To be honest @Roberta if you are only hoping to get a 10% discount it seems like a lot of time, effort and risk to try to buy at auction.For that kind of minimal discount you should just have the Realtor find places that are priced about fair market and just throw out offers around 85% (to leave 5% to come up) list and you be able to get something that you can actually look at, have inspected and get title Insurance on.Unless you are looking to score a great deal I don't see any reward in going with an auction.

I am looking to gain advice and potentially mentor-ship to learn as much as possible and minimize stupid decisions as much as possible.Short term goal: Buy my first house and start off my investment plan.Long term goal: Own at least 5 houses in 15-20 yearsNiche/strategy: SFH, Turn to rentals.I look forward to hearing from you guys!!!

I can always bring money to the table but would like it to be minimal .

 - This is not a big deal, just a delay.  

If you can delay closing until he is out, you can avoid complications. 

If it's a good deal, it seems like that is the the option that minimizes my risk and maximizes my profits.

In Liu of an option just fill out a purchase agreement with a delayed closing of two years.

She will start flipping houses this year, and wants to minimize taxes, but also wants to reinvest all after-tax revenue from flipping.

How do you minimize vacancies between semesters?

Always minimize your taxes as much as possible,  but a big tax bill means you made a bunch of money.