How Soon After My Offer Should I Schedule an Inspection?
Quick answer: Immediately — ideally the same day your offer is accepted. Your inspection contingency clock starts the moment the purchase agreement is signed, and in Minnesota that window is often just 5 days. Booking right away ensures you get the inspection done, receive the 24-hour report, and have time to negotiate before the contingency expires. In a busy market, waiting even two days can leave you scrambling.
The contingency clock is the deadline that matters
When your offer is accepted, the purchase agreement gives you a defined inspection contingency period — the window in which you can inspect, review findings, and request repairs or terminate. In Minnesota this is commonly around 5 calendar days, though it varies by contract. Every day you wait to book is a day off that clock. Treat scheduling the inspection as the first thing you do after acceptance.
| Day | What should happen |
|---|---|
| Day 0 (acceptance) | Book the inspection and any add-ons (radon, sewer scope) |
| Day 1–2 | Inspection performed; report delivered within 24 hours |
| Day 2–3 | Review report with your agent, decide on requests |
| Day 3–5 | Submit repair/credit requests or terminate before window closes |
Why the 24-hour report is decisive
A short contingency window only works if the report arrives fast. SPEC delivers the photo-documented Spectora report within 24 hours of the inspection, which leaves you real time to act. Pair that with same-week scheduling and you can comfortably complete the full cycle inside a 5-day window — inspect, review, negotiate.
Don't forget radon timing
If you're adding a radon test — and in Dakota County you should — remember the monitor runs for 48 hours. That alone can eat much of a 5-day window, so booking on day zero isn't optional, it's necessary. See is radon testing worth it in Burnsville.
A real Burnsville example
A buyer won a 1979 split-level near Buck Hill in a competitive situation with a 5-day inspection contingency. They called to schedule the morning their offer was accepted. The inspection happened on day two with a radon monitor placed the same visit; the report arrived the next morning, the radon result came back on day four at 4.6 pCi/L, and they submitted a request for a seller-funded mitigation system with a full day to spare. A buyer who waited until day three to book would have run out of clock.
What if your contingency is longer?
Some agreements grant more time. Even so, booking early protects you against inspector availability in a busy market and gives you margin to add a sewer scope or schedule a specialist follow-up if a finding warrants it.