Hi new here...

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laurieb

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Feb 2, 2011
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I googled for information on how to check out an inground pool in a property I might be purchasing, and came upon this site. Very glad I did. It looks like any information I could possibly want will be here.

As I said, I am going to check out a foreclosure property this weekend. It will be our primary home, so I want to make sure the pool is in good shape and working without too much hassle or expense. It has been covered for 2 years now and the house has been winterized so there is no electric. I know just taking up the cover won't show me anything but green (at best). I do have several years of experience w/an above ground saltwater pool, but what should I look for with an inground? Are there pool inspectors out there and would one be able to tell me anything about a pool that has been closed up that long?

This house is a steal and the pool could make or break the deal, so I am really anxious for it to work out. One thing I do know, when the house was originally put on the market a few years ago, the owner was asking a pretty high price for the area, so I would guess that at that time, the pool was in good shape.

Thanks for any advice.

Thanks - Laurie
 
Welcome to the site.. One thing you want to f
do if your going to end up buying the house, have the pool inspected by a pool company the sametime you have the house done..
 
Welcome to TFP :wave:

Possible congrats on the new POOL, :party: and the house also..LOL

I'm still a new pool owner (1 season) but have learned so much from this site. One thing I have learned is that Pool School in the upper right hand corner of this forum is the plase to start. Second thing is post pictures when you can. You won't believe the wealth of knowledge you could get just from someone looking at a picture. Third thing is post your pool numbers, FC, CYA, PH, CH and so on. Just the pool numbers alone can tell a story about how a pool is acting and possibly what could be wrong with it. and the last thing is Enjoy a Trouble Free Pool. :goodjob:

Mark
 
Thanks - I am going to take my camera this weekend when we go to see the house. I know it needs cosmetic work, as well as anything the pool needs. We will have to decide at what point the house is no longer a bargain. LOL! It is a bank-owned property, so inspections will do little more than let me know what needs to be fixed and allow me to decide if it's worth it. But, if the house is nice enough, inspections are definitely worth it.

I will go to pool school, even if we don't buy this house, it will help me w/ my little above ground this spring. Those little test kits from the stores are such junk.

Laurie
 
Hi, Laurie,

That the pool is still holding water would be a very good sign....no leaks! The plaster may not clean up perfectly but you could still enjoy the pool for years, even if the plaster had some residual staining.

Knowing that the pump would run would certainly be helpful but it's not a deal-breaker if it has to be replaced.

All in all, almost every pool that doesn't have structural damage can be fixed up pretty cheaply with proper water chemistry and a lot of manual labor cleaning it out.

Good luck with your purchase.
 
Hi Laurie,

Looking back on my house inspection experience, it was like taking a 4+ hour class on the history of my house and an invaluable crash course on how to take care of it in the future. My home inspector was terrific. The list of what needed to be repaired and how that info factored into the the bargaining was definitely secondary to the education I received from the inspection process.

Unfortunately, I did not have my pool inspected. (Looking back on it, I'm not sure who I would have gotten to do a meaningful inspection). All the times I visited the house, the sun was shining and the Kreepy Krauley was running and jiggling away, breaking up the surface of the water, hiding all of the many problems with the old, ugly painted plaster surface.

As things turned out, a year into ownership of this house and pool, my husband and I decided to refurbish the pool and surrounding patio. It cost us one-fifth the price of our house, and no, we hadn't planned for that expense. It nearly killed us.

So do take a really hard look at the house and give that pool the hairy eyeball. Don't trust that it "looks OK".

Good luck!

Lana
 
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