There is the expectation and hope that, with a new house, you come in and do your fix-ups and begin to make it your own. The to-do list is fresh, with none of those "jeez that one has been on the list for a long time" items. You want to knock the items of that list. What you don't need is for the list to grow out from under you. You see where I'm going? Yes, a couple of new items for the list: fix the doorbell, and fix the toilet.
The doorbell needed replacing after a stuck front doorbell button melted the old unit. A trip to Home Depot and a secondary trip to Santoro's Hardware for some wall anchors, and we are back answering the bell.
The toilet is probably original to the house, circa 1956. It is an old Eljer that has an elegant design. Of course, elegance in toilets means "hard to find parts". But a little Googling finds a sound recommendation for the excellent Locke Plumbing of Knoxville, Tennessee. They have just the part I need. Sweet.
Sweet? Toilet parts? The same sentence?
So here's the real question: would the departing owner's honey-do list raise or lower the value the of the house?
The advice we got all said to clam up, leave it up to the buy or a buyer's home inspector to make judgements. Saying something is in ill repair is just an argument for a lower price. Saying something is in great shape might come back and bite you legally if that turns out to not be true.
I might view a honey-do list as a reading on wheter the homeowner was paying attention to details. A list of obvious, long postponed items would be a minus. A list of obsessive compulsive minor items might be a plus.