Would any experienced investors have any ideas on how I could attempt to purchase this home using alternate means?  

The rental license shows it to be "4 dwelling units + office (low-rise)" but the county is showing it simply as a 4 unit residential. 

Should I attempt to pay off more of my debt before I attempt to purchase something? 

If you simply include water and garbage in your monthly rent they will not pay any attention to how much they waste.Once I made the transition it saved me several hundred dollars a year per unit.

Showing on time is not important, if you make it early, you'll have more networking time, that's all.Do not assume that a REIA (or in our case simply a networking group) focuses solely on the geography in which it is located. 

Here is California, if you form an LLC the State Franchise Tax board requires an annual $800 tax simply for existing, albeit if one is in business, one can expects expenses.

Are you buying a deed to the property, or are you simply paying the taxes and getting a tax lien certificate?

You are simply an interested investor.  

It includes a role playing transaction between Will and I that we tried off the cuff about 5 years ago and bombed big time....LOLOther than that, you can now have live chat on the Principals of RE, investor transactions and Notes for only $29.94 simply by sending me your debit/credit card number for the Biggerpockets Chat Education Class

I have implemented both philosophies simply by going through the debt snowball in my personal finances but using leverage(debt, or others people's money) for investments.