Purchasing a New Home with an In Ground Pool – Yay or Nay?

• The aesthetic benefit. A swimming pool can enhance the look of a yard by itself, but especially when paired with flattering details. Examples include decking, patios, lounge spaces, lighting, water fixtures such as waterfalls, and landscaping.

• The temperature benefit. No matter where you live in the United States, escaping the heat of summer is a must. The ability to flee the heat by taking a dip in a cool swimming pool in your own backyard is a desirable luxury.
• The social benefit. People love swimming pools and swimming pool parties. If your house has a pool, your backyard can serve as the place to be for adults and kids whenever you desire.
• The health benefit. Swimming is a great workout. It is low-impact and benefits both cardiovascular and muscular endurance. If swimming laps isn’t for you, there are countless ways to exercise in a swimming pool: aerobics, jogging, and even weightlifting.
• The resale benefit. This benefit is not clear cut. In some areas of the country with warm climates a pool absolutely enhances the value of a home. In other areas it may do the opposite. The market of buyers is probably more limited, but on the other hand, the buyers who are looking for a pool may be willing to pay more for a home with one already in place.

• The maintenance requirement. Owning a pool is not all fun and games. It takes work, too. Pools must be regularly cleaned and monitored. Pool service professionals are available for regular service, but that comes at a price.
• The safety risk. All pool owners must consider this factor. Whether you have young children or not, a pool always poses risk to you, your family, and neighbors. Many products are available to address this risk—safety pool covers, safety nets, fences with locks, pool alarms, and more—but there’s no way to eliminate risk entirely.

 

• The resale risk. As mentioned above, a swimming pool can aid or hinder the resale value of a home. If the home is in a cooler region it is more likely to decrease the value of the home, or at least make finding a buyer more difficult.
• The space requirement. This is not a problem if the yard or lot is large. If the pool leaves an inadequate amount of other space, however, the pool could be a hindrance.
• The cost. The ultimate cost of maintaining your swimming pool varies heavily depending on its size, your region, and your pool equipment. The size of the pool affects the volume of water and chemicals required. This, in turn, affects the size of equipment (e.g. pump, filter, heater) the pool requires, with larger more powerful equipment being more expensive. All of those factors also affect your utility bills, which will also vary depending on your region. An additional cost consideration is insurance; insuring a home with a pool is more expensive than one without.

• Fiberglass Pools. These are pre-formed molded pools which are dropped into a backyard as one piece. They require less maintenance than the other types, and do not require resurfacing.
• Gunite Pools. Gunite pools are the most popular, and are composed of a mixture of concrete and sand sprayed onto reinforcing rods. These are durable, but can present cracking issues for homes in climates that frequently dip below freezing. They do need to be resurfaced periodically, and that is a costly process.
• Vinyl Pools. These are typically metal or composite walled pools lined with a vinyl liner. These are most popular in climates where temperatures frequently dip below freezing. Consider that the liner will need to be replaced approximately every 7-10 years.

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