with cross-outs.

Here in GA it's non-judicial for the most part ( some really old mortgages might still need judicial process or if title issues need to be cleared through the courts etc.).

You could still sign a contract if they are in a non-exclusive agreement, but people usually declare this as immoral and I can see why. 

I can't say whether the state law assumes the contract is assignable by default if nothing is in there about it or if the state law normally assumed non-transferable.

My wife and I are wanting to buy and live in a cash-only REO house that is non-financeable , but pull our cash back out to keep flipping.

If the municipality decides to stop allowing this because hotel folks convince them it is making them non-competitive or the land use code is changed to disallow things your business economics can evaporate over night.  

This means:Even though the tax card states that Bank of America is the lien holder, there's a possibility they've disposed of it (selling their non-performing note) prior to initiating or during the foreclosure process. 

Have your non-refundable earnest $ deposit made payable to the county to pay the taxes.  

Would be a good way to optionally have live conversations with non-colleagues. 

One other thing you can do is look for a Real Estate Investment Association (REIA) in your area and start attending their meetings, you'll find a lot of knowledgeable investors willing to share their experiences.If your purpose for joining the group was to get more information on the rental application process, then you should ask, in a non-disparaging post, for input about the process from the accumulated knowledge represented on this board.