Contractors: Who Do You Hire For Your 1st Inspection?

[Fredrick Hock]

Hello,

QUICK QUESTION: What type of contractor do you generally hire when you first inspect a property that needs TLC? Do you hire a contractor who can give you a rehab/repairs estimate, or do you hire an inspector who can review the structural integrity of the house (i.e. check on the plumbing, water, heating, gas, electrical, foundation, drainage, roof, termite, radon, etc)?

I ask because I am about to make my first offer on a house that definitely needs some TLC. I would like to walk through the property with a contractor in order to (1) get an estimate on rehab/repairs; and (2) inspect the structural, mechanical, electric, plumbing, etc aspects of the house in order to ensure everything is working properly.

After speaking with multiple contractors, it seems like many of them can only do one type of inspection (rehab or structural), but not both. Therefore, I would need 2 separate contractors to accomplish each task.

With that in mind, which contractor should I hire first? Or should I get both to accompany me on my first walk-through of the property (at the same time)?  

I'm also asking for budgeting purposes, because it's not exactly cheap to hire these contractors.