Rundown property in prime-time beach location...what can I do?

[Aaron Snyder]

Saw this one-story beach house that looks beat up and abandoned. It sits in a great neighborhood at a busy local beach but is off-market and no signs of being for sale...I am brand -new to real estate, I currently rent by myself and have not made any investments yet, just trying to educate myself. It's way out of my price range - approved for $225,000, and have to imagine this house is worth at least $1+ million even in its current condition.

My question is, as unlikely as it may be, how can I at least imagine acquiring/investing in a property like this. Lets say I find out who the owner is...how would you go from there in that situation? I guess in a perfect fairytale world he would answer and say "yeah sure I'll sell to you" and I find some private money partner with real estate experience & resources that helps facilitate the deal in exchange for equity in the home...or a fix n flip. Again im putting this at as extremely unlikely but even for educational purposes I'm interested in how I should even imagine getting some type of deal done. Investing in an off-market (or even on-market) property with market value that is well-beyond what you can afford, specifically one that looks un-loved & needs a lot of work.