I have a semi in-ground installation. My neighbor did it, I then did it, and a couple of other folks on the block did it. I'm not aware of any having major problems. I've had my for 8 or 9 years now - it's 18' x 36', the largest of the ones in my neighborhood. I didn't have to deal with an HOA.

Mine is buried 2 feet into the ground and I have a circular area of about 12 feet in diameter that slopes down to a "deep" end about 5 1/2 feet deep. I had a deck built from the back of my house and encircles the front third of the pool that faces my house and "steps" up to the pool in a couple of gradual steps. My neighbor has done something similar. I had a contractor do mine.

The first issue is that is a lot of dirt to remove Can you get a bobcat or something similar in your backyard to excavate? The side panels are more susceptible to rust and the ground line.

I personally like the pool buried into the ground, but it was certainly more hassle with the excavation, and if I decided to remove the pool, there would be effort in bringing in dirt.