I am also getting leads where the person is saying they prefer to pay by card. 

Call the business phone number and ask to speak with the person rather than calling the number the applicant listed.- Minimum credit score of 650.- Rental History: screen for tenants who have a track record of owning or leasing property.

I think the privacy is high on my personal priority list as well, as i may have been going overboard by researching soundproofing solutions between walls and am actually in the process of adding another layer of drywall.

What site or course do you recommend to start the Maryland Real estate sales person journey?

I’ve heard of folks borrowing from their personal network for a down payment, but is this actually used in practice?

This really depends on your market, personal finances, and risk tolerance.

Then you have the choice of paying on the previous owners behalf (which will delay foreclosure until they realize there's been a title transfer).

You can look up cash buyers on propwire free, and reach out to the LLC owners by looking them up, or call the agent and ask them.Another option would be to find some private money lenders, and get them to go down on a hard money loan with you, unless you can get all the capital from one person alone (this is very difficult because most people won't loan that much to someone new to real estate). 

That’s a personal question, but time is money!

As an investor myself there are certainly areas I wouldn't personally buy.