To own a pool or not to own a pool that is the question.
When looking to purchase a home some buyers see a swimming pool as a plus, while many see it as a negative. The obvious negatives are operational and maintenance costs, and the positives are a place to cool off and escape the summer heat without having to deal with the public.
No matter which side of the fence you are on, no home buyer wants to get saddled with a pool that needs costly repairs in order to function properly. Replacing a vinyl liner can cost between $3,200.00 and $6,000.00, and restoring an old gunite pool can cost between $6,000.00 – $30,000.00 depending.
Removing an unwanted in-ground pool will cost between $5,000.00 and $12,000.00
Keep “pool condition” in mind the next time your looking for a home to buy, if you see there’s a in-ground swimming pool. It maybe a good idea to have it inspected by a professional pool company.
Home Foreclosure & Pool Condition
Many homes have been foreclosed on in recent years, and the previous owners evicted. Many of these evicted people feel they were taken advantage of, and many definitely have been. Some of these homes are vandalized out of anger, and that goes for the pool too!
We have been hired by a few banks in the past two years to clean some pools of foreclosures and short-sales, many of which had pool bottoms that resembled a garbage dump- Full of trash and things like paint, broken glass, gasoline!!! You get the idea.
Swimming Pool Inspection
It’s a good idea to have the pool uncovered, running and clean if you want to have the pool inspected. You can ask your broker or the listing real estate company to get this done.
Here in Massachusetts the real estate market follows the seasons, so it is likely the pool of the home your interested in is clean and running already. If you run into a closed pool in the middle of the summer and the homeowner is still living in the home, this should signal a red flag.
Signs Of Trouble
Water level can be a good indicator of trouble, if the pool water is over 1 foot below the coping/pool edge, it is usually a bad sign, especially with closed pools, closed pools tend to become over filled.
There are a lot of visual clues to watch for, and a few tests you can do with opened and closed swimming pools. Most pool inspectors will not pressure test plumbing, open the pool, or even clean the water to see the pool surface, this is because these maintenance items are time consuming and make inspections not worth the cost.
But, a simple inspection by a pool pro that cost $125.00 may end up giving you quite a bit of leverage at the bargaining table, or save you from spending to much on your new home.
