Some of the wood paneling I was thinking of just painting bright white (e.g. in bathroom/kitchen) and adding trim to make it look more like beadboard (see pix)--Kitchen: paint cabinets; New Countertop (laminate vs. granite??)

Maybe paint it with that, put a little piece of wood molding underneath it to hold bits of chalk (but be careful of drilling into the wires), and sell it as a spot for family messages or a grocery list.Depending on where it is in the kitchen, maybe get some cute refrigerator magnets from the dollar store and sell it as a good place to display the kids' artwork

@Roy N.

Hi @Jason Woods,One thing is for sure, we've definitely seen a slow down this summer but that's not unusual. 

My sister lives in Phenix City and I'm starting to look more in her neck of the woods (Russell County AL and Muscogee County GA)

In my neck of the woods, I pay 20% of purchase price plus another 1% or so for closing costs.

@Roy Gutierrez This is great, thanks for responding!

If you're going install drywall or paneling, wood 2x4's will accomodate plumbing and electrical. 

It is on a steep slope and will need a bit of thinning in the woods as well as a few retaining walls replaced.The asking price is 599k, lowered from 739k. 

(Wood trim repair, concrete patching, retaining wall repair, etc.).