Set your budget - based on what you want and sometimes afford can be disappointing on any project so it is important to know what you can spend affordably.  If financing is needed find out if the dealer has a financial institution they directly work with or if you will need to make arrangements with a financial source that does this swimming pool or home improvement equity loans.

How much time and money can you spend on maintenance - pools are living bodies of water that requires attention in a few areas on an ongoing basis.  With today's technology there are many options that can make chemical and cleaning maintenance easier based on your lifestyle or budget.  Even with automatic pool cleaners, state of the art sanitizing systems much like a human being swimming pools occasionally need a little TLC in addition to all that fun people usually have in it.

The amount of space you have to work with - most homeowners have what is called in their possession or on file with the local offices a "plot" plan of their property lines with details of how your home is situated on it.  This document is usually necessary for the dealer to establish how much space will allow for a swimming pool as well as used to obtain and request permits and inspections where required.  Review this document ahead of time and then you will have a good idea of the size of the pool and deck area you will have to work with.