Or it may be that real estate agents, property inspectors, and the parties to the transaction can supply all the information needed to process an appraisal.

Example, a local realtor where I used to live sold a beautiful cabin to a family after it was noted by the building inspector that it was sliding down the hill it was built on. 

I have my home inspector and a general contractor coming in this weekend.

I'm looking at home inspectors and some of them offer additional services for extra money (i.e termite inspection).

.❌ “The city inspector is too busy to come today, so that’s the reason why we aren’t at your renovation.”Every morning, you wake up with this “pit” in your stomach, wondering if your contractor is going to show up today, or not.

I also don't know what's going on underneath with the floor joists (inspector couldn't get underneath the house).I can't decide how to proceed with flooring contractors, as I have no construction/rehab experience.

The numbers work fabulously but a home built in 1900 is a can of worms so since this is a first investment make sure you have a contractor and inspector walk the property with you.

The inspector is not an expert on these things so I don’t want to be overly reliant on his report. 

I'm looking at your picture and it appears there should be a third tab in the back that could be screwed down.Talk to the inspector and I'm certain they'll tell you exactly what is wrong and exactly what is needed to fix it.

Agents can also be helpful by their network (reliable lenders, inspectors, contractors, property managers, etc).Nobody has a crystal ball but we do know Fed will raise rates as they believe our "strong economy" can support it and curb inflation.