The GC’s original bid didn’t account for structural repair, and the investor was staring down a costly change order.Here’s what we did:- Brought in a structural engineer the same week for quick specs.- Negotiated the repair scope with the GC to keep pricing tight.- Got approvals and work underway within 5 days, minimizing schedule slip. 

Essentially, your CPA is needed for reviewing the numbers and filing the return, but it's the engineering firms that actually perform the cost segregation study like walking the property, identifying components, and assigning the asset classifications that make the whole strategy work.

With a "real" cost segregation study, it is signed by a licensed engineer who absolutely is a "qualified individual."

Your CPA should vet the numbers, but the engineering firm is the one doing the actual legwork on the property.

Hey BiggerPockets members,
I’m looking to connect with developers or flippers who could use extra hands on their deals(if you are doing something else I still would like to connect). I found out about biggerpockets l...

You make a completely valid point regarding the terminology.To clarify my original comment, I was referring to the underlying tax principle of segregating tangible personal property into shorter MACRS class lives, rather than suggesting Clark needs to commission a formal, engineered cost segregation study for appliances for which he already has the receipts.Since the $6k is already clearly isolated from the purchase receipts, proceeding with a full engineered study just for those items wouldn't make sense.

I have some capital saved from my software engineering job and would love to get in contact with someone who has experience with apartments.

Did you do a self-assessment / engineer-assisted model, or pay for a full engineering study?

Using a engineering firm directly is the best option.

Not looking for deal sourcing or promotion — just trying to understand how experienced investors think about structuring these situations, especially outside primary markets.Appreciate any perspective from people who’ve actually done this.