The Arizona Inspection Period, SPDS and BINSR: How Your 10 Days Actually Work
October 4, 2026
The short version
Once an offer is accepted, the inspection period produces more questions than any other part of the deal. Not because it is complicated, but because three things happen inside it with three different names, and the dates are unforgiving. Here is how it fits together in the Phoenix area.
The inspection period is your due diligence window
The Arizona Association of REALTORS residential purchase contract gives the buyer an inspection period. The default is 10 days, and the clock starts the day after the seller accepts the contract. During that window you can hire any inspector you want, pull any record you want, read the HOA documents, check the roof after a monsoon, test the water if there is a well, and generally satisfy yourself about the home. The seller has to give you reasonable access.
Two habits save buyers here. First, book the general inspection the day the contract is accepted, because good inspectors fill up and the termite, pool, roof or sewer specialists often come after the general report points at something. Second, read the HOA package the day it arrives. In a master planned community the CC&Rs and the budget are as much a part of the home as the kitchen.
The SPDS is what the seller knows
The Seller's Property Disclosure Statement is a multi page form where the seller answers questions about the property: roof repairs, plumbing problems, pests, insurance claims, additions, HOA issues, disputes with neighbors, and so on. It is required to be delivered early in the inspection period and it is a disclosure, not a warranty. A seller is answering to the best of their knowledge.
Read it looking for two things. Items the seller flagged, which tell your inspector where to spend extra time. And gaps, where a question is skipped or answered with "unknown" on something the seller would normally know. Neither is a deal killer by itself. Both are a reason to look harder before the window closes.
The BINSR is how you respond
BINSR stands for Buyer's Inspection Notice and Seller's Response. It is one form with two halves. On the buyer's half you do one of three things: accept the property as is, cancel the contract, or list the items you want corrected or credited. On the seller's half the seller agrees, declines, or counters.
The form has to be delivered before the inspection period ends. If the seller declines some or all of your requests, the contract gives you a few days after their response to cancel and keep your earnest money. If you do nothing in that window, you have accepted the home with those items unresolved. This is the part people miss. The BINSR is not the end of the negotiation, it is the start of a second, shorter clock.
What goes on the list
Every buyer has a different threshold, but the requests that tend to land are the ones a seller cannot argue with: a safety issue, a system that is not working, something the SPDS said was fine and the inspector found otherwise. Cosmetic items and the normal wear of a lived in home rarely move a seller, and a long list of small things can make the real items harder to get. I would rather ask for the air conditioner evaluation and the roof repair than twenty outlet covers.
A credit instead of a repair is often the cleaner path. You control who does the work and when, and the seller does not have to manage contractors while packing.
What this means for your earnest money
Earnest money in Arizona is usually held by the title company, not the seller. Inside the inspection period, and inside the short window after a seller's BINSR response, a buyer who cancels correctly gets it back. Outside those windows, canceling without another contingency to lean on puts it at risk. The dates are the whole game, which is why your agent calendars every one of them the day the contract is accepted.
If you are getting ready to write an offer and want to see how the timeline lays out for a specific home, start with the search page and save the homes you are considering. I can walk you through the contract dates on any of them before you sign.
Feel free to contact me through previewarizonahomes.com/contact or text me at (623) 826-0888 if you want to talk through your own situation.
Jon Hegreness, REALTOR / Associate Broker, Howe Realty
(623) 826-0888 · JonHegreness@gmail.com · License BR540940000
9059 W Lake Pleasant Pkwy, B-200, Peoria, AZ 85382
PreviewArizonaHomes.com
Common questions
- When does the 10 day inspection period start?
- It starts the day after contract acceptance, not the day you sign or the day you get a copy. The default length in the AAR contract is 10 days, and it can be negotiated to a different number before the contract is signed.
- Can I cancel for any reason during the inspection period?
- If you deliver your notice before the period ends and you are disapproving of items from your inspections or due diligence, you can cancel and the contract provides for your earnest money to be returned. The paperwork and the dates matter, so your agent handles the delivery and keeps the proof.
- What if the seller says no to my repair requests?
- The seller can agree, decline, or offer something different. If they decline, the contract gives you a short window after their response to cancel and keep your earnest money. If you go forward anyway, you accept the home as is on those items.
Jon Hegreness
REALTOR / Associate Broker · Howe Realty
AZ License BR540940000
Full-time Phoenix North Valley REALTOR and Associate Broker with 24 years in Arizona residential real estate. A negotiator and problem solver who works the way you would want a friend in the business to work: direct, on your side, and steady through the parts that get complicated.