I can barely screw in a light bulb. How many people do I hire?

[Milena S.]

Hello all,

I plan on buying single family and multi-family homes in need of rehab, and know absolutely nothing about the rehab part. So I'm trying to figure out how many people I need to hire and how specialized they have to be to make up for my incompetence. 

I have 3 questions: 

1.  What experts would you or do you currently use or consider for rehabs?
2.  I plan on bringing in a home inspector and a general contractor to help me estimate the rehab cost on a property. Is this enough? 
3.  Where can I learn more about finding the right people to hire and how to estimate a home rehab?

If you can answer just one of these questions or add to my list below, I'd greatly appreciate it.

So far this is my list:

• Home inspector
• Plumber
• Electrician
• Roofer
• General contractor
• Painters
• Pest control (if needed)

Thank you for reading through this and helping! :) 

[Mary M.]

My suggestion, fwiw, is to pick one of your properties - maybe the one with the simplest rehab- and use it to learn on - dont make changes that are irrevesible.  (Ie dont remove original hardwood floors! They are very valuable! Cover them up with vinyl if needed ) 

Make your mistakes and find a team during this rehab.  You will learn a TON that you will then be able to apply to your other rentals. 

IMO a good contractor and a good handyman are criticalyou need a contractor that can do it all - this will cut down on costs.  

Good luck and have fun!