How long will the process take from start to finish?

The purpose of the property inspection is to know what the "as-is" condition is. After knowing this, a purchaser can decide whether to move forward or not. Typically there are certain items such as active leaks, structural issues, health and safety hazards that a purchaser would need the seller to fix as a condition to move forward. However, depending on market conditions and negotiations, a purchaser may have leverage to request the seller to fix or give a credit for smaller issues.