But this should give you a boost to even try harder. 

That neighbor fixing up their property and NOT selling will have ZERO impact on your sale next summer.IF your neighbor got an updated appraisal, and you gave it to your appraiser to please consider, you might get a slight boost, but not sure if appraisers would even look at that information.

Reading this really gave me a boost of confidence to buy my first investment property.

Nothing will boost your return more than paying attention to these immediately.  

Sometimes you just need that extra nudge or boost of inspiration to get back on track, hopefully I can play a small part in other investors' journeys to achieve their goals, and have fun doing it!

We (and you) will still have many ways to boost your buying ability by maintaining a good debt to income (DTI) ratio and structuring your taxes each year to pay more to the Federal Government and the State, but you'll be able to show you earn more and can therefore qualify for more. 

The BRRR strategy boosts IRR. 

For example, a HELOC wouldn't be worth it because most banks want 80% LTV.Perhaps, I'm missing other ways that you can use this equity - or ways in which that 25% equity boost to your net worth can be used.

I have never had a car payment, credit card or anything else that would boost my credit to a place a bank would feel comfortable loaning me money.

You've been greeted by the welcome wagon and have gotten a boost of confidence.