Swimming Pool and Home Value

30 Nov Swimming Pool and Home Value

Swimming Pools: Valuable Home Upgrade or Just a Pain in the Wallet?

From Money

One of the major considerations that prospective swimming pool purchasers have is the effect on their home’s value that the amenity will have.  There are many opinions on both sides of this issue, mostly from realtors that have a vested interest on either side of the issue.  This article from Money gives the straight skinny on this issue, and gives the definitive answer about home values, and it may not be what you think.

Here is an excerpt from the post:

Not only are we basically lazy people, my husband and I learned that keeping a pool clean and clear is actually tricky business. After a few too many “Ooh, why is your pool water green” comments (we have a salt pool, so no algae-killing chlorine), we gave in and 911-ed the pool service company.

Cost: $85 a month, plus an extra $1,000 or so a year for annual maintenance items (new filters, etc.) Then there’s the pool vacuum we had to replace last year ($600) and now we’re dealing with frequent leaks. At 11 years old, our pool needs resurfacing—that’ll be $2,500 please.

Oh yeah, and then there’s the patio furniture we need to replace (the Florida heat, storms and salty air is hell on outdoor surfaces), the new layer of sand we need to throw on the patio every year or so and the outdoor sound system we “had to have.” Finally, a pool pump and, if you go that way, a heating system will absolutely up your utility bill, and it will almost certainly bump up your homeowner insurance premiums because of the increased exposure to liability.

But at least we’ll get our money back when we sell our home, right?

Click here to read the entire post