Buying a house with an empty concrete pool?

[Muddynubs]

We’re in the process of looking for a home to buy. We’re viewing a home tomorrow that has an empty concrete pool. I’d love to have a pool but because I’ve never lived in a house with a pool, I have some anxiety over my lack of knowledge.

How crazy could things get financially with a pool that has sat empty for who knows how long? With a pump and filter that might need to be replaced? With leaks? With lights that might need to be replaced? I can’t tell a lot from the photos but I think I can see some horizontal cracks on the wall at the deep end, under one of the lights. In the desert southwest I’m not sure how much of a concern ground water pushing on the sides of the pool or freezing pipes from a non-winterized pool is

Obviously if we decide to make an offer on this house we’ll pay for a pool inspection in addition to the home inspection. Will they be able to tell us if there are leaks in the plumbing if the pool is empty? If we’d have to pay to have deep cracks repaired? If we’d be better off filling it in?
Thanks!

 

[Texas Splash]

Welcome! You ask all good questions. Normally we don't leave pools empty for fear of movement from the ground, but in EP I think it may be okay. The sun may have impacted the plaster a bit though. You do mention some horizontal cracks though, so the big question is are they structure cracks all the way through (leaks) or just surface cracks in the plaster? I doubt your home inspection will be able to pinpoint leaks in the shell or in the plumbing, not to mention the pump being operational unless they wish to fill the pool with water first, so you may end-up with some unknowns or anticipated costs reduction on the home for that purpose. Or perhaps you can insist on teh pool being filed, I'm not sure. Something to discuss with your realtor.

But try not to panic as most of these things can be repaired either by a company or in some cases yourself if you are a handy DIY'er. Once you get in the home or have a chance to take some photos, post back here and we'll see what we can do to help. Good luck!

 

[PoolGate]

Is this a foreclosure or can you ask the owner questions about the pool. Like why is it empty? In either case, this could work to your advantage. Normally something like this could get you at least a $10k credit. But with it being such a sellers market, possibly not. Doesn't hurt to ask!

 

[Muddynubs]

Is this a foreclosure or can you ask the owner questions about the pool. Like why is it empty? In either case, this could work to your advantage. Normally something like this could get you at least a $10k credit. But with it being such a sellers market, possibly not. Doesn't hurt to ask!

Not a foreclosure but the listing very clearly states “as is”, which is part of the reason it worries me. It’s only been on the market for about three weeks so I don’t know that we could low ball an offer or not. That will be a question for our realtor. This is good info to have though!

 

[Muddynubs]

Welcome! You ask all good questions. Normally we don't leave pools empty for fear of movement from the ground, but in EP I think it may be okay. The sun may have impacted the plaster a bit though. You do mention some horizontal cracks though, so the big question is are they structure cracks all the way through (leaks) or just surface cracks in the plaster? I doubt your home inspection will be able to pinpoint leaks in the shell or in the plumbing, not to mention the pump being operational unless they wish to fill the pool with water first, so you may end-up with some unknowns or anticipated costs reduction on the home for that purpose. Or perhaps you can insist on teh pool being filed, I'm not sure. Something to discuss with your realtor.

But try not to panic as most of these things can be repaired either by a company or in some cases yourself if you are a handy DIY'er. Once you get in the home or have a chance to take some photos, post back here and we'll see what we can do to help. Good luck!

Thanks so much! I would hate to get in the house and love it only to decide the pool ruins it and this has calmed my anxiety quite a bit. I just don’t want to get into repairs that will eat up all of our savings as new homeowners. I’d sure love to have a pool though!

 

[Jimrahbe]

nubs,

An empty pool, with an unknown history, should trigger a huge discount to the house price... I'd offer them $50K less than what you would for just the house.. If they don't take it, I'd walk away and consider myself lucky.. I would suspect that at a minimum, you will need new plaster, new tile, new coping, and all new equipment.. And that assumes the pool itself does not have major cracks or plumbing issues..

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[PoolGate]

At the bare minimum, if the pool is not salvageable, it will cost about $10k to get rid of it. "As-is" doesn't mean you can't negotiate for that item though. Most "extra" items like pools, sprinkler systems, outbuildings, etc all come "as-is". It's a standard real estate practice. A friend of mine recently purchased a house with solar panels and negotiated about a $3k credit since he was forced to take over the contract on them.

 

[JamesW]

Ask for the records and invoices of anyone who did anything to the pool.

Call the people and ask them to tell you what they know about the pool.

Get a qualified service tech to do a full inspection including pressure testing the lines.

Check the level to see if it's good or off.

Post some pictures here if you want us to look at it.

 

[ajw22]

Take a bunch of pictures of the equipment and the pool. We can help you do a visual assessment of what is there. Measure the size of the pool and estimate the pool depth. Note what the pool deck is made of and its condition. Any signs of cracks in the deck or uneven areas?

Assume pump, filter, chlorinator, and maybe some electrical all need to be redone. That can be $2,000-$3000. The pool probably needs a new plaster job and maybe new tile that run $10,000 - $15,000.

The unknown and risk that you take on is the condition of the pool shell and the underground pipes. The fact that the pool is empty is a red flag. If the pool could hold water the seller probably would have filled it to show the house better.

We have seen folks here rehabilitate and bring back to life buried pools they discovered on their property. You have to be up to take on such a project.

As someone else noted your alternative is to fill in the pool if it turns out to be more then you want to take on.

The house next door to me has had an empty pool for 20 years. The house was built in the 1940's and the pool is probably from the 1970's. Shortly after the current owner bought it I saw him looking over the pool equipment. I went over and chatted with him. He was clueless about the poll and equipment. I showed him that the equipment was disconnected and pipes were broken. I gave him an idea what it would take to get the pool going.

For 15 years he ignored the pool and left it covered and empty. Last week the house went on the market and I see the realtor uncovered the pool and drained it to show buyers the condition of what they are getting.

Your situation looking at a house with an ignored pool is not that unusual. You up for a project?

 

[Muddynubs]

We went and saw it. The pool was legit scary in person. It must have been 12 feet deep, no exaggeration. All of the equipment was exposed to the elements and the PVC was so old it had turned black. We ran for the hills. Thanks for taking the time to reply to me! I really appreciate it.

 

[ajw22]

Give it a while on the market and you can get a bargain with our help.

 

[anon529300]

We went and saw it. The pool was legit scary in person. It must have been 12 feet deep, no exaggeration. All of the equipment was exposed to the elements and the PVC was so old it had turned black. We ran for the hills. Thanks for taking the time to reply to me! I really appreciate it.

Do you have a link to this house and pool that you can share if it's still on the market?