She is an elderly lady whose recently passed husband always dealt with.  

So I will have to go about calling property managers and real estate agents to get a better idea.Now, everytime I watch a video, listen to podcast, read an article, look at instagram, etc. different cities attract my attention, and I can't seem to decide where to focus on.

There is a difference in your attractiveness to the seller in those cases.Look up Pete Reese, Brent Bowers, Travis King, Clayton Hepler.

It's too difficult to narrow down a KPI that would attract someone.

But, in future if we want to develop any residential or commercial buildings on this land, would this rail road track going to be a deal breaker in terms of attracting potential developers or buyers or investors? 

Per the article, the term "Seriously underwater" is defined as 25% or more owed above the total estimated market value of the property; Among zip codes with at least 2,000 homes with mortgages.I'll let you in BP Nation decide if this potential financial loan distress would make the Rocky Mount area more or less attractive for a real estate investor.

One attractive factor for me is the recent announcement of the tallest tower planned to be build by 2030 that was recently approved with  no height restriction.

An elderly lady who owns rentals next door to me has moved away since her husband passed. 

For example, what if you decided to paint the interior dark green, which is largely unacceptable to the tenant segment normally attracted to your property?

Quality acquisitions are attracting multiple offers.