Late to the party, but I can see this happening when you have a property that is otherwise unremarkable and in dire need of renovation, and has locations/views. If it is not a historic home or does not have great inherent features, but is just in need of an entire renovation, I think it might be a benefit to the buyer to know that the walls have been opened up already so the risk of surprises in the wall during renovation are eliminated. The downside is that people often want to move walls and change layouts as well. It dawned on me that our last purchase was this way -- essentially it was a stripped down condo and bare when shown -- but they completed work to a required point (it may have been required there to process a sale). We were able to pick finishes and alter certain things before completion.

After some thought and soul searching this evening, I decided to paint a color that I love while also showing respect for the Victorian style (and will fit in with the neighborhood). I love how you worded it @liasch "goodbye gift" to the home. I need to rethink my strategy but I will say that I've learned a lot about color, architecture, and most importantly exploring the creativity that you all shared with me. Where should I go from here? Should I create a new post? Should I include all the house colors around me? When looking for a professional designer for services, what are some questions I should ask so I know I won't get scammed or be disappointed? Thank you everyone who contributed to this discussion. I've learned a lot here!

3katz, i think the house looks solid even though there are things that could certainly be changed to fit your personal style. Paint, light fixtures, those curlicues in the kitchen and most of the drapery. I could go on but those would be at the top of my list. It has many great features and being on an acre would be nice. As to living in the south, I’m a native, so probably not the one to ask, but many have likely experienced different treatment, depending on where you settled. I have been embarassed by the way some in the south act. I think Mtn wrapped it up best by saying “…the South is not an easy social choice unless it is clearly a retirement community or a major city.” There is some truth to that I believe. A truly small town can be brutal, or quite nice. Our medium sized city (we live rurally nearby actually) is and for many years has been, very diverse with the influx of many military and scientists who have settled here. We’ve had several periods of growth, the most recent being the past 5-10 years and with the transfer recently of jobs from the DC area of over 4000 jobs with more to come. It has brought many here for employment and has stressed housing, roads and services. Things are beginning to catch up but we’re not there yet. I find many ’transplants’ are often unwilling to try to acclimate sometimes. I witnessed this at work before i retired. People are either one way or the other. Some jump right in, join the Newcomer’s club, seek out opportunities to meet their neighbors or others, or they sit back and complain about how awful everyone treats them.

Littlebug, it’s happening in my town, too. We have 100+ yr old homes of every architectural style (we are known for Christmas tours of homes) … now being defaced by this horrible trend of whitewashing and graying up everything. Beautiful old brick and stone painted or limewashed. Old woodwork painted white or gray. Fireplaces being torn out for new shiny gray ones. Everything else exactly as you describe (is there some sort of guidebook they’re all going by?). It makes me sick to my stomach. And nearly daily here on Houzz, I see posters pushing Romabio because omg that brick/stone has COLOR in it! The horror! Lots of digital renderings get posted as inspo to turn any style house into a weird mash-up of Modern Farmhouse + MCM. Frankenhouse. I’m so tired of this awful thoughtless trend. And many of these changes are permanent. Bye bye history.