I would suggest you go with a list of items to look out for, and check off your list so that you don’t miss anything. My list would go something like this based on the categories we established earlier:

Site and surroundings

Location

• Site location details (road names, address, major landmarks etc)
• Current context – existing buildings, car parking, roads.

Neighbourhood context

• Look at existing and proposed building uses in the neighbourhood
• What condition are the buildings in?
• Are there exterior spaces and what are they used for?
• Are there activities in the neighbourhood that may create strong vehicle or pedestrian traffic?
• Existing vehicle movement patterns, major and minor roads, bus routes and stops.
• Street lighting
• Vernacular context, materials, architectural features, fenestration, landscaping, parking, building heights
• Any nearby historical buildings, or buildings of particular significance
• Sun and shade patterns during the year
• Building context – what style, period, state of repair are the surrounding buildings? It is a historical/heritage/conservation area? Will your design need to reflect the existing style?
• Is the site close to listed buildings?
• Surfaces and materials around the site.

• Site and Zoning

• Site boundary and dimensions
• Any rights of way through the site and the dimensions
• Any easements location and dimensions
• Buildable area of the site
• Any building height restrictions
• Access to the site – car parking, bus routes, train stations, cycle routes, pedestrian walkways.
• Access to site for construction – will there be any obstacles or restrictions that could affect the construction process?

Natural Features

• Topography of the site, valleys, ridges, slopes etc.
• Vegetation – landscaping, greenery, shrubs and trees, open spaces.
• Site levels. How will this affect your design process? How does the site drainage work, would there be any potential problems with drainage?
• Soil types on site

Man made features

• What was the previous use of the site? Would there be any contamination concerns?
• Are there existing buildings on the site – what is their state of repair? Is there any sign of subsidence or settlement damage?
• Are the existing buildings part of the project?
• Any walls, retaining walls on the site, or other built items

Circulation

• Circulation – how do visitors/pedestrians/traffic to or near the site flow around or within it.
• Accessibility – current provisions of disabled access to the site and how will this need to be considered.
• Does the existing pedestrian movement need to be preserved?
• What is the vehicle peak loads and when?
• Public transport close to the site
• Locations of best access to site for both vehicles and pedestrians
• Travel time to walk across the site

Utilities

• Location of all services: electricity, gas, water, sewer, telephone. This includes both underground and above ground.
• Location of power poles.
• Drainage
• Sub-stations
• 

Sensory

• views – where are the best views to and from the site.
• What are the views of?
• Mark out the positive and negative views.
• Which is the most likely feature aspect?
• Look at views towards the site from different approaches to see how the site would be seen when drawing near to the site. What are the best views of the site, and would these change in the long term?
• Noise, odour and pollution – is the site in a particularly noisy area? Or near industrial buildings that produce levels of pollution. Is it near a facility that creates smoke?

Human and Cultural

• Negative neighbourhood issues such as vandalism and crime.
• What are the attitudes towards the site and the potential build?
• What are the general neighbourhood attitudes about the area?
• What is the cultural, psychological, behavioural and sociological aspects of the surrounding area.
• What is the population, density, family size, ethnic patterns, employment, recreation activities etc.

Climate

• Orientation of the site.
• Weather – how does the weather affect the site? Is it well shaded, exposed?
• How does the temperature, rainfall etc vary throughout the year?
• What are the prevailing wind directions throughout the year?
• What is the sun path throughout the different times of the year, and day.
• 

Take some time to walk around the site as much as possible. Take note of the general topography of the site, and any significant changes in level. Also note any indications of what is underneath the surface, for example, any marsh grasses could suggest that there is a high water table, if the soil is sticky it could indicate the subsoil on the site is clay. If there is any rubble on the site, it could suggest there has been previous development, or possibly landfill on the land.

Many of these site issues (particularly services) would be picked up on a topographical survey or other professional report, but for the benefit of a student site analysis assignment I think it would be good to demonstrate that you have considered the hazards that could be on or around the site.