Buying a house with a pool certainly sounds like a dream unless you’re presented with the reality of it. On the surface, purchasing a house with a pool sounds like a decision you shouldn’t be thinking too much about, but the answer has lots of layers and information that you should know before making the final call. Do not worry, we are ready to dive deep into the waters for you so that you know everything there is to know before you book that house with a swimming pool. Keep reading to figure out if you should buy a house with a swimming pool or not.

Advantages Of Buying A House With A Pool

Firstly, let us begin with all the advantages that will come your way if you decide to go ahead with buying a house that has a swimming pool in it. There are many pros that you’ll enjoy once you have the luxury of a pool at your house and, trust us, it’s not just limited to all the bragging that you’ll get to do about it!

1. Privacy

Let’s just begin with the biggest benefit and that is simply the fact that you’ll have your private pool within the confines of your home. We can all agree that swimming pools are fun, but public swimming pools can be uncomfortable and unhygienic at times. If you have a house with a swimming pool, you’ll be able to enjoy the pool at your convenience without needing to get out of your comfort zone or being worried about a stranger’s gaze.

2. Entertainment

Having a swimming pool in your house can certainly enhance the entertainment value. Your pool will not only help you relax and enjoy your alone time but can also work as a great setting for hosting house parties. You can have pool parties with your family and friends within the safety and comfort of your own house. A swimming pool makes a great setting for a party without you needing to put in any extra effort or cash!

3. Increases Overall Home Value

If you live in a place known for high temperatures, houses with swimming pools will have a much higher value. It’s also true that it makes your house appear fancy, therefore hiking the overall home value. Let’s be realistic, we live in a vain world and if you own a house with a swimming pool, you’re likely to be seen as someone with higher financial standards and a reputable social standing.

Also See: Most Valuable Home Improvements

4. A Blessing In The Heat

Almost everyone shares a love-hate relationship when it comes to the summer season, depending upon how cruel the summers are in your area. Regardless of if you’re a water person or not, a pool certainly makes summers easier, especially when the heat is over the roof. If you’re planning on buying a house in an area that’s hot for the most part, having a pool will definitely help you deal with the heat better. It’s not always possible to go to a public swimming pool, especially during the more hectic days, and your own pool can be your stress reliever while granting you respite from the heat!

5. Exercise

We all lead fast-moving chaotic lives for the most part and taking care of our health sometimes takes a back seat. There are days when you might not be able to hit the gym or get the exercise you need and that’s when your swimming pool can save you. Swimming is a great sport and a thorough exercise – which doesn’t feel like one! You’ll not even realize that your body is getting its dose of endorphins while you’re simply having a good time in your pool. Swimming is also great for your mental health and is said to help deal with anxiety better.

Disadvantages of Buying A House With A Pool

The advantages may seem tempting enough for you to make the down payment but hey, an informed decision is always better than a rushed one! Having your own swimming pool inside your house comes with its own set of disadvantages and here are a few you should know about:

1. Increased Routine Maintenance

This is one major drawback of buying a house with a swimming pool. Surely, it’s an asset but it’s going to be an expensive one. Maintaining a pool is a big task that you can’t shrug off. If you live in an area that is sunny all year round, you’ll be using the pool a lot more, thus it will require cleaning at least once a week. Routine maintenance can be done by you but it can be a bit tricky and you’ll also need to purchase the necessary equipment. If you decide to hire a professional, it will cost you around $125 on average for a one-time clean and $500 for monthly maintenance.

2. Safety Hassle

A swimming pool can make your life easier when it comes to entertaining your kids but it can also be a huge safety hassle. In the case of kids or pets, you’ll need to be extra careful to avoid any unfortunate accidents. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), almost 300 children under the age of 5 drown in backyard swimming pools in America every year. If you have little kids at home and decide to buy a house with a swimming pool, we strongly advise you to install a safety barrier or fence.

3. Increased Energy Bills

Electricity bills skyrocket if you are from a hot city, and they will hit the roof if you have a backyard swimming pool. Swimming pools require electricity to run the pool pump and if you want to have a heated pool, the bills will obviously be much higher. The cost to run a pool-heater averages between $100 and $600 a month. A gas heater, which is the most common type of pool heater and uses either natural gas or propane, costs roughly $200 to $400 a month. You’ll spend at least $300 extra on just electricity even if you don’t have a heated pool, so be warned!

See Also: How Much Does The Average Water Bill Cost?

4. Attracts Wildlife And Insects

Still water can easily become home to insects and algae if not maintained properly. If you live in an open space surrounded by nature, there is a very real possibility that your swimming pool will attract not only insects but some unwelcome guests from the wild too. Although skimming the pool’s surface can help you get rid of mosquitos and insects, it can be a time-consuming endeavor. Regular maintenance of the pH and chlorine levels can solve many of your problems but we will still advise you to be careful of wild animals like raccoons and the like.

5. Might Make You Sick

It’s not a new age phenomenon to get sick by pool water. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), recreational water-related illnesses such as ear and respiratory infections, rashes, and diarrhea are caused by exposure to water contaminated with germs and chemicals found in swimming pools, hot tubs, water parks, and various other public swimming spaces.

To avoid such ordeals, we would advise you to have certain ground rules in place, like never allowing a friend or family member with contagious diseases to use your pool. It’s not only unsanitary but also one of the major reasons behind pool contamination. Some people can also be allergic to the chlorine found in the pool water, so you might want to be cautious of that as well.

6. A Seasonal Asset

Anything that is an asset can, over time, become a liability, which many have observed in the case of a pool too. As summers only last for a small portion of the year, having a backyard pool might just seem like a useless thing. Pools are great for the summers but they require unnecessary maintenance even when not in use and during the other seasons, which can be a bit too much to handle.

7. Extra Pool Insurance

Insurance is essential in today’s age and if you go for a house with a pool, that adds to more possibilities of pool-related injuries. Always try to go for extra coverage, also known as an umbrella policy, which will help you cover the extra costs. You can purchase a $1 million umbrella liability policy for as little as $150 a year and it can help you in case you ever exhaust your liability coverage provided by the homeowner.

8. Expensive Repairs

If any problem arises with the pump or the pool’s water, be prepared to spend a lot of money on the repairs. You’ll need to get your pool fixed as soon as possible before it starts rotting and the risks increase, so there will be no way to get out of the charges.

There are some minor issues that you can fix yourselves but even for those, you’ll need to buy the proper equipment. A tear in the swimming pool lining is a very common problem with pools. If the tear is small enough, you may be able to repair it yourself with a vinyl pool liner patch kit but if the entire liner needs to be replaced, you’ll need to pay a minimum of $1,700 for the parts and labor. While a gradual decrease in water level can cost you around $350, a leak in your pool’s plumbing, which can affect your heater, might cost you up to a whopping $1,000!

9. The Resale Value Might Not Be That High

Buying a house with a pool might appear an investment but it can become a real pickle when you try to resell it. Many homeowners do not prefer a house with a pool because of the work it requires. Unless it’s a hot place, a pool in a house seems like an unnecessary nuisance making it difficult to sell. Having a private pool in your house can increase its resale value by up to 7% but that only happens in the best case scenarios otherwise the resale value is mostly not as high as you expect it to be!

Also See: How To Get Your House Ready To Sell?

Should I Buy A House With A Pool?

Now that we’ve discussed the pros and cons of buying a house with a backyard swimming pool, you’ll have some clarity to make your decision. In order to further make up your mind, let us take you through some facts and figures that will constitute your research before you make that down payment.

1. Cost

It’s not rocket science that if you buy a house with a swimming pool, it will cost you more than a basic house without a pool. In the past two years, people have started preferring to have their own private pools so they can maintain hygiene and safety, which has led to increasing the overall property value of the new houses that offer a backyard pool. However, the cost might not always be proportionate to the resale value of your house while selling. You’ll save a significant amount if you settle for a house without a pool as you can direct the money on other aspects that you might want in a home.

2. Safety

Every cloud has a silver lining. In this case, the silver lining is being able to stay in and enjoy your pool time. Safety is a tricky point when it comes to an indoor swimming pool because it certainly is a safer and more hygienic choice than going to a public pool. But at the same time, it brings a lot more responsibilities on your shoulders. While you can be assured that there are no strangers intervening between you and your family when having a fun time in the pool, you’ll also need to be extra cautious about accidents. Making your pool babyproof will also cost you some extra bucks and so will the extra insurance but, chances are that it will all be worth it when you’ll be unwinding in the pool with your family after a long day.

3. Maintenance

A swimming pool is as good as you maintain it. Maintaining a swimming pool is a long-term commitment and we would not advise you to go for a backyard pool if you’re one with commitment issues! Whether you decide to do routine maintenance yourself or hire someone for it, it will consistently cost you money.

Roughly, on average, pool maintenance will cost you around $180 per month when you’re using the pool. The least expensive pool maintenance tasks are skimming the water and adding chemicals, but you can’t be solely responsible for it at all times as they are excruciating, time-consuming, and, after a point, hampers the main purpose of a pool. The price of routine maintenance also depends upon the size of your pool. However, if you choose to overlook the maintenance aspect, it might not only become a bane but will also bring the resale value down.

Things To Keep In Mind

So, even after our factual attempts at scaring you off, if you’ve still decided to go for the house with a backyard swimming pool, let us congratulate you first! Now that you have made the leap, we would like to give you some pieces of well-researched advice that will help you maintain your house and pool better:

● You will need to be extra careful with your kids and pets.
● We advise you to hire a pool inspector before hosting parties by the pool.
● Regularly maintain your pool and maintain the pH levels.
● Know that you might face difficulty in case you want to resell your house.
● You will be paying a lot more for repairs.
● Always get pool insurance so that there isn’t a dent in your account balance in case of any unfortunate events.

FAQs On Should I Buy A House With A Swimming Pool

Do Swimming Pools Affect Home Value?

Swimming pools certainly affect home value but it largely depends on the kind of place you decide to go for. If you’re buying a house in a city where the summers are long and troublesome, a house with an indoor pool will certainly be in demand there and will have increased home value. On the contrary, if you’re buying a house where the weather is mild or cold year-round, a pool will be an added luxury and the value will depend upon the preference of the buyers. In some cases, if your pool is not well maintained, it can be a burden and bring the overall value down.

Are Pools Expensive To Maintain?

Yes, pools are expensive to maintain. They require consistent maintenance and commitment which will eventually start to feel like an unnecessary hassle for many homeowners. A house with a pool can seem like a never-ending investment that you just keep making without adequate returns. But on the bright side, you’ll save a lot too because you will always have your very own venue for pool parties and can use it to unwind during lengthy summers.

Is It Cheaper To Buy A House With A Pool?

In the majority of cases, it’s not going to be cheaper to buy a house with a pool. It is actually more expensive. You’ll also need to hire a separate pool examiner to examine the pool because most traditional home inspectors will have limited knowledge when it comes to swimming pools. If you end up buying a house with a pool that isn’t well maintained, it can prove to be a never-ending spend fest for you, not to forget the perennial maintenance costs!

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