If your just playing for your own enjoyment and it is not a challenge or legacy, I would probably change the traits. I still like to get away from the norm every once in a while and just play what I am given. When you have a certain game you are trying to play, it is nice to enjoy it, but yet have some kind of a challenge.
Actually, I don't really think changing traits is cheating, but that is me. What I do, if I have someone move in, I look at their traits and LTW and appearance. If I do change something, that is it, I do not change anything else and they will have to live with it and usually if they have kids and something happens where I do not get to choose the traits, then I will go ahead and leave it alone, no matter what the traits are. I try and give myself rules to follow. We can't make it too easy, lol.