Except for the appraisal fee. 

I decided to rent vs own because, while buying a home and building equity is very attractive, I'm just not interested in rehabbing properties, dealing with bankers and appraisers, the due diligence you need when buying a property, etc.

@Melissa Gallegos assistant to developer, project manager, appraiser, etc.

For the purposes of getting a higher appraisal, will an HVAC upgrade matter or would you just replace the boiler?

Since you are pre-approved (meaning you need financing) you will be constricted by what you can buy because of appraisal guidelines, and depending on your loan type there are different criteria. 

I told them I wasn't really interested in that option so they sent someone out to appraise my home which came in at me having around $397K in equity so they gave me three options. 

The reports are 40-90 pages long and go through the entire house in great detail.Get an appraisal.

I am quite certain a local bank would offer him a line of credit based on 75% of appraised value.

Do i get an appraiser to walk the house with me to tell me what needs to be upgraded and then bring my contactor?

I think it should appraise for $400,000 at that time.