One is the absolute fear that paralyzes passive investors or sponsors and prevents them from buying additional properties or entering the real estate market.

If it's a market that doesn't implement mandatory city inspections and it's very common, as long as a licensed inspector said that things look good/safe it might not be a deal-breaker! 

If the city has to cite the property, they are going to cite the owner so owners are implementing measures to protect themselves. 

Polis encourage counties with such limitations not enforce them during COVID as a means to help prevent homelessness I think sets precedent for these limitations to go away at some point in the future. 

That said, there are certainly tactics you can (and should) be implementing at different parts of the cycle -- and at the inflection points -- to maximize profits on transactional deals and minimize risk.For more details, BP has a book on the topic (I'm the author):https://www.biggerpockets.com/...And I also did a couple BP podcasts on the topic last year:https://www.biggerpockets.com/...https://www.biggerpockets.com/...

Ideally there would be some way to identify the following characteristics:Duplex - Fourplex allowed via zoning (though around Houston we lack zoning), also without deed restriction preventing duplex builds (where community says what is/is not allowed)Dimensions - Ideally 100-150' frontageSquare FootagePriceFlood zone (ideally 500 year+)Neighborhood stats (Crime, School, local storesShould it be as simple as calling a bunch of agents/land brokers and saying what I want or is there a data/software package I can buy?

@Bjorn Ahlblad TY for the link.The article is from 2008 + the suggestions on prevention are "weak" in my opinion. 

Their actual crime prevention ability is highly questionable. 

The worst case scenario is for a person to be exposed to a preventable disease that is 100% fatal.

As the leases start to expire slowly implement the new ones with all charges you wish to include.