cheaper to hire because I mess it up, lol. 

its easy to do, just get with a pool shop and get all the right stuff I just hated it took all my free time as a teenager to do it.

We bought an automatic snake that cleaned all day. Just gotta make sure you get the right mixture of chemicals and a testing kit. 

Depends on what your free time is worth. I would spend 5 hours between cleaning and chemical level checking, that included driving back and forth to pool store for water sample check. It's cheaper for us to just have someone maintain. 

What does it cost a month to have someone maintain it? 

Avg about $165, little more in summer, little less in winter 

I pay $145 which includes a weekly visit and the chemicals. 

Do it yourself. If you have a salt pool its easy and requires very little chemicals. I will say there was a learner curve to maintaining it properly without losing the salt cell. Just needs to be cleaned but that is really just soaking and rinsing it off. 

I do it myself.

All I ever use is chlorine and No Mor Problems/4 oz per week. I never test my water either. Oh, and I use Metal Out quarterly and DE in the filter.

That's it. Never have to shock it and only brush the steps.

It's only a real PITA in the fall with all the darn leaves. 

For repairs I use Indigo Pools. Michael does a great job and is very, very reasonably priced. 

Cheaper not to have one! 

We use the BBB method from troublefreepools.com Regular store bought bleach, baking soda, borax. We do test daily but that takes all of a couple of minutes. 

I do mine myself and if I can do it, the you can do it. Sometimes mother nature intervenes and i need help, i.e. redmulch, but it's all good. Also, buy a robotic pool cleaner. It pays for itself. If you have money coming out your ears, then hire the Hawaiian Tropic pool man to come do it. 

Do it yourself. If you have a salt pool its easy and requires very little chemicals

Bingo! Not much to it. I've got Texas Tom's coming out every quarter to clean the salt cell - that seems to be the hardest thing for me to try by myself.

Even cleaning the filters isn't that hard and not that time consuming.

Take a water sample in to have it checked every couple of weeks (free!) and let them tell you what, if anything needs to be added.