I contacted the agent yesterday morning and asked (nicely) why he was accessing my lock box when the property is not listed for sale.

The amount of time spent going round-and-round on trying to get what was advertised, and the other party going round-and-round on trying to avoid offering what was advertised, is a giant time suck.

That being said, it's a good idea to provide the appraiser as much info as you can about the property, the renovations, the materials used, the amount spent, etc., and even let them know which comps you used to determine your ARV and why they are comparable. 

I was new to real estate investing at the time and spent about a year leading up to my offer educating myself about the industry and RE investing in general.  

All challenges have answers if you think outside of the box.

How old is the electric box and roof? 

Be aware of PO Box addresses.Recommendations.

Replaced the back porch/deck, painted inside and outside, put new carpet in it, added raised planter boxes and added plants around the front of the house.

I had three different quotes and from personal experience I don't recommend the big box retailer like Window World, Window Nation, bla bla.

Lenders do this as that capex spent is going to raise rents by $200 or 300/unit and that will increase the exit metrics so there is less refinance risk.