If you’re moving this year, your realtor may show you a house with a backyard swimming pool. You may consider having a pool a bonus but, if you haven’t had any experience with pool ownership before, you may be unsure about what to look for.
Here are 5 things to consider before you buying a house with a pool.
Who Built the Pool?
Find out as much as you can about the company who built the pool. Read reviews from customers to find out if pools built by the company are susceptible to problems. A professional pool company will have built the pool to a high standard so that it will have few maintenance issues.
If you do encounter a problem with the pool, knowing who installed it can be very helpful. A reputable company will respond quickly if a pool they built develops a problem.
Maintenance Costs
You will need to find out what maintenance costs are involved in owing a pool and whether you want to handle maintenance yourself or hire a pool service. If you decide to handle the maintenance of the pool yourself, you will need to educate yourself about what’s involved, such as adding pool sanitizers and how to change pump filters.
Other ongoing costs you’ll need to know about:
- The cost of the water itself
- How much it costs to heat the pool (the biggest expense)
- The cost of eventual resurfacing (needed about every 10 years or so)
- The cost of regularly changing water filtration devices
- The potential costs of replacing the heater or pump (things wear out over time)
Find out the age of equipment such as the pool heater, as that will be an indication as to how energy efficient it is. The newer the heater is, the more energy efficient it will be.
Does the pool have a cover? Pool covers aren’t essential, but they do help to keep heat in the pool and leaves and other debris out when the pool’s not in use. It also adds a layer of security to help prevent accidental drownings.
Insurance
Make sure you have enough homeowner’s insurance to cover potential repairs to your pool and liability insurance to cover accidental injury or death to those outside your immediate family. Unfortunately, uninvited guests, like neighbourhood kids, find a pool hard to resist.
Home Inspection
You will need to hire a home inspector who has experience checking pools. A visual inspection should include the pool, pumps, heater, liner, ladders, railing and diving boards, as well as checking for cracks and leaks. Buyers typically ask sellers to repair any structural issues that are found.
Inspectors should also look for ground-fault circuit-interrupter devices that help prevent electrocution. Older pools may not be equipped with them.
Proper Fencing
Proper fencing around the pool is critical. While local requirements may vary, most municipalities require that a backyard pool be properly fenced. Homebuyers need to confirm that the fencing around the pool is in compliance with local bylaws.
As a rule, fencing has to be a certain height and gates must be self-closing.