Upgraded kitchen and bathrooms will be the new standard just like air-conditioning. That’s how we improve our standard of living. Dishwashers used to be luxuries but they no longer are.
In a down market, builders will have to provide many upgrades to entice buyers. Resellers will have to follow suit or cut the price.
Compared to 15 years ago, travertine, marble and granite are really cheap now. Natural stone has been commoditized with product being imported en masse from Turkey and China. It’s the labor to install that’s expensive. Actually there’s an almost infinite supply of those materials because stone is what mountains are made of. We now have better equipment to quarry and diamond saws to cut the stone.
I should also mention that Viking appliances, fancy lavatories and faucets are no better than the basic kinds. It’s the design that you’re paying for and the profit margins on those items is enormous. Design is also being comoditized so we can expect to have better products for the same or lower prices.
Personally, when looking for property, I first look at price per square foot. I won’t even consider a home with defects if there are upgraded homes nearby.