In 1992, Heemeyer purchased two acres (0.8 ha) of land for $42,000 (equivalent to $96,360 in 2025) at auction with plans to lease the property to a friend who intended to build an auto repair shop on the site. Present at the auction was Cody Docheff, whose family had previously owned the property. Heemeyer claimed that Docheff had berated him for several minutes afterward out of anger towards losing the property; however, no other party present recalled any such interaction.[9]

The property had a rudimentary sewage storage solution in the form of a buried cement mixer left by the previous owners.[9] The cost to update the sewer system would be nearly double the $42,000 Heemeyer paid for the property.

City officials told Heemeyer that putting in a septic tank was a less expensive alternative, but he rejected both options and said that the government not paying for the sewage line hookup was "extortion by government fiat". Despite these setbacks, he did not withdraw his annexation request and subsequently became part of the sewer district.[9]

By 1993, Heemeyer had abandoned plans to rent the property to a friend and instead opened a muffler repair shop on the grounds.[9] According to Heemeyer, his friend had lost interest in the property in around April 1992 because of oil spills and environmental issues.[13]