Met the neighbors tonight - now hoping to contact the owner

[DuWayne Jones]

Tonight on my way home from work, I took a few minutes to do a little drive-by research on a few properties I'm interested in. One is a vacant property, and as I got out of my car to check it out, I noticed a woman walking her dog, and I struck up conversation asking about the property. This was a great way to get valuable information, and she was more that happy to talk about it! She also referred me to the neighbor across the street who has lived in the neighborhood for many years. He also happened to be home, so I continued my research there. He was happy to hear about my interest, but wanted to caution me that the owner of the house has been contacted multiple times and seems to have zero interest in selling for some reason, even for top dollar offers from the neighborhood and individuals. Meanwhile, the City continues to make exterior repairs and assess costs to the Owner.  I plan to contact the owner, even though I expect to be rejected - but you never know.  I'm hoping to find out what others haven't been able to hit on - her real motivation (if there is any).  Does anyone have any specific advice on contacting this owner?  Any feedback is greatly appreciated.