Clean-out or trash-out:

In wholesale flips, it's frequently necessary to take out trash and generally clean up a property that is a mess after a foreclosure. You're usually selling to a rehab investor, and you'll want them to be able to take a quick look at the property and have a good idea of the amount of work necessary to get it ready for resale.

This person or group is generally the least costly of your contractor resources, as the level of skill required is low for this type of work.

They would generally not be hired to do anything with tools other than just what's necessary to remove items and clean up the house.

General repairs:

This is the "handyman" type person, one who is a "jack of all trades," but not really an expert at any type of repair or renovation job. They would be called upon to do general smaller repairs, such as fixing broken tiles, repairing leaky faucets and replacing broken electrical outlet covers.

This person or group can also bridge the gap between the clean-out group and a renovation contractor. If you're wholesaling, and you've cleaned out the home, but there are holes in sheetrock, you could use this person to remove the sheetrock so your buyer could see the extent of damage behind it.

Specialty trades:

If you have a specific job to be done, such as replacement of a heating unit, new plumbing work, electrical circuit replacement or installation, etc., you will want to have these type of people/companies on your team.

You would call on them normally when you have just one specific trade need, unless you're doing your own general contracting for a rehab or renovation job.

If you're comfortable coordinating the work of multiple trades and supervising the jobs, then you could call on all of them individually for a project.

General contractor:

This is your major job resource. The general contractor is one who can handle major renovations or additions that require multiple specialty trades, such as plumbers, electricians, and carpenters. The general contractor determines the scope of the job, hires the appropriate sub-contractors, and supervises the work.

The general contractor is also an excellent resource for estimates of what work will cost before you buy a property to flip to a rehab investor. You need to have a pretty good idea of what it's going to cost to rehab the property to make sure that there is profit in the deal for both you and your buyer.

Contractor & trades are valuable team members:

Once you have the right contractor and trades people on your team, your real estate investing becomes a win-win for everyone. You get their help in estimation and repair/rehab work, and they get profitable and regular ongoing work from you.

Once you locate reliable people or companies providing quality work at reasonable prices, consider them as very valuable team members. Don't over-use them for free estimates in relation to the work you actually give them.