Again, your LOCAL inspectors are going to know better than we do what sort of shell construction typically leads to problems in YOUR area.

Appropriate pool chemistry is universal; good pool construction is -- at least partly -- local.

Evaluating construction problems is VERY local; you're asking hypothetical questions that can't be answered with a high degree of accuracy, even locally. The answers you can get HERE, where none of us have seen your pool, are simply not going to be worth a whole lot.

Buying a house with an in-ground pool is ALWAYS a riskier and more uncertain process than buying a house without one. Just as it's always prudent to budget for unanticipated repairs on new house, it's a good idea to do so with a pool, too. This is especially true with an in-ground pool that is located in such a way you can't easily cover and ignore it if stuff goes wrong.

There's nothing we can do here to eliminate that uncertainty.

Usually, older shells that don't have cracks and problems, aren't on the verge of getting cracks and problems. But that's only a probability, not a certainty. You CAN get a better idea about the quality of the shell, when they do the coping repairs, since that will likely expose the top of the shell itself. But, again, no guarantees.

Here what's probably the bottom line for you: if your seller won't warrant the pool against major repairs for the next year, and you absolutely cannot afford the risk of $5,000 - $7,000 of unexpected pool repairs, you might want to look for another house. It sounds like you already have evidence that your risks -- apart from the deck / coping issue -- are low, but they are not zero.

Hope that helps with your decision.

PoolDoc