cant decide on this new house

So I am moving once agian, I have a roach problem in the house Im leasing right now, its really bad, the previous tenants must have been slobs.

Anyway I found this fantastic house! It is a 3,000sqft house and 20,000sqft lot which is perfect for the animals. They are even willing to lower the rent price for us if we are willing to move asap, which we are. There is one issue with this new house though, and I wanted to get your opinons.

The pool is messed up and the landlord said once they get a deposit for the house that they were going to use that money to fix the pool, the landlord said if she had to guess it would take about 3 weeks to fix.

My issue is I dont know if I want to move to a place only to have workers come over everyday for 3 weeks to a month. Thats the only issue Im having with this possible new house. I havnt been able to find any other house like this one, and like I said the pool is the only issue.

So my question is would you move in somewhere where they were going to work on something for about a month with people coming over everyday, or would you find another house that may not be as great, but is move in ready?

Thanks!

I also wanted to ad one of my friends was concerned about my possible new landlords, he said if they have to wait for the deposit to fix the pool then they must have no money and if anything else were to break would they fix it? He made a good point I thought.

Good grief hun, if I had somewhere with a pool, I'd JUMP at the chance to have people come and fix it up, no matter how long they'd have to spend doing it!!

IMO since the pool is outside, its not like you'd have the workers in your house. I'd take it - price is right, space is great. Go for it!

My advice, get everything they say in writing. If they say it will "x" amount of days to fix the pool, make them sign for that. If they say some off rent due to the pool and moving in right away, get that in writing!
Before you officially "move" in you need to go thru the house with the landlord or with another person, take pictures, and document everything in the house, the condition, etc.

I say this b/c the one time I did not do this I lost a huge deposit for no reason, and was left fixing up things the landlord said they would do before I moved in, but never did a thing. The next time I was smarter, documented everything, and went to court when the next landlord tried to keep my deposit and won.

Landlords have not be very trustworthy to me. They seem like it in the beginning but then they don't fix things and that is okay with me, I have a handy man that doesn't mind doing things but it is not okay when they keep my deposit when I did nothing to deserve that.

It is just better to keep a paper trail and a picture trail. It is a red flag to me they don't fix it before you move in. That is part of being a landlord, keeping the house up.

If you are at all concerned with money, just a heads up, pools are huge money eaters to upkeep.

I would take it too. The Pool isnt inside.

Originally Posted by Sydney

I also wanted to ad one of my friends was concerned about my possible new landlords, he said if they have to wait for the deposit to fix the pool then they must have no money and if anything else were to break would they fix it? He made a good point I thought.

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I'd say take it! Pools are expensive to fix depending on what is wrong with it. They might just need that little extra bit from the deposit to fix it or not want to bother using all the money to fix it if they house isnt going to actually get rented out, since that might cause the pool to just fall in disrepair again and they would have to get it fixed again.

And yea, just get everything it writing so they cant back out of it or anything!

I agree with what everyone said but I would get more info on who is responsible for the pools upkeep/electrical costs/pool cleaning supplies etc.

Pools are not every common in Wisconsin esp in ground ones but there is maintenance/upkeep costs to keep in mind.

I would check into building code requirements too.

I would jump on it with both feet! I had a house with a big inground pool, and it was wonderful. It was a little bit of a pain to begin with, but once we got it straightened out, which was not as difficult as we thought it would be, it was heavenly to be able to come home from work at night and have a nice float in the pool.

Yep, I'd take it too

Originally Posted by Sydney

I also wanted to ad one of my friends was concerned about my possible new landlords, he said if they have to wait for the deposit to fix the pool then they must have no money and if anything else were to break would they fix it? He made a good point I thought.

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In their defense... they may be making two mortgage payments, and once they have someone in the house they will have money to spend on upkeep.

I think it sounds perfect. And the workers wouldnt bother me any... you'll busy busy unpacking and decorating and it will be over and swim season before you know it!

I agree, I am kinda mad at myself for going a lil cheaper on my apartment, just so i could get in sooner, and missed out on a great deal at another apartment complex, that has everything i wanted..lol I alsowent through and did the documentation thing. I hope it all works out.

I'd never want a pool again. I sound like I'm in the minority, but I hated my inground pool. It was very expensive to maintain, and the liability issues were enormous.

Before deciding, make sure who is going to pay for pool upkeep/chemicals, and also see who is liable in case of pool accidents.

Thanks for all the advice.

The reason why I was worried about workers being outside by the pool is because I have 4 dogs that need to be outside to go potty and play, and Im concerned that they might get out somehow, or I wouldnt be able to let them out whenever I wanted or they wanted. Also another concern was that it would take longer then they say to fix it.

I like the idea of one poster on having everything in writing about when and how long they will be working on it.
Now Im afraid my moms the one with cold feet, Ive had so many bad experiances with rentals.

Im going to call the landlord agian today and see if she can get exact details on the pool project.

Thanks agian!

I really don't know if you can get in writing how long the workers will be there. Since it's outside work, a lot can depend on weather, and who knows what problems they will run into once they start. DH does side work as a contractor and weather always seems to screw up his schedule when he has an outside job. But, most companies are paid by the job, not by the hour so they will probably want to get it done asap so they can move on to the next.

I agree though, get what you can in writing. Also, get in writing who is responsible for the upkeep of the pool. They are NOT CHEAP and very time consuming. Even the smaller, above ground pools require a lot of maintance. My MIL found that out when my BIL put up their pool in her yard for his kids. It was a pain in the butt!

But, the house sounds great!!

I assume you will be responsible for the cleaning and chemicals in your pool, but they should be responsible for physical repairs to the pool itself and also to the filters, motors and plumbing.

We have a large kayak, and I can attest to the extra expenses. You not only have to consider the chemicals, but the added expense of water and electric. Also consider the time you have to invest vacuuming and such.

Another thing regarding the pool. Who will be responsible when it comes to winterizing it? Does it have a pool cover already? Is it a safety pool cover so the dogs arent getting trapped in it? Do they have a vacuum for it? Solar Cover? Nets?

All that said, we love our pool and wouldnt trade it for anything.

Good luck on your decision!

I would love love love to have a swimming pool, the reason why they want a deposit is to be safe.