It would be good to know the seller motivation, if it is an older investor that property manages as well he/she may just want to step away from the day to day and could be okay with owner finance (OF). 

Regardless of who is ultimately responsible, YOU are the one who will initially have to pay to have the problem remedied.

Seems like an easy first step.

Many of my plan's decisions can be deferred (I'm trying not to overwhelm myself with planning specifics) but it seems like if I need to show specific experience to a bank, I'll need to start building out my resume at some point.My next step is to increase my cash savings to prepare for a purchase in 2019/20.Any books you'd recommend?   

@Raheem Mentor Yeah what the guys said above is definitely true, your first step should be going through your counties property appraiser/assesor website and they should have all the owners' names and owners' home addresses.

What should my next steps be after I skip trace and see that there are no relatives coming up and no one paying the taxes on a house that is vacant?

Trying to take steps in the right direction for the area. 

Initially they were finding deals (whether they knew it or not), but lately there are more and more properties being sold at prices they really do not justify {but they look like a steal compared to TO}.  

Initially when you open the 2 credit cards your FICO will drop due to "average age of accounts," but it'll shoot right back up as you spend a year establishing an on-time payment history. 

They will fail a home for peeling paint, wobbly handrails, cracked glass, crumbly cement steps and that sort of thing.