If it is a short sale, that means the bank is about to foreclose. Just wait until it does, and let it pass the auction date. If the house is not bought at auction at the courthouse, the bank will begin the cleanup process so they can begin showing the house. Banks hate to have RE properties on their books. Any non-performing propertly lowers the amount of money they can lend ( I think by a factor of 3), so they will be desparate to get rid of it.
The other way in is to contact the owner. If it is a short sale, the bank has not foreclosed yet (the paperwork may be in process), and the owner still has a right to live in the property. Look up their name in the tax records, send them a letter, and try to find their phone number with an internet search. If they let you in, you can see the extent of the damage and begin negotiating with them right there. If the house has not been forclosed on yet, you can cut a deal with the owner to take over for the value of the loan. So if Vic is right about only 27K on the loan, you simply pay the lender to bring the loan current, have a contract with the seller where you give a few thousand for them to get into an apartment and they sign the deed to you (which you record at the county office), and you keep the loan current while you rehab it.
Oh, and for the people saying it should be condemned, don't make that assumption. If you can get into the house, hire an inspector and have them run through it. Should cost you about $350 to find out what needs repair, other than cleaning up the inside.
If there are no major structural, plumbing, or electrical problems, you may only have to pay a couple of thousand for a cleanup crew and someone to patch and paint.
Lastly, there are companies that will loan you money based on after repaired value (ARV). They will give funds for rehab. Most often this is hard money, but some conventional loan programs also work. Check with a local real estate investment club and see if they have a good lender that will do this. The countrywide's and bank of america's will not do this, but there are plenty of options.