Here is a zip file of all the photos. 

I will give you some commentary with photos here.

This stake with the pink ribbon is probably the property boundary.  Since that line is a diagonal, the boundary may hit the street about where the brown realty sign is.

There is a guard-rail there.  To get access to the property, 30 ft may need to be removed.

This house does look new.  The yard is not seeded yet.

This photo is looking toward the turnpike, about 20 feet in from Bagley.  Those stalky plants on the right mean that area stays damp.  There is a storm sewer opening near the road, at the property line.

I’m walking down this trail toward the turnpike.  Just off this trail, near the middle of the property, is the city water and sanitary sewer hook up.  That pipe on the left is the sanitary hookup.

The little blue flag is the city water hook up.

The turnpike and property are at about the same elevation.  There is creek between the property and turnpike, so it’s unlikely that a vehicle could reach the house.  With the creek right there, getting rid of water shouldn’t be an issue.

Somewhere around here, I shot some video to get a sense of the highway sound.  It’s not too bad.

I sloshed down this trail that might be the property hypotenuse.  The ground is frozen, so nothing is draining here or in my backyard.  No reason to think it’s generally swampy.

This concrete pad has a metal plate that says, “Electric”, so it seems like the utilities are all present.

This photo is standing on that pad, pointing away from the turnpike.

If you get to a negotiation, keep in mind that with the embankment, you lose that strip of property about 30 feet deep.  I don’t know the frontage, but it’s probably around 300 ft.  That means although it’s 0.96 acres, effectively, it’s more like 0.8 acres.   

I like it for a little outpost.  Your dad is all about sequence of operations, so if you want to pursue this project:

  • Talk to the realtor to ask
    • Where is the driveway supposed to go?
    • What municipal authority is in charge of the railing?
    • Where are the actual property lines?
    • Are the utilities (electric, water, sanitary and storm sewer) actually there?
    • Are there any easements?
  • Verify everything the realtor says by talking to the city.
  • Take Danny out for a look.
  • Get a list of issues to drive the price down prior to talking about a deal.