About 16 yrs ago my great aunt passed - leaving my grandmother(her sister) her house and custody of her mentally challenged adult son (my moms first cousin). Not even a year later My grandmother passed leaving my aunt her beneficiary. My cousin was moved to a nursing home- my mother then, took over the house. When my mom got ill- my brother and I moved in to assist. Since my mom passed 2 years ago no none has been living there- or been paying the property taxes on it. What would be my first step to trying to own this own? My aunt wants nothing to do with the house and I would hate to see it eventually auctioned after being in the family so long.

Then buy it from your aunt and pay the taxes.

You have a lot of work to do, in addition to talking to your aunt. Make sure she really has the deed in her name, in case the estate wasn't probated. Check with the town tax collector regarding when it goes into foreclosure for back taxes. Many towns have very high interest rate charges.

See, who actually is on the deed to the house. You do this at the court house.

If your aunt still owns it, make her an offer to buy it.

If the taxes have not been paid for long enough, it may have been sold at a tax auction, and some stranger has a tax lien or tax deed on the property (rules on this vary greatly by state)

Also see, at the office when you check the deed, if there is any liens on the property.

Or, if the aunt refuses to entertain a reasonable offer from you, consider buying it at the tax sale.