A ten-minute walk around the pool can reveal leaks and cracks that grow quietly all winter.
The owner's briefIn Part 2, you stood at the equipment pad and put rough ages on the pump, filter and heater. That shows you what may need replacing soon. Now turn around and look at the pool itself. The shell, the tile and the water line can hide repairs that cost far more than any pump.
This series was shaped with insights from H2O Pool Services, whose crews see the gap between what buyers notice and what pools really need. Their field experience guided much of this part, especially on how to tell a harmless stain from a real warning sign.
Pools tell on themselves when they are open and full. The water sits at a steady level. The tile line is easy to see. Cracks in the plaster show up as thin dark lines under clear water. Once a pool is closed for the season, most of that goes away.
A cover hides the surface. Owners often lower the water below the skimmer. The water may turn cloudy or green. Leaves pile up on top. Even in Phoenix, where many pools stay open all year, owners tend to run the pump less in winter and lay a solar cover on top. Either way, you lose your clear view.
Your notes from the equipment pad check give you half the picture. Leaks and cracks are the other half, and they are the half that grows quietly.
A slow leak keeps pushing water into the soil under the deck. Over a few months, that soil can wash out or swell. The deck may settle or lift. In colder areas, water that gets into a crack can freeze and push it wider. A patch of rough plaster can start to peel and spread. A leak that a tech could have found for a few hundred dollars in October can turn into shell or deck work costing thousands by spring.
That is why the showing matters. It may be the only time you see the pool working the way it normally does.
You do not need tools or a pool background. You need your eyes, your hands and a few minutes without the listing agent rushing you.
The water should sit about halfway up the skimmer opening. If it sits much lower, ask why. Sometimes the owner simply has not topped it off. Other times the pool is losing water faster than heat and sun can explain.
Look for these signs around the water line:
Any one of these is worth a note. Two or more together is worth a leak test before your contingency ends, especially since Phoenix sellers weighing a cash offer or agent often favor buyers who can close on a short timeline.
Not every line is a crisis. Thin, spidery lines in the plaster, often called craze cracks, are usually cosmetic. They come from the surface drying and shrinking over time.
The cracks to worry about look different. They run in a fairly straight line. They may cross from the wall into the floor. They often show up near steps, benches, lights or the skimmer, where the shell changes shape. If one side of the crack sits higher than the other, or the tile above it has popped loose, the shell may be moving.
The guidance from H2O Pool Services that shaped this section is simple: pay attention to where a crack is and whether it lines up with something else. A crack in the plaster that matches a crack in the deck above it deserves a closer look from a pro.
Run your hand along the wall near the steps if the seller allows it. Smooth plaster is healthy. Rough, sandy plaster that scratches your skin is wearing thin. Hollow sounds when you tap the surface with a knuckle can mean the plaster is pulling away from the shell underneath. Dark blotches, rust spots or bare gray areas all point toward a resurface sooner rather than later.
Step back from the water. Look for gaps between the deck and the coping stones. Check for deck sections that tilt toward or away from the pool. Look at the grass, rock and planters nearby. A bed that stays soggy in dry weather, or a strip of turf that is greener than the rest, can be a sign of a leaking line underground. This is easy to miss in small backyard layouts, where plants and pavers crowd right up to the pool and hide the ground.
Reading about it is one thing. Seeing a real cash figure for your own address, with the repair math laid out line by line, is usually what settles the decision. Plenty of owners use our number as a floor and then test the open market against it.
Showings feel rushed. A short, set route keeps you from forgetting anything. Try this order, and take photos as you go.
If you come back for a second showing, compare your water line photos. A visible drop in a few days, with no rain and mild weather, is a strong clue.
Ask the listing agent a few plain questions. How often does the owner add water? Has the pool ever been resurfaced, and when? Has anyone done a leak test? Are there receipts for any crack repairs? Vague answers are not proof of a problem, but they tell you where to aim your inspection.
Pay extra attention if the home is listed as is. Sellers in that spot often will not fix anything, so your findings shape the price you offer instead. Knowing what as is listings really mean in Arizona helps you decide how hard to push.
If you are touring a pool that has already been closed, do not just accept it. Ask if the seller will pull back part of the cover. Ask when the pool was closed and who did the work. Ask whether the lines were cleared of water, because pipes left wet can split during a cold snap.
"A crack that shows up in spring usually started as something small in the fall," says Daniel Reyes, service manager at B&D Pools and Spas. "When lines are not cleared before a freeze, the damage stays hidden under the cover until the pool is opened again." His team's advice on winterizing pipes before freezes shows why a poor closing can leave the next owner with the bill.
If you cannot see the pool at all, write that into your offer. Ask for a pool inspection and a pressure test on the lines during your contingency. A clean report gives you peace of mind. A bad one gives you leverage.
Before you leave, sort your notes into three groups: cosmetic, needs a pro and urgent. Attach photos to each item. Those notes become the backbone of requesting repairs or credits, which is where your findings start to save you real money.
The best time to judge a pool is while it is still open, full and running. During a showing, the water line, the tile, the plaster and the yard around the pool can all point to a hidden leak or a moving shell. Straight cracks near steps and lights, falling water, wet ground and rough plaster are the signs to note. Once a cover goes on, those clues fade, and the damage tends to grow through the colder months.
Ten careful minutes, a few photos and some direct questions can change the deal you sign. Pair your pool notes with what you found at the equipment pad, and you walk into negotiations with facts instead of guesses. That is how you buy the backyard you pictured, not the repair bill someone else left behind.
Kim's Properties has bought homes across Phoenix, Scottsdale, Mesa and the rest of the Valley for more than a decade. Call the office on 24th Street or send a few details online, and you will hear back from our team, not a call center.
