Modern, nice, and it's NOT cheap. 

Can't you come together and figure out a solution where he returns and addresses your concerns and collects the $2K?

I remember reading something in the Wall Street Journal the other day that buyers lean toward modern finishes with a nod toward sustainable materials.

Not easy, especially given where you're investing and, if you can't do that, love money might be the solution.

If you believe the solution to your problem is how much you are paying a real estate agent, the problem is not with the real estate agent. 

@Chirag Mehta For construction costs, you should be around +/- $100 PSF which would include all sitework, utilities, and going vertical with modern finishes.  

Could you share a little more around which solution you were using (email, direct mail, retargeting etc.?).

Overall, it’s an excellent solution for smaller portfolios because you can easily spot any discrepancies.

I think there are two maybe 3 ways to look at this in my mind.  1) you go into it and bring it all up to modern standards but using that old charm to basically take what is there bring it up to modern standards and rent it out essentially I'm thinking cocktail bar or something trendy like that.2) most banks are on really good centrally located real estate if this is true, then I'd consider it for the dirt, plan to scrape the lot and go vertical with whatever the highest and best use is.3) a kind of combo of the two, if the lot is in a good location and its doable, pull the vaults or other "character pieces" out of the building, scrape the lot, and build whatever is best suited for the site there, but incorporate those historical pieces into the final designs.Is the site near a major retail area? 

My solution: mouse traps!