Another step I have found is property managers that specialize in vacation rentals.

If I were to purchase this boarded up row house, what are some steps i can take to prevent vandalism and theft (ie copper)? 

They all seem to be in decent repair (and i would obviously get inspections) but what is initially giving me pause is that they are all 80 to 100 years old. 100 year old houses are common in my area, but it begs the question, how old is to old?

Is someone willing to step-up?

Step 0 go to the bank and get pre-qualified for a commercial loan- see how much you can buy. 

The initial draw of about $6500 was out-of-pocket and he said he'd work with 212 Loans this week to get the work "inspected" for the next funds draw.Soon after closing, my contractor told me to get the utilities turned on because they were all disconnected.

Your first step is to serve him with a 5 day notice ASAP!

The financing process has been initiated by my partner and I think we still have some work to do there.

What does the $5k in initial repairs cover?

I am shocked at some of the initial estimates.