01. The window is shorter than it feels
The standard Arizona contract gives buyers a defined inspection period, commonly 7 to 15 calendar days from acceptance, to complete all inspections and deliver the BINSR. Weekends and holidays count. If you have watched houses for months, resist the urge to relax now: this is the period that protects you, and it moves on a hard calendar.
03. The general inspection goes first
Book the general home inspection immediately, ideally within the first days of the window, so results arrive in time to act. The inspector walks the roof, foundation, structure, electrical, plumbing, heating, and cooling, and reports what needs attention, from maintenance items to material defects. Attend the inspection if you can. You learn more in two hours on site than in any report.
05. Bring in the specialists when the house earns it
Arizona houses come with Arizona specialties: pool and spa inspections, roof inspections on aging tile or foam, separate evaluation of an aging AC system, and a qualified sewer scope on older homes. Termite and pest reports are routine. Spend where the house is old or complex, and let the general inspection tell you where that is.
07. Everything funnels into one form
Every finding funnels into the single BINSR notice: repairs you want, a credit you will accept, as-is acceptance, or a clean termination. The seller responds on the same form, and from there you negotiate with deadline pressure on both sides. This is where representation shows: a broker who has negotiated hundreds of BINSR replies knows which asks get granted, which get countered, and which ones kill the deal.
09. Prices, not emotions
Keep the inspection conversations about money and condition, not feelings. Most issues have a price to fix, and the question is simply who pays. When the numbers are on the table, the deal usually finds its way home.
Written by the broker
Todd J. Smith, Associate Broker at My Home Group
Forty years in Arizona real estate, nearly 3,000 escrows guided, and 100 homes sold. I sell representation, not houses.
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