My wife and I live in Manhattan and on a nearby street, there is a three-story turn-of-the-century building that has been abandoned for 10-15 years. It is in a state of disrepair, but according to DOB records, is structurally sound.

There is no question that it’s a major fixer-upper, but we’re thinking it may be worth pursuing as our first property.

We’re planning on talking to a real estate lawyer, as neither of us have owned property before, but I wanted to ask the group if any of you have experience with this sort of thing, specifically with what to do when the owner is either deceased or unable to be found (the building hasn’t changed ownership in almost 50 years).

Recently I've looked at an property that appears to be abandoned. I looked for who the previous owners where and tried contacting them but they appear to be dead. Checked if they have paid there taxes they haven't in about 3 years also went to go check the property it's self it looks like an absolute mess but no one goes in or out of it and everything has stayed the same. The house has also been fully paid off is the possible to legally obtain the house or other methods?