Foundation Repair - First Step

[Jordan L.]

Two years ago I purchase my biggest mistake.  It's a 1950's ranch home that blew my rehab budget out of the water.  Lots of lessons learned here.

I'm a buy-and-hold landlord, and I'm still ironing out the kinks with this property.  One of the major concerns I have is the pre-purchase inspection noted a number of what they called "aftermarket" piers in the crawlspace.  Some are cinder blocks, and there's a black jug/jack looking thing...

There are a couple of locations around the outside of the home where I see stair-stepping cracks along the bricks. I want to ensure the property is safe for my tenants and head off any potential problems down the road.  

I was thinking about hiring a structural engineer to come take a look and tell me what I need and don't need.  In my research, there's a lot of smoke and mirrors it seems with foundation repair.

Those of you who have experience with older homes and foundation repairs, what would you do first?

I will also mention that I don't have any good contractor connections when it comes to this magnitude of a job.  So, a trusted eye isn't an option at this point.

Thank you all in advance!