I recently bought a new (old) house and my questions are 2 parts. Soffit and Windows.

Soffit:

The corners of the vinyl soffit keep falling off. I'm not sure if I should make the repairs and move on (save $$) or replace all of the soffit. Replacement **might*** be worth it if new soffit would dramatically increase the curb appeal...but I'm not sure that it will. Does soffit make that much of a difference aesthetically speaking? My questions are:

1. Repair or replace?

2. If replace, what material should I use (vinyl, metal, fiber cement?) For what its worth, the rest of the house is the original 1920s wood.

3. If replace, what color should I go with? Same as the current color/trim (off white)? White? Something dark, like walnut?

Windows:

The house has the original wood windows, except for the 3rd floor attic. Only some of windows open, they don't have screens and my kids sleep with their heads very close to the windows, which gives me lead exposure nightmares. I'd love to keep the original windows but also want practical, functional, safe, maintenance free windows as open windows & fresh (lead-free) air is extremely important to me. Also, I need to know that my 7 year old can easily open her bedroom windows should there be an emergency. I am investigating whether or not there is a some way to thoroughly clean the windowsills and ensure there's they are lead free, and make them "like-new". My questions are:

...restore original windows or replace?

...If replace, what style, material and color would you recommend?

...What about keeping some original (for aesthetics) and replacing some (for health/functionality)

I would so deeply appreciate input from the Houzz community as I have a very hard time visualizing any of this... Budget is definitely a consideration so I am factoring that in as well.

Thank you so much!

Jaclyn