A dishwasher would be a better investment if you're going to add anything (and could help cut down on pests versus letting neglected dishes accumulate in the sink before hand-washing).2) The deck would be more of an equity play.

Build something and preserve it, quit just dishing it off.

While it was clear with every turn in this 3500 square foot house, the grandeur and what a special place it once was, it was also obvious that it was not being well cared for (it was a pig sty with dirty dishes, clothes, beer cans everywhere) plus there were so many places with wood rot, shoddy work done, codes violations galore, asbestos tape around the pipes, gaping holes in the sofits etc. etc. etc.  

The second is Time, some investments need some work and you can ether pay someone else to do it or spend the time to do it yourself, the more time you spend the money you have to dish-out.

Appraisers usually don't care about dirty dishes, clothes scattered about or if they just ran the sweeper that day (but they do care about the condition of the carpet of course).Appraisers tend to be more conservative if they don't see the inside...but if the interior shows leaking roofs, damaged walls, out of date fixtures, incorrect outlets, flooring in disrepair, etc....then a Drive By may be best if your Lender approves it.Your lender may also have a reduced LTV based on the Appraisal Type, so make sure that they are not only OK with a drive by, but what "hits" will you be taking on the %LTV, Rate, etc. if any.To answer your questions though, Full Appraisals usually create higher valuations if your property is in good condition than Drive By.

Only question..... what's with that satellite dish being so low on the side of the garage?

Most brokers dish out the good stuff to their known investors before they ever hit market.

I worked for 4 years in a restaurant washing dishes and had 18k saved up. 

That BP now allows amateurs with 1-3 years of experience to dish out "advice" on the BP blog is troubling indeed...I happen to know Indy well enough.

The dishes are dirty... who is going to wash them?