I am also looking at TurboTenant, which is free and posts to Zillow and 30 other listing services.

Feel free to ask any questions in the forums.

For example, if the insurance company declares the property a total loss, pays the homeowner the equity they are owed, does the insurance company then own the property sub to the bank financing, or would the insurance company also have to pay off the bank and own the property free and clear, and then sell it off similar to how a bank might with a REO?

If you have any questions feel free to message me.  

In Mass, auctions are held at the actual property on the given date/time, rather than the courthouse steps.Feel free to reach out directly and I can send you some of the websites I use to track auctions.

You can bypass the custodian by setting up IRA owned LLC, in which case all investment as made under the LLC and the custodian is playing passive role in this case, but there must be custodian. 

Feel free to reach out as I'm local and would be happy to help. 

At BP, not only can you network with other real estate investors, you can learn from the informative forums posted daily on the site, find properties that are for sale, and take free courses.

Congratulations, you have found one of the most valuable free resources on the internet for real estate investors new and old.

If you would like to chat more in-depth about your goals, and try to come up with a strategy that will work for you, feel free to PM me.