They even drilled wholes in every wall and used some kind of sniffer to try and detect latent oders.  

A 1900 yr old built home can bring many problems down the line, if they haven't been detected before hand.

2) Since I am on the east coast, can snow cover up problems with homes (cracks, yard issues, etc.) and make it harder to inspect them or does the colder weather make issues even more apparent thus easier to detect?

As a new flipper, just curious of a couple things:do title searches not detect code violations such as this?

we used Lexus in our lending business.. mainly for fraud detection.. although at least for the product we had .you needed a brick and motor and you needed to be a licensed lender.. and I think licensed PI's can get it as well.It did not seem you could just come in off the street and get the subscription. at least the product we had.

He also says when he gets return mail, you must “[b]ecome a detective and hunt down that elusive owner.”

I'm a Paid Pro member and to use my Company Logo which says: "Increase your Networth" is advertising According to the BP Detective or who ever decides what is advertising to charge more on this Web Site...Well you didn't give your development name.

We have a six unit on well  and I try to be vigilant on leaks, we put a water meter in and it really helped with leak detection. 

It's almost like how I just discovered the True Detective series and its greatness.  

I would recommend reading the book Landlording On Autopilot, written by police detective turned real estate investor.