[M_Six]

To answer a few questions:

1. I don't know the status of the property. The owner (husband) died maybe 7 or 8 years ago and the house has been empty since then. There is the surviving wife, who is sadly a long time Alzheimer's victim. Their sole surviving son lives in Texas and I have no way to contact him. There are some folks who come around to the property every now and then to do maintenance, so the next time I see them, I'll give them my contact info and see if the son will contact me.

2, My only interest in the property is as a buffer to prevent someone building a house right next to mine. The property is an acre, but only about 1/4 of it is buildable. The rest is a steep, wooded hillside. The buildable part is right next to my house and there are no setbacks here. A house *could* literally be built at the base of the steps leading off my deck. Hence my interest in the property.

3. I'm guessing about the price, but based on the fact that this lot only has a small buildable area, I'd be surprised if it's valued over $10k.

4. I'd considered the added real estate taxes this would encumber, but I hadn't thought about the insurance angle. Thanks for that heads-up. I'll have to look into that.

If the son decides to keep the property as is, I'm fine with that. I have no real need to own the lot beyond the aforementioned privacy factor. I'd just like to have right of first refusal if he decides to sell the property or split off the open lot. If he's willing to sell the open lot but wants a fortune for it, I guess I'll have to take my chances that someone else doesn't plop a house on my doorstep, so to speak.