John,
A professionally redone transom is worth a couple grand as you probably know, so sounds like it's probably not a "project". Soft spots in the deck are often the fuel tank hatch, so easy to pull that and fix. Probably a good value if trailer is in decent shape. It's got a bigger cabin than your Sceptre, and it's easily trailerable, so would be a good boat to have for exploring Florida when you retire down here!
I've attached a checklist of stuff to look at on a Seafari. If you'll PM me with an email address, I can send you some more info on it. Do you know what year it is and what sort of power it has on it? Denny