If anything this is a positive sign that Celeste may actually be tightening the purse strings when it comes to Nick's personal finances as many hoped she would, because the most economically rational thing for the family as a whole would have been for a Celeste-controlled entity to quietly buy the neighboring house without any public listing that'd only stigmatize its perceived value in any later listing, set that purchase at a formally appraised price commensurate with its as-is condition but still sufficient for Nick to pay off the foreclosed mortgage on the main house, hire contractors with Celeste's money to resolve the plumbing issues entirely in addition to various style updates, re-list and sell for the $450K+ it easily could have gotten in that improved condition (not to mention without the stigma of some transient woman's scattered belongings), and split the net profit with Nick and Kayla under a prior agreement designed to ensure enough of a return on investment to be worth Celeste's while yet leaving enough of a spiff for Nick and Kayla to motivate them to go along with the plan in the first place.