The fact that I am a Licensed Contractor and also having done a lot of construction defects consulting I am aware of the liabilities of being in the inspection business. That's why when I inspect a home with a pool I bring along a licensed pool contractor. Ken, the pool contractor I bring, knows pools and he's able to look at the sometimes intricate plumbing and electrical on pool equipment and spot irregularities and defects. He inspects the equipment and I document and photograph the areas of concern. I then incorporate these findings into my inspection report. A home buyer can easily hire a pool inspector but they will usually charge $100 or $200 more because they will get overly technical and write a several page report of their findings which will include a lot of technical data which I don't think you need. Most people who are buying a home with a pool just want to know if the heater works, does it have any leaks in the structure, is the wiring ok and are there any unsafe conditions that would be dangerous. The rest of it is a visual thing. If the pool is old and crummy looking that will be obvious.