re: House that has 8ft ceilings

I think it mainly depends on the neighborhood and the comps as people have said. If you are in an old neighborhood, and they are all similar to that, then you would probably be OK.

If you do end up buying something with 8' ceilings, take out light fixtures, fans, etc. in the main living areas of the house. The ceiling look much higher when recessed lights are installed. We just did this with our house (built in the 60's) and it has made a ton of difference.

You'd be surprised what this and a little bit of paint can do to update a place.