If anyone has any great advise on how to boost my score, lender input, REI experience in relation to my issue,  etc. , I'm all ears...Have a great day ... 

The reason that you don't see much discussion is that most investors do everything or nothing, because if you start putting in paint and flooring it is hard not to justify a couple thousand extra for granite etc. which will boost the rent the most. 

When you use an escalator clause how to you verify the list agent isn't artificially boosting the price with other "fake" offers?

Their circle of influence and sphere will utilize them to invest and the license can be used effectively.

So the rent is at 3800 and the cost is roughly 2700 a month. 350/mth prop management, but i think i will start doing that myself soon (remotely... i work in france just now).because appreciation still seems strong in the San Jose area, not to mention the added boost of Google's recent buy, i definitely want to hold on to it.

All these things will greatly influence the strategy you take.

It doesn't help that the National Floodplain maps are outdated and universally acknowledged to be "politically influenced" (as certain neighborhoods in Houston demonstrated).Maybe it's a bit short-sighted but with plenty of solid places to invest (major cities with booming job markets), it makes pulling the trigger on Florida an unenthusiastic choice.

It is possible that the owner is the best property manager of all time, but more likely they are trying to boost the value of the property.

It was mandatory to have valet trash pickup (an extra $25/month) too, so that boosted the NOI. 

In my experience asking your tenants to do extra work to pay rent is great for saving yourself time, but not necessarily a good idea if you're trying to boost your reviews as a landlord / PM business.