It has been ~ 10 years since my last property but the area seems to be very healthy economically and, compared to other major metro areas, cost of living is still very reasonable.   

Also soil composition, waterways etc can.

If you are selling farms, then you should know about soil quality, land use, etc.

As stated by others, spend the extra money and have them truck in some extra soil to make it not look like a box in the middle of the property. 

As far as septic, the cost will depend on the soil conditions.

If this is an infill single family parcel in South Philly, chances are the soils are fine and is really a matter of confirming the zoning and ensuring there are no deed restrictions.

I have no issue with living in a new property every year for about 3-5 years if it means a good healthy start to a real estate career.

I have also been looking for investment property in Amherst and was just advised to stay away since I was reminded that many of the properties there are in jeopardy of having major foundation issues due to the "peanut butter" texture of the clay soil of Lake Tonawanda that the houses were built on....I've done a bit of research on the issue as I'm looking for my first and not wanting to get in too deep. 

Unfortunately, it seems that I may need to replace all the carpets upstairs since it has black lines on the edges due to soil filtration (previous owners didn't clean their air filters often).I'm feeling very optimistic right now, but have spent a whole week just trying to decide on a good value LVP so I can replace the 1st floor...

@Thomas SmithThat’s a pretty healthy gap at $150k.