A lot of our properties that we are seeing in the area are in run down condition but have a lot of potential.

Given the condition of the home you are better to let them leave and clean it up VS wasting your time. 

Also, in my places you don't have access to the property to assess its condition.

In a multi-family property situation I would be looking more at the cash on cash return, cashflow and condition of the property as an indication of whether the property is a worthwhile investment, if the price I offer doesn't appraise at a bank that shouldn't matter to me if I ran my numbers correctly and plan to hold the investment long-term. 

But I'm horrible at predicting anything accurately.And here's the dilema - Not doing the 1031 creates the exact market conditions you want to avoid

- What is the soil condition, and will it require any special treatment to be suitable for building?

Can I expense materials the same year as I was doing all the work myself and the majority of work was mostly fixing non-working, absent, hazardous or leaking things (stairs, faucets, some plumbing/pipes, electrical, non functional door handles, some trim fixing/replacement, painting, blinds) in order to bring the place to rentable condition?

What other factors or conditions influence your decisions?

Roof/hvac ageWeather conditions/damage/snow removal/landscaping/salt waterSiding/roof materials (cedar vs stucco, asphalt or rolled versus tile.)Landlord/tenant friendly state  And, as you pointed out, property price. you want to lose money?

I am targeting a 900K house, clean alomst rent ready condition, in Mira Mesa or a good area, with 675K loan at 3.1% interest rate.