There's no better way to beat the heat this summer than by spending as much time as humanly possible hanging out in the swimming pool-especially if you've got the backyard space to build your own pool, beating the crowds at the YMCA! Before you build your own personal slice of aquatic heaven, however, there are a few things you really need to know about your homeowners insurance.

See, according to the laws of every state regarding swimming pools, you and you alone are responsible for what happens to people hopping in-whether you know them or not. That's right. Believe it or not, you're going to be responsible for the legal and medical bills if someone you've never even met sneaks into your yard, jumps in your pool without either permission or invitation and gets injured. They could theoretically sue you for thousands! And guess who's going to be responsible for those legal fees? Right.

Your homeowners insurance.

Of course, it isn't just perfect strangers you're responsible for. Every person that swims in your swimming pool, or might get hurt walking around the outside, is your responsibility. Because of that, it pays to make sure your homeowners insurance is geared up and ready to go before you launch your pool!

If you happen to live in a southern state like Texas or South Carolina, where the blistering heat drives people to swimming pools in droves and backyard pools are almost as common as Reebok sneakers, you're probably not going to feel too much of a hit on your insurance premiums. Most homeowners insurance companies that operate in these states are aware of the fact that most people are going to want to own swimming pools, and they do their best to be competitive. If you happen to live up north, however, it's a slightly different story. When 8 months of snow a year makes swimming impractical for all but about eight weeks, not many people are investing in pools.

Your homeowners insurance rates may be the ones to pay the price for your individualism. Or your checkbook. However you want to look at it!

You can keep the cost to your homeowners insurance rates down by doing your homework. An in ground pool is going to cost more to insure than an aboveground one, especially if you decide to build a diving board. (Many insurance companies won't even cover you if your pool has a diving board, so unless you happen to be a competitive swimmer you may want to think twice about adding this fun feature to your pool's repertoire.) And by asking a professional to build or install your pool rather than trying to do it yourself you can reassure your homeowners insurance provider that you've done everything you can to make your pool as safe as possible.

When your pool is done, build a fence around it that shields it from prying eyes and install a No Trespassing sign on your front lawn. That way, the only way anyone could even find out you had a pool was to break the law by sneaking across your front lawn. The legal culpabilities kind of cancel each other out, and you'll be able to enjoy your pool AND great homeowners insurance rates without having to worry that there's a lawsuit hiding around every corner.