Just getting started on first Rehab

[David Eiges]

I just purchased my first home in Lincoln Heights.  I'm really excited, because it took me a long time to find a property and I think the property has great potential based on it's size, street, and neighborhood.  

It's a fixer, triplex needing a substantial amount of work (plumbing, electric, flooring, siding, landscaping).  I'm only in the first week of searching for contractors, but I'm getting frustratingly high bids so far.  I still have plenty more to explore, but am I just going to be treading water if I keep looking for contractors through online sources (yelp, homeadvisor) that won't blow my budget?