Deceased HO preforeclosure

Hi all. One of my letters returned because the HO is deceased. Passed away about one and a half years ago. Drove by the house and talked with the a neighbour and found out the the son which lives in a neighboring state was trying to rehab the house but haven’t been there for a couple of months. Comps are 85k-90k, 40k owed, and needs 25K of work. Once I contact the son which is the personal representative, should I try to do a SS or try to buy from the son outright? Never dealt with a situation of this sort so I could definitely use some expert assistance. Thanks in advance.