09/19/2026
Here's what I tell buyers after almost forty years of doing this: don't let paint scare you off a good house. It's a weekend project, and I've watched people walk away from genuinely great homes over a color they could change for $500. Same with fixtures, they're cosmetic, swap them after close. The seller's furniture leaves with the seller, so look at what's behind it, not what's sitting on it. Carpet's an easy fix too, especially now that hardwood is so straightforward to add. And a list price from six months ago tells you almost nothing about what a home is worth today, markets move faster than that.
What actually matters, and what I've never seen change in almost forty years: location, layout, the bones of the house, the mechanicals, and whether the neighborhood holds its value. That's where I'd spend your attention."