I'm no expert but I'd consider creating an entire strategy that would involve doing a few things at the same time.
1. have a light conversation with the owners and see what the issues are. If it's simply a case of their not having made some payments suggest that you may be able to do something that would be beneficial all-around. Ask them to contact the lender to ascertain what amount of dollars will bring them current.
2. there's no need for you to respond to them immediately even if they give you some sort of a dollar number. You will need to confirm that number
3. figure out what you may need to do to freshen-up the place so that it will look good and any lender may be attracted to lend funds on it. Attach a number to this fix-up event that will (may?) take place in the future.
4. Go to lender that you've got some sort of a connection to. Perhaps your parents or a friend has mentioned that they really like so-and-so. Contact them during this process and secure a time that they can speak in a few days.
5. have a look at the entire MFR and picture what rents may be if and when you freshen everything up. Perhaps there will be no change but at least you may have better tenants, you may have created a way to have a better rapport with the people living there.
6. consider what you will need to do beyond #5. so as to be able to populate the place with good tenants.
7. meet with the lender (referred by family and or friends) and explain what you're proposing to do. This person will give you info on what their concerns are. Take notes.
8. Apply all that you can of the info you gained in #7.
9. Go to the current owner and tell them you may be able to do something. Present and agreement that states, "in exchange for BLANK" (you need to give some sort of 'consideration' in order to make a legally binding contract). I might put a fifty dollar bill out there with the agreement I am presenting. My intention is to bind this person to whatever I am presenting.
10. If you got the current owner to agree, in writing, to whatever you proposed you now may have something to show to the current lender with whom the current owners is in arrears. Tell the current lender that you are interested in purchasing the property and that you can go out and get a new loan to do so, OR, you can work with them to bring the place current and become the new owner.
What I've presented here is really just a few conversations and a bit of sleuthing around for info. Learn all you can about things. "Is there a reason that the current owner has no interest in this property?" Is the some sort of a real deal-breaker whereby you would NOT want to own this property even if you could get it for free?
Keep reading here in BiggerPockets and learn all you can so that you gain some confidence in your ability to proceed and to do so smartly. Running around telling people that you're a newbie is not going to be a clever move.
I think that you need to create something in your head that you actually want to come to pass and then go out and get it.
Do not make any offers until you have looked at 100 properties and then, after you know what to look for and how to do it all, make many offers. The idea is to not get emotionally attached to anything. It's business and making a bunch of smart offers on stuff you may want to own will bring you a needed sense of detachment.
If your offers are rejected you may be writing good offers!
This seems counterintuitive but the flip-side is that all of your offers are accepted and you then think that you offered too much.
Offer 'less' to start and make multiple offers.
Life is partially about time and space' and an offer that is rejected at one particular moment may be accepted at another particular moment.
Things change on the other side of the deal.
Things will change and some of your offers will get accepted 'later' rather than 'sooner'.
