I just listed a Victorian in a great village. The seller has put a lot of money into things that aren’t sexy - a roof, insulation, a new hot water heater, a whole house generator. He added a wood stove. He redid two bathrooms (that’s actually exciting for most buyers).
Downstairs is nice, and that’s where he lived. Upstairs is a work in progress. There’s exposed lathe, floors that need refinishing, walls that need to be removed to restore the old floor plan.
He’s done. He’s tired. He wants to sell it to someone who won’t pester him about details, but would appreciate that it’s a good, solid house that’s going to be worth even more when the work was done.
Guess what? It worked. The first buyer who came in decided it had everything he and his family needed, he decided that the level of workmanship and care that he saw was enough to make him comfortable that he didn’t need an inspection. And he made an offer that was a lot higher than he was first considering.
He’s getting a great house. If he’d tried to be a master negotiator and talk the seller into dropping his price, he’d still be looking. And he realized that. He was smart. I like stories that end well.