A pool is the most expensive thing in most backyards, and the one a general home inspection is allowed to skip. The Texas Real Estate Commission’s standards don’t require inspectors to look at pools, spas, or sprinkler systems, so many don’t. I do. I’m Ricky Ray, a TREC-licensed Professional Real Estate Inspector (#22916) and Certified Master Inspector®, and when a home has a pool, I inspect it during the same visit as the house. It’s priced as a separate service, but it’s one appointment, one inspector, and one report.
Why Pools Deserve Their Own Look
Pool equipment lives outside in the Texas sun, runs eight to twelve hours a day, and gets serviced by whoever the last owner could find. A pump or heater is a four-figure repair; a leaking shell or failed plaster is five figures. And the safety side is real: a gate that doesn’t self-latch, a missing drain cover, or an unbonded light are the kinds of problems that hurt people, and they’re common on older pools in Keller, Southlake, Aledo, and across Fort Worth. I inspect the pool the same way I inspect the house: everything visible and accessible, photographed and explained.
What I Look For
The pool and spa inspection covers:
- Shell, plaster, tile, and coping: cracks, delamination, hollow spots, and staining that points to a leak
- Decking, drainage, and settlement around the pool
- Equipment pad: pump, filter, heater, chlorinator or salt cell, valves, and visible plumbing, operated during the visit
- Electrical: bonding, GFCI protection, lighting, timers, and the condition of the equipment wiring
- Safety: barriers, gates and latches, door alarms, drain covers, and handrails
- Skimmers, returns, cleaners, and automation where present
When the home has a sprinkler system, I run it zone by zone and check the controller, backflow preventer, valves, heads, coverage, and any leaks or spray hitting the foundation — which on North Texas clay is a foundation problem waiting to happen.
What a Pool Inspection Is Not
I inspect what can be seen and operated on the day. I don’t pressure-test underground lines, dive the pool, or drain it, and I can’t see under the plaster. If I find signs of a leak or hidden damage, the report says so and recommends a pool contractor for the next step, so you can negotiate from facts rather than guesses.
What You Get
- The pool, spa, and sprinkler system inspected during the same visit as the house, each priced separately
- Photos and findings in the same report, in the same plain-English format
- A clear split between safety items, repairs, and normal wear for a pool this age
- A walkthrough at the equipment pad if you want to see how it all works
What Clients Say
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the pool included in a regular home inspection?
The pool and the sprinkler system are separate services, each with its own fee, but I do them during the same visit and they go in the same report. Tell me about them when you book so I can quote it and allow the time.
Do you inspect above-ground pools and spas?
Yes. Portable spas and above-ground pools get the same equipment, electrical, and safety review.
Can you tell me if the pool is leaking?
I can tell you the signs: water loss, staining, wet spots on the pad, air in the pump. Confirming an underground leak takes a pressure test by a pool contractor, and I’ll say so in the report if I think one is warranted.
Are you licensed and insured?
Yes. TREC license #22916, Certified Master Inspector®, and insured for liability and errors & omissions.
Schedule Your Pool & Sprinkler Inspection
Buying a home with a pool anywhere in the Fort Worth area? Call or text 469-879-2772, or schedule online and let me know about the pool and sprinkler system so I can quote them and allow the extra time.