I measure this risk (societal risk?)

I think this will be an important shorter-term indicator on the timing of a slowdown, and a good measure of when opportunity is arising again.. 

@James Reynante thanks for the info, I do have a script of questions to be completed to measure level of motivation and to see if a deal could be possible. 

You can meet or exceed the 1% rule and catch some appreciation due to some very measurable factors.

@Matt Roth As far as I am concerned, in the past malls were mainly measured by the amount of so-called 'anchor-stores' (such as Macy's, Bloomingdales, Northstrom etc.) that (I guess) would lead to the assumption that it attracts more customers to the mall...

There is always some measure of "selling" the deal to investors but it must be grounded in a clear-eyed analysis of the risks.Being able to create an accurate financial model / proforma is probably a syndicator's most important skill.

Generally speaking what measures do you take during the acquisition of the asset to help stack the odds in your favor?

@Dennis Canon - A good prospect to me means the seller is super motivated (kinda subjective but I've never seen any objective measurement for this), they have at least 30% equity in the property (based on ARV and mortgage principal remaining), and their price point is in the neighborhood of what my offer would be (i.e., they aren't expecting retail value for their home).  

Spent 20 minutes on the phone giving them my info and measurements.  

This would allow them a more measured transition and let them capture 3 more years of appreciation and cash flow while still garnering tax free treatment on the residence portion.If they go over that  5 year look back for some reason then the entire property would be eligible for 1031 treatment.