When to involve a city inspector

[Jeff Higgins]

My wife and I are about to purchase our very first property. Local city law says I can fix it up without having to involve a licensed contractor if I do the work myself. However there are some things I do not know how to do so I will be contracting that out. We have yet to determine if we will buy and hold this property or flip it. Either way I believe we will need a permit.

A family member, who is also a seasoned real estate investor, told me not to involve the city unless I have no choice. However I know that if I have the inspector comes in and I explain to them what I want to do they will tell me what is code and what isn't. I want to do this because I can then better determine what will fit in my rehab budget. This will also help me determine if I fix it up enough to rent it or if I spend a little more and fix it up to flip it. The last thing I want to do is spend the money fixing it only to have it not pass inspection. Costing me more money.

Here is my question, When you purchase a property like this when do you involve the city inspector?