I've always heard "start at the bottom and work your way up". That way you can be sure not to miss something.

A picture of the house, and a bit about the structural damage, would be helpful.

Respectfully, sometimes posters show that they don't know what they don't know by their question. Such is the case here.

If you don't know where to start, it stands to reason that you can't accurately assess whether or not damage is structural and/or how severe. Since you can't make that assessment, how could you know how much to pay for the house?

Start by having a few structural engineers look at it to advise you on the problem and the best way to fix it. You might get different answers from each engineer.

Buy some string, a hammer and a screwdriver to start. What you can't tie up or beat up you can always screw it up.

"Start by having a few structural engineers look at it to advise you on the problem and the best way to fix it. You might get different answers from each engineer."

This is like going to a cardiologist before your GP makes a referral. A General Contractor makes an assessment as to whether or not he needs the services of an engineer. You can end up with a lot of expensive useless math if you get this in the wrong order.

" I bought a property that has structural damage "

Define this structural damage?

Baling wire and chewing gum won't work here. You need to choose a contractor to hire as a consultant first off. No one is going to look at something like that, with that type of BS declaration, for free. If you aren't willing to pay for a consultation, then dial up some heavy equipment operators to demolish it.