Buying a House with a Pool? Get a Pool Pro Inspection.

A Guide For Home Buyers and Realtors

Owning a pool is part of the American dream—backyard BBQs, morning laps, and cooling off with family and friends all Summer. But a pool is also complex machinery that requires care, maintenance, money, and safety precautions. Before you fall in love with the dream, here is everything you need to know as the potential owner of a sparkling pool!

The Realities of Pool Ownership

Here is a list of things to consider during the purchasing process:

• Monthly Cleaning/ Maintenance Costs: For professional cleaning and maintenance services in Austin, expect to budget $200–$300+ per month. This should include the majority of chemicals needed to keep your pool clean and safe to swim in, but there could also be some additional chemical costs, especially if your new pool has been inadequately maintained.

• Utilities: Water and electricity usage - can add up to an additional $80 - $150 per month, or more depending on your filter equipment, heating  and lighting.

• Insurance: Pools increase liability. Your homeowner's insurance premium may be higher, so check in with your insurance company.

• Safety Barriers: Does the pool meet current local safety codes? You may be legally required to install new fencing, self-closing gates, or door alarms before moving in.

• Equipment Repairs: Pool equipment doesn’t last forever. Pumps, filters, plumbing, automation, lighting, heaters and more can malfunction, needing repair, or sometimes even replacement. 

• Resurfacing: Pools need to be resurfaced (plaster, pebble, or vinyl liner replacement) every 10–15 years. This is a major capital expense ranging from $10,000 to $35,000+ depending on the pool.

  
  

Five Critical Questions to Ask the Seller

Don’t rely on the listing description. Ask these specific questions to gauge the pool's health:

1. "When was the pool last resurfaced?" (If it’s been over 10 years, budget for a redo soon.)

2. "How old is the equipment (pump, filter, heater) and what is their repair history?" (Pumps last ~8-12 years; heaters often less.)

3. "Have you noticed any water loss greater than evaporation?" (This points to leaks.)

4. "Who maintains the pool?" (Ask for service records. Professional logs are gold; DIY is a wildcard.)

5. "Does the heater work?" (Heaters are frequently broken and left unrepaired because they are expensive to fix.)

   
   

The Golden Rule for Inspections: Hire a "Pool Pro," Not a Generalist

Most general home inspectors are excellent at checking the roof and plumbing, but they are not pool experts. In a standard inspection, they often only do a high level check of the equipment and water chemistry, and are only looking for obvious signs of structural damage or safety concerns. 

An Inspector who is also a Pool Professional, will look for all of this and more. They have usually managed projects that range from building pools, to upgrading and replacing entire equipment pads, and remodeling decades-old pools to bring them up to code and function with modern equipment and technology. 

You need an Inspector who is an experienced Pool Pro to check for:

• Leaks: A Pool Pro can perform a dye test, and know exactly where to look for water to detect leaks and know when calling in a Leak Detection Specialist is necessary.

• Structural Integrity: Distinguishing between superficial surface cracks, structural shell failure, or ASR (concrete cancer) can make or break the value of the pool and the home.

• Equipment Health: Air leaks, faulty glue joints, and bad unions are all things that can lead to much more costly repairs down the road. 

• Equipment Age: Pool equipment manufacturers have been at the forefront of refinement and innovation, but some legacy systems are still intact today. Unless your Inspector has been in the industry for over a decade they may not even know how to operate it.

• A thorough heater inspection: can take 2-4 hours, depending on the system. A general inspector will just check to see if it turns on.

• Safety Code Compliance: Ensuring drains are VGB-compliant (anti-entrapment) and electrical bonding is safe to prevent shock hazards. 

Thinking about buying a house with a pool? Ask the right questions. Get a Pool Pro Inspection.

Asking the right questions and doing your due diligence is essential when thinking about buying a house with a pool. Remodeling a pool or replacing an entire equipment pad can cost as much as a new roof (or more!), so spending a few hundred dollars on a specialized pool inspection in the lead up to purchasing your new home can save you tens of thousands out of pocket later. If there are some serious, expensive problems that arise, the cost can be leveraged when negotiating your final sale price.

Pyramid Pool Service now provides a comprehensive, fully transparent Pool Inspection service for realtors and new home buyers. For more info on our Home Buyer Inspections, visit our Services page, or click the link below for a downloadable version.

Realtor and Buyer Guide + Home Buyer Pool Inspections.pdf

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Download our Realtor and Home Buyer Guide at the link above.