The folks at the counter want to be sure you are a responsible person and not some yahoo who will operate an unsafe job site and cut corners and waste the inspector's and department's time.

My inspector takes pics of anything that he's concerned about. 

Expect high bids, bids for work NOT needed and being charged for work not done or done poorly.Recommend you hire a local professinoal inspector to be your boots on the ground.

Best practice for someone like me who doesn’t have the knowledge to identify deficiencies with great accuracy would be to hire a knowledgeable home inspector to take a really detailed look at the property. 

@Jesse S Appel The lead inspector will only need to see that lead paint is removed from the window sill so install new vinyl windows won't make a difference here.

I have a friend who has a lot of connections (banker, construction, inspector, agent) and is willing to help me get started. 

I had someone tell me the other day they don't like to recommend because they think these inspectors often elaborate on the severity of the problem to get a job- scaring the buyer.

NEVER buy a house without a thorough inspection - either by yourself (if qualified) or a home inspector or GC.

Inspectors missing expensive things that cost investors more is really frustrating.  

Do I simply proceed with an offer and rely on the home inspector, then back out of the offer if the inspector found any of these major issues (assuming inspection contingency is included in the offer)?