Newbie needs help with 1st Deal

[Melissa Tompkins-Stahl]

Hello!  My name is Melissa and I live in the Fingerlakes of CNY. I've been interested in RE for a long time and would like to get started investing.  I have found a house that is abandoned in my town that could be a deal, maybe.  In my sleuthing I found out who owns the property, she is a 90 yr old woman who lives in another town nearby.  She is the only name on the tax records, it looks like she has owned it for a very long time.  She has paid her property taxes on time, except in the last year, she was late on the payments.

I would like to mail her a yellow letter.  Here is my question, what if she calls me?  Then I am not sure of the process....do I use my RE broker?  Do I offer a cash deal (with the help of title company and attorney) w/o a broker?  What is the process?

The house needs a lot of work, but I am not sure how much.  I'd like to get inside to see it.  How do I go about this?