A Painter with a Splash of Honesty
I like a self-aware and honest person, and the painter in this story cuts the mark for me. If anything, it means that you would get the exact quality of painting work promised. Not because he is a very good painter (he might be), but he would tell you if he won’t do a good job.
In his defense, at least the homeowner got some extra advice from the exorbitant quotes. The painter is better than the other tradesmen who did not offer anything extra; they just came with inflated quotes and went their way. By the way, it seems that losing the accent is a great idea! It will help get you to avoid getting ripped off.