Things To Look For When Buying A House That Already Has A Pool (updated)

If you are thinking about buying a house that already has a pool, you should know a few things before you get yourself in trouble. A swimming pool can often be like buying a used car, you could be buying someone else's headache. Here are some things to look for and to ponder when you are looking at a "used" pool...

How well was the pool taken care of?
Pools are just like everything else, some people take care of them, some people pay someone to take care of them and some people have nothing to do with them. How much care was given is usually indicative of how much you may have to fix down the road. Plus a well kept pool is easier to deal with when you move in.

Did the owner service the pool or did a service company?
Most of the time, a homeowner who does their own service work is not a problem. But, they may have thought they were doing it right when they were doing something horribly wrong. Water chemistry is a big one, something slightly off can slowly ruin the finish.

How old is the pool?
Depending on the type of pool it is, age can be problem. It could be just clinging onto life. You may not be able to buy parts for it anymore. You should be looking for how long you are going to enjoy it before having to fix problems yourself.

Is the cover on the pool?
Believe it or not, there are people that buy their house while the cover is on and without ever taking a look inside the pool. In the winter it may be difficult (it is not impossible) to have the cover off for you to look in the pool. It is absolutely necessary to get a look. Even if just a section of the cover is rolled back. If you buy a house with the pool covered, good luck. Imagine going to look at the house but there was a big pest control tent over it. You couldn't go in it at the time. Would you buy the house anyway? Same thing with the pool.

Does it look like it just had cosmetic work done to it? Is it a complete makeover, or is it just enough to distract you into thinking it is new?
Many times a seller will get something like tile work done to spruce up the pool to sell. They may be doing the cheapest, most noticed thing to hide other problems. It is like how a realtor takes you into a house, there is always a reason for which way you go in. It could be to hide something or to create a feel or something else. What if the pool needed a new plaster finish and the seller just slapped some paint over it? They just did you a great disservice because it would have been cheaper for you to have the pool replastered than what will be involved in removing the paint now.

Does the equipment look old or outdated?
Older equipment can work and do its job just fine. You should just realize that getting parts for older equipment may be a problem as well as it may be nearing the end of its life cycle.

Is the pool running while you are there?
You need to see the pool running and not just for a couple of minutes. Did they go over and turn it on to show you that it works and turned it right back off? Red flag if so. A pool should be running the entire time you are there so you can see if everything looks okay.

Are there any signs that the pool was filled right before you got there?
One trick sellers use to hide a leak is to fill the pool right before you get there. Is there a hose still run to it or nearby? Is there water on the deck from just pulling the hose out. You don't want to buy a pool that is leaking, so look for any indicators that it might be.

Ask the seller lots of questions about the pool. Are they skirting around something, stumbling through explanations, etc? Asking a yes or no question will usually leave you with a yes or no answer. Asking more in depth questions that may reveal more to the story is the best thing to do.

Who built the pool? Are they still in business? What was their reputation?
Was it some fly by night operation that is long gone? If something is wrong, you need to know who to go back to and if they are going to do anything to help you.

Is the pool still under warranty? Is the warranty transferable to you?
No warranty equals full responsibility for anything that happens. Of course, a transferable warranty may have a million conditions in it and be worthless anyway. You should read any paperwork you get. Something as simple as the previous owner not maintaining proper water chemistry can void a warranty for you. A pool company can very easily determine that the water was out of balance and therefore it is not covered under warranty.

Was the seller the person that built the pool or was it there?
If they were there, they will probably have more information about the pool.

Is the seller willing to walk through how to run the pool?
You should know who is going to teach you how to run the pool. If they are willing to do it, that is normally a good sign.

Has the pool been renovated at any point? How long ago?
A recent renovation isn't necessarily a good thing. The seller may have needed to do some major work to the pool but went the cheapest route possible. Pool renovation companies turn down doing something like this all the time but there is always someone else out there willing to do something like this. Maybe the tile needed to be replaced and the seller just slapped a few tiles back up there to make it look good.

Put your hand into the pool and feel the finish (particularly the top step). Is it rough, feel like it is going to need to be replaced soon?

Are there any signs of leaks?
Look for drips in the plumbing, lower than normal pressure and wet areas around the pool.

Does anything look suspicious?
The more you look, the more you will find.

Can you take a water sample somewhere for analysis?
Water chemistry can tell you a lot about a pool. Plus, you want a water sample from the source where you will be filling the pool from on occasion. If you can't use that water for some reason, how are you going to fill the pool?

It is important to assess just how bad you want that house and how much risk you are willing to take with the pool. For some, the house outweighs the pool. Also, it may be really exciting that there is a pool. Therefore sparking an emotional attachment to buying the house (realtors live for this). You have to have your rational self present with you while you are being shown the house.