contacting an owner to buy

[Michael Coxson]

Hello All! I have found a property that I'm interested in buying. The property is boarded up and it looks like its been that way for awhile. I looked at the tax info on the property and found the address of the owner(they live out of state). Now how do I get them to sell me their property? Is my only option sending a letter and hoping they respond? I know its just costing them money sitting there, but sometimes people don't want to sell a place for cheap. My plan is to fix it up and rent it out. Any tips?