At $800,000 you are choosing between a lot of house further out and a good house close in. Both are defensible; they suit different lives.
This price splits cleanly into two very different purchases, and buyers who do not choose deliberately tend to drift for months.
Both are sound. They are not comparable on square footage, and comparing them that way is what makes this band frustrating.
Renovation quality starts mattering more than renovation quantity. At $800,000 a lot of homes have been updated, and the question becomes whether the work was permitted, done properly, and to a standard the next buyer will accept. Ask for permits on any structural, electrical or plumbing work. An unpermitted basement development is a discount, not a feature.
See also: the five questions that test whether an agent knows the area →