The only thing I've signed to date is a counter-offer where the an
entry exists that say "ernest deposit to become non-refundable after
inspection period and all contingencies are removed, including
financing." I had no problem with this at the time because it's called
an "inspection PERIOD". This goes back to my original posting - when
is an inspection period not an inspection period? To reiterate my
belief is that this should be a period where discovery is made as to
problems with the home and there are on-going negotiations between the
seller and myself until we come to an agreement or I decide to walk
away. Since (according to my realtor), the second I deliver the
inspection report with my requests to the seller my deposit is lost
what's the point? I guess the only point is that since I now know what
the problems are with the home, to use that information to make my best
guess as to how much it will cost to repair the problems and be
prepared to fix them at my expense or just walk away from the deal.

Tom