Plumbing Contingency?

[Reese Thompson]

My business partner and I are in the process of trying to purchase a duplex.  We noticed on our walkthrough that there is a cast iron sewage pipe in the basement that has a crack in the "U" before it goes through the wall and underground outside.  Since this could be a pretty substantial fix, we wanted to get a quote from a plumber before we made an offer.  Apparently the plumbing business is booming or we're just not asking right because we can't get anyone to quote this job yet. 

Now we're getting a little nervous that somebody else will tie up the property before we do.  We're contemplating making an offer, contingent on the inspection of course, but to make sure that the inspector notes the cracked pipe on the inspection report so that we can still address the issue.

I know this isn't really the hardest issue to overcome, but I want to know what you experts have to say about it.  Does anyone have any experience with a similar situation or ideas for how to handle this?

Thanks in advance!