Buffalo Houses Look Good, NYC Style

On the same dog-walking session Walker Evans and I were on Thursday, we encountered a person who looked at Buffalo from an interesting angle and liked what he saw.
Walker and I were at the corner of Norwood and West Utica when a man called to me, "Can you tell me how to get to the Elmwood Lounge?" I told to just walk about two blocks to Elmwood and West Utica, look at the left corner and he was there. The man, about age 65-70, short but built and carrying himself like an athlete, was dressed in a very smart black suit, white shirt and light blue tie.
He told me that he was in town for the auction of abandoned properties the City of Buffalo was holding, and that he had discovered the auction and then some appealing properties while online. He came to Buffalo interested in buying, and indeed ended up buying a house at the auction.
The man first told me how impressed he was with many of the houses and neighborhoods in Buffalo, and specifically noted that the neighborhood we were in (Elmwood Village) had some very nice older houses; I agreed with him, adding that our house is more than 100 years old and that we love the neighborhood.
He then said that the house he bought is on McKinley Parkway in South Buffalo, and he was not only thrilled when he visited it, he said he was "stunned" that the previous owner had gotten behind on payments and just abandoned it.
We then discussed pets for a few mnutes and parted ways, and he quickly strode the two blocks to the Elmwood Lounge.