I get where you're coming from, but I’ve actually had the opposite happen a couple times. One house I flipped in Round Rock, I put in some mid-range fixtures, nothing wild, but I made sure the kitchen and bathrooms looked sharp. The appraiser barely glanced at the leaky stuff, but the buyers went nuts over the finishes and we got multiple offers above asking. Maybe it’s just luck or timing, but sometimes those “overthought” upgrades do pay off... just maybe not with the appraiser every time.
Funny, I’ve seen the same thing with buyers getting totally distracted by nice countertops or a fancy faucet, even if there’s something not-so-great hiding under the surface. Once, I spent a bit extra on a backsplash and pulls in a Pflugerville place—nothing crazy, just enough to pop in photos—and it was like catnip for showings. The inspector flagged some minor plumbing, but buyers didn’t care. Makes me wonder if we sometimes overestimate what “matters” to folks shopping for homes... or maybe it’s just that emotional reaction when they walk in and see something shiny.