Trying for home equity loan

[Joshua B.]

Hello

I’m currently considering applying for a home equity loan to consolidate a little debt and provide more funds for investing. I’m concerned with how much my property will appraise for though. 

I purchased a single family two years ago and it had appraised for $127k. Since then I have refinished the hardwood floors, renovated the kitchen, renovated the bathroom, replaced an exterior door, and fresh paint throughout. As of now I owe $118k and the good ole zestimate is $180k. 

Looking at the comps and seeing appraisals frequently with my job, I feel that the zestimate is reasonable in my area. However, lenders like to do drive by appraisals for a home equity and I wonder how much the lower appraisal from two years ago will hurt a current appraisal. 

Will it have a drastic impact and I would be much better off paying for a full appraisal? Or will a well maintained exterior with good comps carry some weight? 

Thanks for any feedback.