Having worked in and around real estate including loan side for both residential and smaller specialized commercial (medical), renovation and new construction/new build with a broker & brokerage founder (who has since retired) I know from him that in addition to reputable property managers, contractors and architects we had accountants including a forensic accountant on the loan side and a handful of real estate attorneys with one on retainer.

Hint: look for a solar architect, who acts as an adviser and works for you and audits the installer project proposal.Many states/utilities are no longer allowing net metering (kWh for kWh) and use instead all kinds of payback schemes (e.g. if you over-produce, they will gladly take your kWh for 3 cents and graciously allow you to take it back at night for 22cents - end result being, if your system is not properly sized, you will be producing energy for the utility and never recover the costs of the installation).

I’m a Nashville native and my dad is an architect and contractor in the area.

Some contractors will be able to help you (do them on their own) with the permits, if it's more complicated will need a architect.

Check out www.fiabci.org with real estate professionals in 60 countries, database with information and international contacts with brokers, architects, managers, lawyers, notaries, appraisers etc.

My question for investors and agents in Louisville Kentucky is what area if town is prominent for multifamily homes?

The last guy to rent this was an architect.

Do you "need" an architect (for Single Family Residential here in Seattle)? 

It is a 2000 sq ft 3/2 log cabin on 24 acres with access to a prominent lake for my area.

We had the same audit & after the building inspector, our commercial architect, fire chief etc finished I had to design, install a fire sprinkler system, complete with 24/7 first responder monitoring .