Roof pictures would be helpful.

Losing the shrubs stinks, but you have to look at the big picture.

Another thing that I do when dealing with REO's, that cuts down on paperwork and tediousness and might help the overall picture, that the seller has of you:I deal directly with the listing agent and make an offer by just writing an email, nothing formal written out.

I do have a great Realtor who's helping me through the steps and I have read the forums here, but any advice from the members to help me stay calm would be great (this also will be my first US purchase, and too top that I might not see the house before putting a bid, just going with videos and pictures my realtor is sending me).

From the pictures it does look like it is off (all ball valves are in the off position). 

One really needs to understand out of area lower end markets to understand the full picture.

I'll see if I can find a picture of a completed home to post.

I took a picture of it.  

I was picturing most of the visitors as passive -- just seeking a listing of events in different areas of the city or to get to know more about different neighborhoods.

Then I quickly view each picture to see what is on the parcel and the size.