"The counter-offer *IS* the Offer for Sale and Purchase or whatever you

call it where you are. "

The point is that the contract should spell out what the contigencies
are, how long the inspection period is, what the buyer/seller rights
are with regard to defects found, etc. This is the core of the issue
and I have yet to see where any of that was spelled out or addressed.

"I see no advantage to presenting the list at the very end of the
inspection period, but I'm not a poker player, as your agent may be.
Let's hope his strategy is good even if he's explaining it poorly. "

Yeah, he could just trust in some strategy from a realtor he doesn't
know. A strategy all the more suspect because I've never seen a case
where it makes sense to hide the inspection report from the seller
until the last minute and this guy claims that once the inspection
period ends, his deposit is binding. Or he could do the smart thing
and get a lawyer to figure out what the hell is going on before he
loses $5K.