I look for properties which went under contract and then went back on the market that as well as cash offer with no inspection and no survey seem to have worked well for me to get a lower price 

Conduct a follow-up inspection to confirm they're back in compliance.

All contractors HVAC or otherwise know to check the furnace filters on any service call and to replace if dirty and charge.We do periodic inspections, one of them by a 3rd party company and they use the punch list to which you're referring.

I recognize that there are difficulties inspecting things that are behind drywall and the like. 

not a house inspection or anything, just a person with their cell phone given your specific instructions, for example, during rehab project:drive up to the driveway, take pictures of the front and sides to see the lawn worksee signs that the building materials are properly disposed of, record a videosee signs the contractors are workingor prior to purchase of a property:take a 360-degree video of the propertygo to the property at 9 am, 3 pm, or 9 pm to see the neighborhood situationI've seen horror stories where the contractors have not worked on the project for weeks without the owner knowing, or real estate agents not telling the whole story about the neighborhood, I wonder if this gut check service is something you would use?

If you are doing a worcester 3 family, find out how many they have inspected. 

I'm getting a structural inspection next week but I'm pretty sure I know how it will go.

My buyer want the disclosures before paying for an inspection.

Inspection revealed major issues with the property, some of which were not disclosed: evidence of foundation problem (stair-step and horizontal cracks, bowing towards the inside of the basement, uneven floors in units); basement leaks, roof leaks, 1 furnace is putting out carbon monoxide and needs to be repaired, etc. 

So you can't really do the analysis until you do the inspection?