photo/Chris Busby

A dumpy property doesn’t have to deteriorate much in Cape Elizabeth before it attracts attention. We got two e-mails from two different sources last month about the house at 15 Scott Dyer Rd. This sad ranch badly needs a paint job, and the front lawn has become a savannah, but otherwise it’s in decent shape.

It’s not clear how long this property’s been vacant and wild. Judging by the length of the overgrown shrubbery, I’d say about two years. There’s an undated Google street-cam image online that shows a front lawn full of short, healthy grass. Even the drooping pines look spritely in this snapshot.

I couldn’t locate the property’s owner, Doreen Imondi. Word on the street — make that road — is that she’s elderly and resides these days in an assisted-living facility, but that could not be confirmed. Town tax records list four liens against the property totaling over seven grand, but there’s no record that it’s in foreclosure.

If the property goes on the market, it won’t be available for long. It sits directly across from Cape’s public elementary and middle schools. It’s a short walk to the intersection that functions as Cape E.’s town center (and a short drive to some of the cheapest gas in the county).

The town assesses the property’s value at just over $247,000. I wouldn’t be surprised if it fetched almost twice that (there’s also a detached garage). The house sits on almost a third of an acre.

Prospective buyers are already sniffing around. Better check on this one often — and keep e weed-whacker gassed up and ready to go.

— Chris Busby