how to tell if a property is pool friendly before the purchase.
things to look for.
9/30/20264 min read
How to Tell if a Property Is Pool-Friendly Before Your Buyer Makes an Offer
Picture this: your buyer finds the house.
Great neighborhood. Great kitchen. Plenty of bedrooms. And then they walk into the backyard and say the words every realtor loves to hear: “Oh, we could definitely put a pool back here.”
Maybe.
Or maybe that beautiful open patch of grass is sitting on top of a utility easement, has terrible access, and leaves exactly enough usable space for a pool the size of a bathtub. This is why, when a pool is important to your buyer, it’s worth looking at the backyard a little differently before they make an offer. A yard can look huge and still be difficult to build a pool in. On the flip side, I’ve seen smaller yards where a smart layout can make a pool work surprisingly well.
Here are some of the things I look at as a pool designer:
1. Start With the Survey, Not the Grass
One of the biggest mistakes is looking at a backyard and assuming all that grass is usable space. Property lines, building setbacks, utility easements and drainage easements can quickly change the picture. That 20 feet of beautiful open yard along the back fence?
It might not actually be 20 feet of buildable yard.
If the survey is available, that's one of the first things I want to see. It gives us a much better idea of the actual canvas we're working with. And if your buyer is serious about having a pool, finding this out before they buy the house is a whole lot more fun than finding it out afterward.
2. Look Up
Power lines aren't exactly the sexiest part of pool design, but neither is discovering that your perfect pool location isn't so perfect. Take a look at what's overhead. Are there power lines crossing the backyard? Utility poles? Large trees? Anything that could interfere with where the pool needs to go or how construction will happen?
People naturally look down at the yard when they're imagining a pool.
Pool people look everywhere.
We’re weird like that.
3. How Are We Getting a Pool Into the Backyard?
This one gets overlooked all the time.
Pools require equipment. And I'm not talking about a guy with a wheelbarrow and a positive attitude. Excavators, skid steers, dump trucks and other equipment need a way to access the backyard. The amount of available access can have a major impact on how straightforward—or complicated—the project becomes.
Look at the sides of the house. Is there decent access? Is there a fence, retaining wall, HVAC equipment, generator, utility meter or other obstacle in the way? Limited access doesn't automatically mean a pool can't happen. It just means it's something we want to know about early.
Because moving dirt one tiny bucket at a time is technically possible.
It's just not anybody's idea of a good Saturday.
4. Pay Attention to the Slope
A flat backyard and a heavily sloped backyard are two very different pool projects. Again, slope isn't necessarily bad. Actually, elevation changes can create some really impressive opportunities for raised walls, water features, negative edges and multi-level outdoor spaces. But they can also mean retaining walls, additional engineering, drainage considerations and more construction.
If your buyer is imagining a simple backyard pool and the property drops off like the side of a mountain, that's worth discussing before everyone starts picking tile.
5. Where Will the Pool Equipment Go?
Nobody walks into a backyard and says: “Wow. I can really picture the pool pump right there.”
Understandable. But the equipment has to go somewhere. Ideally, we're thinking about equipment location early enough that it doesn't become an afterthought. Where can it sit without becoming the centerpiece of the backyard? How will plumbing get there? What's nearby? Will the homeowner hear it from a bedroom or patio?
These aren't glamorous questions.
They are, however, the questions that separate a backyard that simply has a pool from one that was actually designed.
6. Don't Just Ask, “Will a Pool Fit?”
Ask: “Will the right pool fit?”
This is a big one. Sure, maybe I can physically squeeze a rectangle of water into the backyard. But is that what your buyer actually wants? Do they want a spa? A tanning ledge? Room for lounge chairs? An outdoor kitchen? Grass for the kids or dogs? Space to entertain?
A pool can technically fit and still leave you with a terrible backyard. Good pool design isn't about cramming the largest pool possible into whatever space is left. It's about making the pool, patio, house and yard work together. Sometimes a slightly smaller pool with a much better layout creates a far better backyard.
7. Look at the House From the Backyard
This is something I wish more people did. Stand in the backyard and look back toward the house.
Where are the doors?
Where are the main windows?
Where is the covered patio?
What will you see when you're sitting inside the living room or kitchen?
A pool shouldn't feel like somebody finished building the house and then said, “Well, I guess we'll stick it over there.” The best pool layouts feel connected to the home. Lines make sense. Views make sense. Traffic flow makes sense. You should be thinking about the pool from inside the house, too—not just standing in the middle of the yard.
8. Existing Trees Can Be a Blessing…or a Giant Pain
Mature trees can make a backyard beautiful. They can also be sitting exactly where your pool wants to be. Beyond simply removing a tree, you also have root systems, falling leaves, shade and proximity to the future pool to think about. I'm not saying, “See tree, remove tree.” Please don't send the tree people after me. I'm saying existing landscaping needs to be part of the conversation when deciding whether a property really works for the backyard your buyer has in mind.
So…Is the Property Pool-Friendly?
Sometimes the answer is obvious. Other times, a backyard that looks simple has more going on than you'd expect. And sometimes the weird, challenging backyard is actually the one with the most potential.
That's the fun part of design.
If having a pool is an important part of your buyer's plans, it makes sense to evaluate that before they own the property—not after closing when we're all standing in the backyard staring at an easement that nobody noticed.
Working With a Buyer Who Wants a Pool?
If you're a realtor and your client is considering a property but isn't sure whether their pool plans will work, I can help evaluate the space from a pool designer's perspective.
Give me the property information, survey if available, and an idea of what your buyer wants. I can help determine what looks realistic and, when appropriate, develop a conceptual layout so they can actually see the possibilities.
Because “I'm pretty sure a pool will fit” and “here's how a pool could fit” are two very different conversations to have before making an offer.