That first letter probably has a typo in it — if you need a kitchen remodel so bad that it’s crucial to selling the house, it would be a $20,000 job not $2,000.
That said, it’s not necessary IMO. Even if it returns twice what you paid, you’re gambled the price of the return that you couldn’t have sold the house at all. I don’t believe that.
I agree with you. Spruce them up as best you can. Yard work, clutter gone, make it clean. Paint does not cost much and running a rake and prunning sheers costs nothing.
Next question, is there a market for selling houses right now. Nothing is selling that I can see. Investors that thought they could flip or rent have not been able to flip or rent so they are not beating down the doors even at the really, really low prices anymore.
House customers are more finicky today, and want their new home to have that modern, updated kitchen rather than getting that much lower of a price then doing it themselves, because they know that all they have to do is keep looking for a little while, maybe only a few weeks, and they WILL get it. Sometimes it seems a little silly. My neighbor was told that the perfectly good, immaculate white vinyl bathroom flooring would have to give way to genuine ceramic tile in order to sell. Maybe the real estate agent gets kick backs from the contractor?