Hey Apple
I think its a fair deal. I think the upstairs bath is very nice and on par with new construction. The 2nd bath downstairs one could use some help. The kitchen is fine (maybe not your tastes but a recent remodel). Get rid of the corian and do something nicer and it would sparkle. Bottomline is if you spend under $10K the house would shine. Its vacant and needs some small fixes but IMO after those and with some nice furnishing you should have no problem re-couping your investment if you decide it is not what you wanted afterall.
I am not the listing agent but I know him and have done transactions with him in the past. SD R probably knows him much better than I as he really is a Scripps Ranch specialist (probably one of the top 2 listing agents there volume wise) and I suspect he would hold him in the same esteem. I was in the area taking care of business. I have a short sale in escrow two blocks away. The house I have is an absolute mess and is being sold to flipper/contractors who have the money, time and expertise to restore it. It has lots of potential but is not for an inexperienced owner occupant. I’m sure BG would say its perfect for someone looking to get in but knowing all the issues with the house we only considered offers from contractors we thought could handle it. Too much liability otherwise.
I figured as close as I was, that I could run in and give you an actual feet on the street opinion. It’s a very cool house and I agree with your husband that if you pass on it, it wont be easy to replicate.