Finishing someone else's rehab that went to auction

[Elise Wharton]

Hey guys I need some advice. There is a duplex in a historic area that is about to go to auction because no one purchased it on the MLS. The building is a 3-story duplex that has framed rooms inside (so shell condition?) that has plumbing and electric "partially completed". The house says it is originally from the 1900s so I'm assuming it was a gut and the owners ran out of money or something. I won't be able to see the inside because it's just a shell, and I'll probably need to figure out the historic rules for fixing it up if I were to get it. This would be my first home purchase EVER and I've really wanted a multifamily so I could house hack it. I have some questions though:

Is it hard to get contractors to finish someone else's work?

How much would a whole house cost to rehab from the frames (approx. 5000sq/ft)?

Is there a way that Appraisers get comps for historic homes if nothing has sold recently that is similar? 

Is there extra due diligence for something like this that is out of the norm?

I am more than willing to watch or read anything that might point me in the direction if the advice is too much to type here. Or if there are any previous posts that answer questions pertaining to historic auction houses that I could reference. I have only been house hunting for a few weeks so I am just curious why this wasn't snatched up while on the MLS. Maybe I am missing something horrible that would drown me if I bought this house. It is in a flood zone so I will figure out what the flood insurance is when I run numbers. If you read this entire post then thank you, I know it was long

[Elise Wharton]

@Joe Norman, it is in fact Ellicott City! I am treading very carefully, and I am not doing it with cash. Unfortunately I’m not quite there yet to have that kind of reserves. Chances are I’ll get bought out at auction anyway, but I at least want to gain knowledge about the auction experience.