Advice on purchasing a home with a beat up inground pool

[liquid1287]

First I'm sorry if this is not in the right spot. I wasn't sure where to post this.

I'm looking at purchasing a home with an in ground pool. This house was a previous foreclosure and the pool hasn’t been used in about 6yrs to my investigation.

A local pool company had an estimate back in 2008 to repair the pool. It needs a new liner and vermiculite replace. At that time is was about $10K. Best guess now is probably close to $15K. It is a 16X32 pool not sure how deep but it had a diving board. The pump and filter look in good shape but I have no idea if they work or anything else.

We live in Michigan and currently have a 5K gal 16’ Intex pool. We love the idea of upgrading our house and pool but the big question is it worth the investment? Our realtor has told us pools add no value and many view as a liability.

I hate to fill this in as I know it was a huge investment initially. We would still like to have a pool, option to fill in the current pool and install a REAL aboveground.

Has anyone ran into anything like this? Any suggestions, options or opinions are appreciated.

 

[Sseaman]

It sounds like you are pool people since you already have one, I wouldn't let this keep me from buying the house if you like everything else about it. The cost to repair sounds like it still would be much cheaper that constructing a new pool.


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[kcindc]

I bought a foreclosed house with a neglected inground pool. I had no idea what I was getting myself into and from cost basis, have spent more getting the pool in working order vs the cost to fill in. I had a pool contractor come out and give me an inspection report just like a home inspector would. He couldn't test everything since it was in foreclosure, but at least I knew exactly what needed attention, what order to replace/repair and a ball park cost estimate for each time. I also had the same pool contractor come back out after I closed so that he could do a thorough review.

I ended up spending a serious amount of $$$ just get the pool up and running... it is still ugly, but it works at this point (except my lights... I still need to replace those along with redoing the entire electrical for the lights.

I suggest getting someone to come out and inspect the pool, give you a detailed report with estimates and take that amount off the amount you would offer on the home.

Best of luck!

 

[Richard320]

It's a liner pool -- it'll look great as soon as it's fixed. People with plaster pools are stuck with whatever staining and chipping is hidden beneath the slime.

That's a good sized pool, probably over 20,000 gallons.

20,000 gallons = 2667 cubic feet = 100 cubic yards. How much is fill dirt going for where you live? You may find filling it in is almost as much as fixing it!

How long do you plan to live there? Resale value should only be a consideration if you plan to flip the house. If you like having a pool and you plan to stay there a decade or more, enjoy it!

 

[steveg_nh]

$15k sounds steep if it just needs a liner and some bottom repair. Did you shop around?

I just don't get realtors saying a pool is bad for business. I look at what we just did, and if I was looking for a house, and saw my backyard, my first reaction would be "JACKPOT!" I guess if you don't want a pool, then yes, it could be bad for the seller, but I look at my house, and I don't see anyone buying it if they didn't have a large family, for which a pool would be attractive.

 

[smforte]

Bought a foreclosure 2 yrs ago with a 18 x 36 Grecian pool. Pool sat for a year or so and was scared to death I was buying a pig in a poke. I had local pool man look at it. We knew the pump was working cause house had electricity but the pump basket hadn't been emptied in forever. Liner is off track in a couple of spots, the Polaris booster pump was burn up and polaris cleaner no where to be seen. Other than that, I got lucky. Got pool stored a couple of times til I found TFP. Now I have a sparkling crystal clear pool!

 

[Isaac-1]

I also don't get it with real estate people, they tell sellers that a pool does not add to the value of a house, they tell buyers, even the ones that say they want a pool that a pool adds nothing to the value of a house, then show buyers houses without pools and say that they could always add one, glossing over the extra $30,000-$50,000 expense of a typical pool. I have even heard them tell people to not pay extra for a pool.... As to the case here I too think the cost difference between filling it in and fixing it are going to be close, and the question is do you want a pool.

Ike

 

[KDFraz]

Bought a foreclosure 2 yrs ago with a 18 x 36 Grecian pool. Pool sat for a year or so and was scared to death I was buying a pig in a poke. I had local pool man look at it. We knew the pump was working cause house had electricity but the pump basket hadn't been emptied in forever. Liner is off track in a couple of spots, the Polaris booster pump was burn up and polaris cleaner no where to be seen. Other than that, I got lucky. Got pool stored a couple of times til I found TFP. Now I have a sparkling crystal clear pool!

I hope I'm as lucky as you

 

[jjwalker]

I'm with the others saying it should not prevent you from buying the house. A liner pool is easier to repair because they are less invasive to take apart...best thing is it can probably be done in stages according to your pocket book and if you are a mid level DIY'er probably do alot of the up front leg work to get it going again.

good luck!

 

[Schroedz]

I'm currently having all new vermiculite and liner put in because it was an absolute mess when I bought the house last year. My pool is 16x36 Grecian approx 3ft to 8ft deep.

Here's the quote I have. I'm in WV.

Rework bottom of pool with new vermiculite $4,330.00
Prep bottom of pool $1,500.00
Wall foam entire pool walls $ 175.00
Install new liner $1,400.00
New liner (28 Mil) $2,900.00
Grand total $10,305.00.

That doesn't include filling with water once the liner is in.

I saved money by getting a new filter and dual speed pump online.

Hope it helps.

Here's my thread if you want to hop on over and see what I'm talking about.
http://www.troublefreepool.com/threads/78271-Pool-Renovation-Mburg-WV-With-Pics

 

[sargent]

I bought a foreclosure last fall with a 16 x 32 vinyl liner pool that needed liner replaced, vermiculite patching, and new liner track. Cost was around $4100.



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[laceygirl]

Liner pools are easy to fix.... I wish I could buy a house with a neglected pool.... I love a good fixer upper.... And plus I'm the best shopper on the internet, I don't pay close to retail for anything...

 

[glitter&guns]

I bought a house with an ugly pool. I knew I was going to have a refinish and some electrical work to do. Plus I had some cracking on the cantilever deck. I got really lucky and the equipment ran - I wasn't sure what was going to be involved in that. I figured even if I spent $20,000 on it, it was far cheaper than putting in a pool. I left mine ugly for a year. I would do it again.

Good luck!!!