In-town Essex versus the surrounding countryside
The Town of Essex includes a compact downtown core with typical residential lots, and a wider township area with larger rural and agricultural properties. Those are genuinely different kinds of transactions — a rural property with acreage, outbuildings, or agricultural zoning gets priced and evaluated differently than a standard in-town house, and a buyer should be upfront about which situation they're actually equipped to handle.
Roof, furnace, wiring, and foundation still drive the number on the house itself either way, but acreage, well and septic systems, and outbuildings add real questions that a straightforward in-town sale doesn't have.
Well and septic: the question rural Essex properties need answered early
Properties outside the municipal water and sewer service area typically rely on a private well and septic system, both of which need their own inspection and carry their own condition questions separate from the house itself. This isn't unique to Essex, but it comes up here more often than in more built-up parts of Windsor-Essex, and it's worth raising with a buyer before assuming the offer accounts for it.
What to ask before accepting a number
Is the offer treating this as a standard in-town house or has it actually accounted for acreage, outbuildings, or a private well and septic system? A buyer who hasn't asked those questions likely hasn't priced them either.