Welcome touch base @Matt McCourry he is at the beach and has a good handle of what is going on their.Alex

Yes, get in touch with me when you get settled! 

And does anyone feel like that is a good way to stay in touch with people? 

Laminate can be good, but I worry about kitchen/bath use.I don't touch carpet with a 10 foot pole if I can reasonably avoid it, though it is by far the cheapest option installed, and is the best option for really uneven floors. 

No-touch faucets, soft close doors, hidden central vac systems, etc, are all things that might add value (either financial or emotional), but people touring a house might miss it unless it's pointed out.

I know that certain funds of mine will never touch my real estate.

If your realtor doesn't understand the importance of that first touch of how everyone shops for houses at this age, you might want to consider getting another realtor. 

You will say, well it gives a personal touch, so they will choose you over the other people trying to reach them.

No point in comparing the fees of a HML's preferred title company to one of the big name title companies that do vanilla deals... that's like comparing HML rates to my rates: There's no point, they can't touch my rates, but I also can't/won't do the deal, so my rates are irrelevant to you.

well to touch on that side of the bad i try to give them an idea i explain that its an investment just like the stock market. i also have a plan B in place and sometimes a plan c depending on the area I'm looking