When we bought our house in China, ME in 2019, I ruled out several houses we really liked because they had dirt roads that looked like they had been carpet bombed. 

Each year I'm replacing carpet, buying washers, replacing hot water tanks, repairing the porch, etc.

If I make improvements to the one I'm selling ($5000k in wood floor refinishing and some carpet) do I get to take that off taxes?

We replaced the flooring, carpet and removed the popcorn ceilings.

I also seen some properties that sold on MLS for close to retail price (that still needed work but had a paint job and new carpet). 

If you have carpet, I wouldn’t likely do it.

If you still have thick carpet or tiles, the reading won't be accurate no matter who does the reading.

Also take a look at the grading of the surrounding ground to make sure water flows away from the house, not to the house.Siding can hide many damages, if you see patches or cheap siding recently installed, it is time to start asking , what and why.HVAC, how old, how old is the ducts, take a peak in the the registers, how dirty they are, HVAC handler closet, look for mold in this area, the condensate water drain condition and where it goes.Electrical panel model and manufacturer, google it for recalls.Floor carpet if any, I hate carpet because it hide damages and if it is secure you cant pulled it to look under, look for stains or cold spots, that is an indication of a wet spot. specially near baths Kitchen or egress doors.Kitchens and baths, old or new, try to look behind frig and dishwasher, they hide a lot of  water damages and are very subjectable for mold growth.

In the following year I started to pull out all carpets and replace them with laminate floor, repaint and change baseboards.

Very minimal repairs are needed, I might replace the carpet in the basement for vinyl plank but it is not a necessary repair.What was the outcome?