I would recommend checking things in this order:

1. Pool structure.

2. Deck structure.

3. Pool piping.

4. Pool finish.

5. Deck finish.

6. Equipment.

7. Cover.

If there are serious problems with any of the first three items, they can blow your $10K budget all by themselves. And, you can't operate without fixing the first two. Generally, equipment problems are the easiest and cheapest problems to fix on an inground pool.

So, I'm recommending you checkout the 'show-stoppers' before you worry about needing to replace some 'actors'. If the lights in the theater are out, it doesn't matter whether you have actors or not!