What to look for in a property that is need of full renovation?

[Ahmed Elias]

Hi BP community, 

I was wondering if anyone could advise me on how critical is it for a property to be inspected prior to closing that requires complete renovation regardless (the property is a complete shell and currently not even close to living condition). I plan to do a walk through with my GC to get an approximate quote on how much my renovation would cost however I was wondering if I needed to bring in a structural engineer to look for structural issues ? Would it be better hiring a structural engineer to inspect the property for structural issues before putting an offer? 

Type of property - Brick row home property in the Philadelphia area.