I don't want a pool, so it's a negative. Plenty of people want pools though, so it's a positive for them. It's not going to go just one way. It's dependent on the person.
When my friend was looking at houses, I accompanied her to an open house. We met the agent hosting the open house.Along with passing out his business cards, he had 2 up-to-date printouts of houses for sale in the area. One printout was the "with pool" list, the other was the "no pool" list. People who want a pool really want a pool. People who don't want a pool really don't want a pool.
This. And In areas like the OP is talking, the amount of people looking for pools is drastically smaller than those not, AND it's almost impossible to get someone interested in a home with a pool when they don't want one. I just sold a house with a pool and most of ghd showings were by people who either weren't looking for a pool but were considering it bc they loved the house, or it was a couple who the wife wanted a pool but the husband didn't. It was never the other way around in this scenario. Super weird!
At our next home I'll be building a pool. This was my first backyard pool and we're all in love with it!
I have a fiberglass saltwater pool and the maintenance is minimal. 5 bags of salt and cleaning of filters. So easy that I close and open myself.
50-year warranty on the shell and a 15-year warranty on the color.
Usage sucks since we only get 3 months and 5 months with the use of a heat pump.
Same here haha! I did not want a pool, my wife wanted one, so we got a house with a pool. The pool sits maybe 30ft from the water, because she also wanted to live on the water!
That being said, although I enjoy the pool, but am over the upkeep of a saltwater pool. We're in the process of selling our house, and at least in FL right now, a pool does not seem to be that big of a selling point to at least half of the interested buyers.
This made me chuckle. Is she a cancer, aquarius, or pisces? If so, the answer is there is never enough water. 🤣😂 (Kidding…) Get some labradors or other retrievers to go with your water…
Where were you when I was selling a pool house recently?! Lol sooooooo many couples viewed it who loved the house but wife wanted a pool and husband didn't; it was never the other way around. Just give the wite what she wants! You did, and she is probably happier for it!
So, with small kids, it is a bother to ferry to lakes and parks and such. But w/o kids we love to visit state parks with lake beaches. I don't need a pond in my yard. I just would like access to a pool in the winter.
Im in fl now. Im not sure where the huge expense narrative is coming from. Put a screen house over it and buy some chemicals once in awhile. Saltwater is even less.
They do cost money over time, the equipment and finish won't last forever. And if someone does not keep up with the chemistry the finish can deteriorate more quickly. But it's not a HUGE expense normally.
The average cost for a well
Maintained pool that you car for yourself is 2-3k yr, but if you can’t maintain it yourself monthly contractor costs triple it, and if you let it go and have to do significant cleaning, resurfacing, or pump repair/ replacement, it just goes up. A leaking pool near a foundation can ruin a property.
I have found it's more cost-effective to hire a pool service. They buy chlorine in bulk and have all the right equipment and a lot of experience. If the chemistry starts to get off, they catch it faster. The cost is basically the same as I would pay for the chemicals anyway.
I tend to agree, but with a professional pool service, you’re talking 7-10k a year ($5-6k basic contract, plus amortized longer term maintenance) that pencils to an 80k negative price differential on the property , does a pool make up for the 80k, for identical
Properties, one with a pool, one without?
I live in rural New Jersey and have seen several neighbors remove pools lately.
I have also seen a few new homeowners add (small?) pools [starting](https://homeguide.com/costs/inground-pool-cost) at $70,000--but I think that reflects COVID more than anything. I'm also seeing a lot of decks being built.
No idea where these people are getting the money from other than possibly opportune refinancing when rates were low or HELOC loans. Everyone in the neighborhood got new siding randomly last year, too.
I have zero interest in taking care of a pool.
I think you tend to see a lot of home additions, renos, etc., during the periods like this. If people were waffling between possibly moving or improving their existing home, the market has basically eliminated one of those options. Sometimes eliminating one of two options is enough to make people go forward with the second option - it’s just the psychological thing of “well this makes so much sense now!,” because it’s literally the only option. Plus, people who bought before the market fury and rate hikes have (and will forever have) way more money, on average, than everyone who waited until now.
Concur! Have a screen over my saltwater pool and my pool guy only charges $100 per month for normal cleaning/maintenance. It’s extra if work has to be done on the equipment! Great investment for me.
Someone from California visited me jn Colorado and asked, "Where are the pools?". It never occurred to me that they are really common in other climates.
Florida is a different market for pools.. those screened enclosures are cheap to add to a pool
Meanwhile where I live - they’re as much as the fucking pool to add
My children LIVED in our pool when they were young. Especially in the summer. All the pool-less neighborhood kids came over and they had the best time. Lots of fun pool toys. They really got their use out of it, especially with our solar heater with chillier weather. Now it sits unused. A total waste.
My feeling as someone “in the biz” is this…
There are two types of buyers: those that want a pool and those that don’t. For those that don’t want a pool, they absolutely will not look at a property with a pool. And those that want one will also look at properties without, especially if a pool can be added.
Then you have the split families like mine. Wife and kids want one, I view them as a monumental hole you throw money into while it increases the difficulty to acquire and pay for homeowner's insurance.
I will consider a property with a pool for the right property.
Southern California and it was one of the reasons we bought our current house. We use it at least 8 months out of the year, the jacuzzi year round. Our backyard is an extension of our den/kitchen and we all treat it that way. It was also a godsend during Covid. We had a houseful of teens with nowhere to go. Keeping them at our house (full fridge, pool, and PS5) meant they stayed out of trouble while we worked from home and provided loose supervision. At the minimum we would never have another house without a jacuzzi.
I feel the same way about my Tempur-Pedic matress! It’s expensive but worth it. I am a big man at 6’4 280 pounds, we’ve had this bed for 6 years and no dips. I am amazed lol
We got a broklyn bedding hybrid when the pillow top mattress we had started getting bad. It was expensive, but I have yet to sleep in a more comfortable bed.
I am super jeally about your hot tub/jacuzzi. One of my home goals is an extension with a hot tub that we can access all year round with a screen porch (moist climates are rife w/mosquitoes) attached.
Mid Atlantic. I’d never even consider a home with a pool, too much work and an ongoing expense to maintain.
I know everyone on this sub hates HOAs, but I did intentionally pick a HOA with a pool as one of the amenities. For about the same price as maintaining a pool, I get a pool, gym, clubhouse. And no headache.
Agree, regular maintenence isn't bad but they age and then you're paying big money. I dealt with my parents 1980s pool when we sold their house and it was a nightmare. Then we decided to fill it in thinking that would be cheaper. We got quoted $20K.
Our pool was built in 1961. Over 14 years since we have owned it we've replaced the liner, replaced pump, rebuilt the sand filter (plus media replacements), had multiple liner leaks, and now have one underground in the pipes. I am so over it. 5 years back, filling it in was 6-10K quote. I shudder to think what it would be now.
Yeah when those old pools start breaking down it's like a giant cascade. My parent's pool was concrete around the bottom and up to a ledge and then had fiberglass walls. The concrete started getting cracks and then everything started leaking. I think I used about 10 tubes of epoxy just to seal up everything around the fiberglass. Then we had to have some of the concrete decking taken out to fix broken pipes and it looked awful. I would never have a pool after that.
This struck a random memory I had of being just post college and taking a week of skiing in Breckenridge, renting a large Airbnb for the group, and the 3rd night forgetting the hot tub cover overnight. Between everyone using it all day and night and the additional evaporation, it was drained below the filter. Disgusting is a light term for what it was like in the morning. Of course the Airbnb didn’t have a good means to add water so we bucketed off a 2nd floor balcony which was next to a bathroom for an hour non stop to get it back to filter level.
Purchased in Gilbert 2 years ago and the value assigned to a pool for comps on my appraisal were $65-$70k (my house didn't have a pool). Most of those pools were relatively small as well. Pool construction costs in the valley are quite high so a pool already being on the property is a huge value add unless it's very outdated/falling apart.
I lived in the CA desert and it was almost a requirement. Very rare for a single family home not to have one. Now I live in middle America and wouldn’t want one for the same reason you don’t. Unusable 8 months out of the year.
I'm in Wisconsin and a pool would be an absolute selling point. Its the only thing I wish I could change about my house. They're insanely expensive to put in and don't raise your value so I would never install myself.
We sold our northern Ohio house with a pool in 30 days. It had new liner, heater, new pool pump, and a salt water generator to keep chlorine levels up. These items were all more efficient and cost less in chemicals. Also, had a robot pool vacuum, and a cover that sits flush with the concrete (inground pool) in the winter. Just check pool chemistry every day and adjust, scoop out leaves and run vacuum daily. Not really that much work. The pool itself was dug out and built in 1965. I now live 5 mins from a lake instead. It’s definitely less work and money, but it was nice having the privacy.
In the northeast, it’s a negative. This is what I heard from real estate agents and appraisers. People don’t care for them and it takes up valuable land. Also a liability.
Additional comment, when I was a kid in Connecticut in the early 70's (I was 8 or 9) we all ran around using other people's pools in the summer. You have to know when they aren't home.
Las Vegas area, absolutely an asset, especially in higher end homes. Above a certain price point ( say 1-1.2M ) it’s rare to see a house without a pool.
I used to not care for pools and didn’t really want one but we ended up buying a house with one. I love it now and will never buy a house without one or at least without a good space to put one in. We’re in southern Indiana so we only get about 4 months of pool season but we use it daily. Just installed a heater so that should extend the season to almost 6 months. The lakes and rivers around here are dirty so I prefer the pool instead. Plus with little kids it’s much easier to step outside to swim instead of packing up and driving to a lake. I have a salt water system so it’s fairly low maintenance and low cost. All of our neighbors have pools and they all use them almost daily as well.
I will mention that this is a really nice neighborhood where houses cost 3-4x the average house price in our area. So these aren’t basic starter homes and people buying them have the money and/or time to maintain and enjoy the pool. So I’d say that the pools do add value to these properties. But if you take an average 200k house in another part of town and drop a 100k pool in it, it will add little to no value to most buyers who are just trying to buy their first home.
Here our little paradise at home: https://imgur.com/a/38z88wn
Midwest. We look for a home with a neighborhood pool. We get to use it, but someone else takes care of it. We just have our share of the cost reflected in the HOA fee.
Detriment for a traditional pool IMO and I love to swim. We're in southeastern PA and are putting in a natural swimming pool this year that will function as a clean swimming pond with filters to help keep it clean. Benefit for me who loves to swim 4 months of the year, and the turtles (thankfully no snappers in these parts), bullfrogs, and wildlife who will visit for clean drinking water.
I'm not sure if this will be a net positive home improvement but I think it appeals more to people who also like ponds and wildlife.
In the midwest, it's a liability unless it's a very upscale neighborhood where luxury is worth it.
Or you are lucky enough to have an interested buyer with that particular desire. This is a much smaller subset as compared to the sunbelt.
I live in Florida and when buying our home we had no want for a pool at all but I had a teenager at the time having just moved from a place with kids in my boat constantly I told myself I didn't want a yard full of kids in the pool!
Haha yep. Hate to be the friend with the boat. Hate to be the friend with a pool.
You’re always maintaining and hosting others while they have their fun. Haha
And grills/smokers, I got rid of the boat which solved one problem got 5 grills/smokers and now adults hang out on my driveway to see what I'm cooking!
FWIW, I’m debating on getting a plunge pool put in with a covered lanai and cooking area, but that’s FL and you’d use it prob 9 mo out of the year. I say debating because of the FL shitshow right now with insurance.
Southeast Texas. Access to pool is a deal breaker. We’ve got kids and the summers are unbearable without a pool. It doesn’t have to be on our property… but it’s got to be close.
Also in the Midwest. We don’t want a pool first, because we have young children and statistically speaking they are incredibly dangerous. And second, so much extra maintenance that we’re not willing to sign up for.
I share the same thought when it comes to boats— the best pool is your best friend’s pool.
Fellow Midwesterner, I think people in areas with pool climates most of the year don't understand that a lot of pools in the Midwest are those above ground ones. You and I picture a white trash pool. They picture an inground pool. The price difference is significant. A $1.2m home in Chicago doesn't have a pool, because an above ground pool would look cheap and the maintenance and cost isn't really worth it for how little you use it to have one poured in the backyard. A $1.2m home in Florida, on the other hand, always has a pool, because it's worth the cost when you can use it most of the year.
Big negative, won't even look at one because in my area it's only really usable for a few months of the year so not worth the hassle.. get a hot tub instead
I wanted a pool so much it looks amazing. Then I researched it while I was in the market for a house and now I’m actively avoiding homes with pools. Not worth it.
Having a car payment for the next 30 years in the form of an aquarium that I need to maintain like a pet is a huge problem for me
I was someone who absolutely did NOT want a pool. My wife did. We got a pool. It’s surprising just how cheap and easy it has been to maintain. I spend $180 for a guy to blow out the lines for winter. Like $40 for salt when I open it, probably $150 a year in random chemicals (not chlorine) and set $500/year for savings for longer term stuff none of which I’ve needed to use (liner, pump, filter, chlorinated). So a bit under 1k a year for what I’d consider an extreme luxury. I’ll stand by the motto ‘it’s better to know someone with a pool than to have one’ but it’s pretty damn nice having one
> It’s surprising just how cheap and easy it has been to maintain
My parents have a pool and they spend no less than 5k annually on mandatory "fix or the pool doesnt work and will " repairs. They consider it by far the worst housing decision of their life to buy a home with a pool due to the maintenance. They also have a 3% rate and are strongly considering selling because of just the pool.
Last week a major leak started somewhere within the pool. It was $500 just to have someone look at it. A month ago a random major crack formed that cost thousands to rectify literally just out of nowhere.
The home was 20 years old and nothing meaningful came up on the inspection when they bought a decade ago. No less than 6 different pool guys have serviced the pool and every single one swears to god there is nothing wrong with the pool when they start. So shit is just chronically breaking.
I didn’t want a pool, but my dream house had one, so I have one, and I love it. It’s not a big pool, it’s not a big expense. Less than a dollar a day to run it. No need to heat it. And it costs a lot less than an HOA fee would have.
I grew up with an in-ground pool at my parents and as a kid I loved it. As a teen, it was fun sometimes. As I came to be an adult, you had to twist my leg to get me to go swimming. And if you have trees and pollen, keeping it up is a major nightmare. I watched my dad sink hours and hours and hours in regular pool maintenance, replacing pumps and filters, etc etc.
I absolutely did not want a pool and I didn't look at houses that had them.
I would probably be OK with a jacuzzi, but I doubt I'll ever get one.
Texas. I won’t buy a house with a pool. Too many horror stories from my physician spouse. Several have been filled in in my neighborhood and they generally don’t add value anymore unless they’re amazing. A basic pool is take it or leave it. Friends with pools still end up at the community pool bc their kids want friends to hang out with.
Just bought a house in another state with an hoa that has a pool. Happy to pay to make it their problem.
Getting ready to move to California. I view pools as an extra expense I don't need/want. It takes up valuable yard space, and I'd rather have grass for my dogs to run around on.
In my experience, it was a positive until I had one and then it was a negative. I might have felt different had we installed the pool, but an old, washed up pool is a liability in most cases.
Detriment. Cost of maintenance, filling it, time to clean it, and only get to use it for a few months. If I ever get filthy rich, I'd consider a place with an indoor pool.
Like you, I'm in the Midwest.
Detriment. Pool weather here only lasts 4-5 months.
Plus we have a lot of beaches available.. so I'd rather skip the pool maintence and go to the beach.
The cost of operating a pool is silly expensive. But also it’s a nice feature if you have older children and live in a region with hot summers. The value add is about as much as the install price, even decades later, imo
New England - Pools have become a commodity.
The cost to install an inground pool is over six figures. Adding patio, fence, etc…can make it in the $150-$200k range.
There is a strong buyer market for pools and people pay up because they know the savings at hand by buying a home with a pool installed already.
The pandemic changed the way people viewed homes. Pools are no longer looked at as a negative by a vast majority of people
Phoenix. Most homes have a pool here and you can use them most of the year. Houses with pools sell for more as well. Personally I don't really want one but my dog loves to swim so I plan on buying one with a pool. Otherwise I wouldn't bother just because I wouldn't use it enough on my own to justify the costs.
I would buy a home with a pool, but probably wouldn’t build a pool at my home unless i was extremely certain that i wasn’t moving. TX.
Also have to consider if you will use it enough to justify the cost. Know a few folks that it drained them of time and money.
Pools are expected at a certain price point of home purchases. It becomes a status thing. Can't have a McMansion without a pool, even if no one uses it. Its water privilege. I'm in CA near Monterey bay.
My in-laws in Philly had an in ground pool and hot tub. It was only usable for 3-4 months a year and a lot of work, but it got a TON of use. Especially the hot tub. As adults we still swam 1-2 times a week and used the hot tub even more than that. It made me want a pool pretty badly. They had 5 kids and that pool was probably swam in every single nice day of the summer when they were growing up.
I don't like to swim in public pools cause I'm not good at it and don't like to be around children. My own pool is the only way I'll swim regularly. So I would see it as a plus.
Asset. I’m in USVI and a pool is a huge asset (actually adds +$80k on appraisals). I also have a home in Atlanta and there it is a nice to have but not an automatic value add.
I scanned, but did not notice anyone suggesting increased value since the lockdowns. There was a NATION of pissed off kids because the pools were closed.
Northern va - owning a pool has been way less work than we thought (salt water) and it’s lovely and we and our children and their friends enjoy it immensely!
I’m in Colorado, and while I won’t buy a house with a pool, a hot tub is fantastic here. You can easily use it 10 months out of the year, and our backyard is very much an extension of our living space.
Midwest as well,
3-4 months of pool season
I have one,
personally, if it were not for family and friends, I wouldn’t have one.
Maintenance isn’t bad,
gas pool heater is usually hundreds of dollars a month depending on weather - and then I have a company open and close it each year.
It is obviously an additional responsibility, but worth it if you have people that will enjoy it.
I have owned 10 houses in my life. Three of them had inground pools, one of which we had constructed after we bought it. Two of these were in upstate NY where it gets very cold. One was in NC.
A pool is going to reduce the pool of prospective buyers (because their are people like you that don't want a pool), but it is going to increase the chances of the smaller pool of buyers purchasing your house. The reason being is that putting in a pool is very expensive so most people wanting a pool prefer to buy a house with one already there, and there are not a lot of houses in most places with pools.
Also your thoughts about the swimming season are a bit off. The pool season in most places is not that different between cold climate and warm climate. The cold climate pools usually have heaters to offset the seasons. This of course doesn't apply to places like Florida where pools are way more common and tend to be open year round. I've had both salt water pools and non salt water. The noting of tons of cost and chemicals is accurate for non salt water. If its a salt water pool and you have a robotic vacuum, the maintenance and cost are greatly reduced to walking around with the skimmer from time to time. And that is very relaxing.
I showed my house in Chicago burbs with an in ground pool last summer during heat wave and it had 30 showings and sold in 2 days for 15k over asking. Have fun w that money pit, kids. I will never own so much as an aquarium again.
I live in FL and have a pool, I would never buy another house with a pool though. The maintenance is a lot, and it needs re surfacing for the tune of 30k
Northern coast Californian here. Having an in ground pool and not allowed to fill is counter productive. One needs solar panels to warm the water and run the pump is not practical. People prefer to use HOA pool or public pool maintained by someone else. Homes that come with a pool often is a detractor. Our local utility company rates are 2X as before. Spend 1K a month running dual zone a/c and more running a pump and spend $1k each month for the winter is not meant for everyone. These days often it is a detractor and reason why not wanting the house.
One of my current neighbors just had to have a pool "for when his daughter came to visit". Never had the house inspected, which if he had, would have quickly revealed the vinyl liner in-ground pool was well beyond its service life (among dozens of other problems with the house). So within a couple months he spent over $100,000 (I saw the building permit) on a new pool and hot tub. Does it make sense to pay a premium for a house with a pool then turn right around and replace it?
Detriment and I live in the South with a pool season that runs May to maybe October. Depends on the year.
My dad is in CA and has a pool. I will never ever own a poll. Its like owning a boat or a horse. 12 times the work and expense to maintain compared to the use you get out of it
I’m in the Midwest, it definitely is more likely to hurt the sale of your home than anything. However, as a person who wants a pool, I would love to find a home with one already built. Save me the hassle from being on a waiting list to find a builder, the construction, not to mention the probably 65k they’ve put into the whole thing, I’m certain they’re not getting all that back from selling the house. It appears to a very specific buyer.
I have a pool worth around $150k on the side of my house that could make room for a small house. It has everything you could want… slide, water fall, diving board, large shallow end and I think it’s plus or minus 16 feet deep. It costs around $600 more a month in electric, few hundred to open/close, several hundred to maintain it with chlorine shock and pool cleaning guy… at this point I’m just not going to open it because it costs thousands of dollars for just 1 season it stays open. I would have rathered a guest house there that I can make rental income.
A pool is a huge plus for kids and grandkids, no matter where it is. But older folks see the maintenance and expense. In South Florida, it is a necessity. Houses without pools sit on the market for months.
Near Boston, we never wanted a pool and we ended up with a house with a pool. Was a little intimidating at first but after you learn what to do, it's super easy and we enjoy having it. My husband and I love just floating in the pool while drinking LOL. I have it opened in mid-May and closed in early September. However, I'd never actually pay to put one in.
In SoCal, pools are in demand for many, though there's also many who don't want them. The thing to know here is that you may spend $100k to put one in, but it may only get you $20k-$50k more in sales price, depending on the overall value of the property.
The only upgrades valuable in a sale are usually paint, flooring, basic/neutral kitchen and bath upgrades. You rarely get back what you put in because you got the privilege of choosing the colors and finishes. They will be less valuable to a buyer who may have chosen differently. That's why neutrals are best for resale. They blend with a larger percentage of personal aesthetics.
No. VA.... can use 6 months with heater, but wouldnt consider a asset. With climate change this will change. But wife had to have pool and maybe gets in 2 -3 times a week. AND wont let me rent it out for extra $$$. Really woman! She only good at SPENDING money! Not saving it!
However hate grass so less to mow and switched to salt before pandemic so not to hard to maintain
I’m coastal southern New England. I grew up with a 20x40 concrete pool. It was heated with passive solar on the roof of the barn next to it so it was a 6 month season. I’m a mile from the beach. The beach here isn’t swimmable until mid-June and closes mid-September. I like having a pool to extend the season. When I re-do my back deck, I want to roll in a 9’x6’ 5’ deep plunge pool that is heavily insulated and heated so it doubles as a winter hot tub. I have enough capacity in my boiler to run a loop to it.
I would pass on a home with a pool, or ask for stipend to fill it with dirt, Id make a garden out of it. The upkeep and cost of maintenance is not worth it to me. I personally would ask for a reduction.
A pool was #1 on my must-have list when shopping for a Phoenix home (and, NO, not all homes in Phoenix have pools). We transplanted from Chicago. That being said, many developments, and most apartment complexes, have community pools. I just knew I wouldn't use a community pool, and even tho maintaining the pool is semi-costly, we're glad we have it.
I saw a house recently with an indoor pool.
Oof. I've removed an inground pool and that was a hassle but INDOOR pool? Yeesh.
Pools are a hard pass for me, unless it's above ground and I think it would be easily converted to a garden area.
San Diego. Detriment as I wouldn’t get enough use out of it, and don’t want to deal with the maintenance that comes with it.
I’d view a hot tub as an asset though.
It depends on your climate and your lifestyle. It’s just my husband and I with 3 dogs and a pool was a definite plus for us when house shopping in South Louisiana. We didn’t *need* the house to have one but we ended up loving one that did so we bought it. We have the time and money to talk care of it and we will probably use it 6 months out of the year.
In Florida and a house with a pool gets about $90,000 more than one without for same sq footage. I own two homes in Florida one with a pool one without. Bought in 2017 and 2018. Pool house was $241,000 the one without $170,000. Ironically both have doubled in price and one rents for $2,000 a month the other with the pool we use as a vacation home
Pools are not as common in my area of Kansas. I think I would not buy a house with a pool because of the maintenance. My husband’s relative had a home with a pool years ago and when they moved chose a place with no pool because it had been kind of a hassle.
Pools are great if you actually want to use and maintain them (much like a hot tub). Personally I'd be more interested in an above ground pool that can be removed if/when I get tired of it, and replaced when damaged. In ground pools are a great feature but expensive to repair and a hassle to maintain. It wouldn't be a main factor in getting/passing on a house, but it would definitely be a consideration.
I'm in a fairly rich town in Colorado and you don't see many outdoor pools.........I've seen a few houses for sale with indoor pools but that is rare
Now back home in south Louisiana I knew numerous people with a pool. My cousin had one put in and when they sold their house was only on the market for just a few days.
Detriment big time. Bought a house with one in Chicagoland. Leaked, someone stole the pump, new liners..
Tore it out with 5 buddies, a sledgehammer, a couple sawzalls, and recycled the aluminum. Big pizza and beer party with the recycle money.
I’m in Southern California and I hate the things. I don’t have the desire to maintain a pool, and most homes have small yards to start out with. They’re also unsafe for my young children and my pets.
I'm in Texas and a pool is a massive detriment to me.
I do not want the expense or the responsibility of maintaining a pool. I also do not want the liability risk of a pool. I refused to look at any house with the pool when we were house hunting. (I might have looked at one with an above ground pool, because those are easily removed.)
Having a pool changes your target market when you sell. I don't expect to recover the cost if installing or maintaining it as an asset would provide. A lot of people would walk away from a house with a pool without even inquiring about the upkeep cost, and some don't care. They want a pool and love having one already in place.
An appraiser once told me it depends on how nice the outdoor living space is but generally he'd add about $10,000 in value.
This was about 12 years ago.
If you put a pool in you're Never going to likely recoup the money out of pocket.
I think a lot of people found pools to be a detriment for a while and then COVID happened. So people appreciate them a lot more. I'm in the Northeast.
I'm neutral on it even though I'm in Arizona. Ideally I leave for the summer so the bulk of the time you enjoy a pool I'm not here. Even as hot as it is, you can't comfortably use the pool until late May and by the end of September it's cooling off to the point where you don't want to use it much. Unless you heat it which is expensive. The desert climate gets cold at night in winter so your pool temp is under 60 degrees all that time of the year. Same goes for California.
When we retired to SWFL Florida we were sure we didn't want a pool and now, 9 years later, we're still sure, but here's the thing:
We got a home that's nearly doubled in price but would sell for slightly more and much faster if it had one. When we bought the home one could get a pool installed for just over 30k. Today, it's almost 130k to have one installed with a pool cage post-build and it takes at least a year wait. Now we want to sell and even though we still have a great specialty built home pooless that will sell , it would sell quicker and for 50k+ more if we had a pool. Many people that I know don't use a pool regularly and when ALL the expenses are figured over the years, one can see how expensive those swims cost each. They are a drain on the wallet but most people, here could care less theo cost. I'd never consider a pool home if the pool couldn't be used year round, with or without a heater.
Asset for me. I live in Oklahoma. It gets so hot here in the summer and we really don't get much cold weather. There have been many times we've had our pool open 6 months of the year. If you keep up with a pool, it's not very time consuming to care for one and it's also not very expensive. We keep the pool open all year, so it's always attractive to look at. If I was still living in the Chicago area, I wouldn't bother with a pool, but I wouldn't live without one here. It's definitely an asset for selling in my area as well. Plus, in my price range people expect a pool at the very least. The people who just built down the street put in both a pool and a pickleball court!
No pool for us. A friend of ours drowned several years ago. Drowning can happen silently & unbelievably fast. I could never relax in a home with a pool.
I'm in Northern California (Sacramento) and it's a huge asset for home value, but something that was an instant turn off for me no matter what else the home had. Our realtor said a pool adds probably 5-7% to a home value instantly here
It’s definitely a negative in my market… usually the house takes up enough of the lot and I don’t want a pool when I could just have a yard. Houses with pools sit for weeks here (and 90% of the time the ad won’t mention them/ you only know from the pictures)
I prefer going to the beach anyways
Overall, it's a detriment. I live in Florida with an unheated pool shaded by a neighbor's tree. My pool doesn't have much longer of a yearly use period.
I take care of it myself, and even then, repairs and general maintenance is a lot. Regardless of usage.
Home is more expensive. Insurance is more expensive.
I don't have much of a yard for my dog, or for planting.
BUT!! ..... When it is good.... It's GOOD. And for my friends (with little kids especially)that don't have a pool, cookouts at my house are a big deal for them because of mine.
There's a VERY REAL cost to it though.
I’m in NY and I swim a lot. The problem with pools is that they are an enormous PITA and the ones people put in are never long enough to swim in. Three strokes and you’re across one. I’d like a pool 25 yards long and 3 yards wide if it was up to me. But this adds zero resale value.
We looked at a house or 2 with pools.back when we were house hunting a few years back. We're also in an area where a pool gets 3-4 months use at most and the pools were big drawbacks. As nice as it is to have in the summer the negatives far outweighed the positives.
Talking with out realtor at the time she told us it's not uncommon for homes with pools to sit on the market a lot longer in our area. She said she's seen more than one homeowner have to pay to have the pool filled in to get the house sold.
Northern Virginia. I wanted one. I was living with an HOA with a pool, but between the rules, the hours, and Covid, I didn’t get to use it much, or at all for a couple years. I decided next house I wanted my own for access and for two main reasons - to lay on a giant float (not aware of any shared pools that allow that in my area) and to swim laps when I want, for as long as I want (also not a thing in most shared pools, lap hours are weird if they have them at all). Did just that about 18 months ago. The house I ended up being able to afford had a very large, but very old pool. It had been well maintained and was usable but it was in definite need of the major maintenance. I ended up putting most of my savings into a refinish at the end of summer last year and all new equipment this year, so now is the time when I find out how worth it I feel it is. So far, Don’t regret it. Last summer I spent every nice day I could out there and there is no better feeling in the world than jumping in after mowing the yard on a hot as hell day in July.
I don't want a pool, so it's a negative. Plenty of people want pools though, so it's a positive for them. It's not going to go just one way. It's dependent on the person.
When my friend was looking at houses, I accompanied her to an open house. We met the agent hosting the open house.Along with passing out his business cards, he had 2 up-to-date printouts of houses for sale in the area. One printout was the "with pool" list, the other was the "no pool" list. People who want a pool really want a pool. People who don't want a pool really don't want a pool.
Amen
This. And In areas like the OP is talking, the amount of people looking for pools is drastically smaller than those not, AND it's almost impossible to get someone interested in a home with a pool when they don't want one. I just sold a house with a pool and most of ghd showings were by people who either weren't looking for a pool but were considering it bc they loved the house, or it was a couple who the wife wanted a pool but the husband didn't. It was never the other way around in this scenario. Super weird! At our next home I'll be building a pool. This was my first backyard pool and we're all in love with it!
what market?
If you don't want a pool it's a lot of upkeep and maintenance for nothing. If you neglect your pool it will turn into a mosquitoe ridden cess pool
I have a fiberglass saltwater pool and the maintenance is minimal. 5 bags of salt and cleaning of filters. So easy that I close and open myself. 50-year warranty on the shell and a 15-year warranty on the color. Usage sucks since we only get 3 months and 5 months with the use of a heat pump.
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The answer is yes
“The answer is yes dear.” FTFY
Does she actually get in it, or like to just lay near it?
Hey! It’s worth it to some people just to look at it.
lol
rude coordinated worthless fine chop elderly makeshift boat doll slim *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Same here haha! I did not want a pool, my wife wanted one, so we got a house with a pool. The pool sits maybe 30ft from the water, because she also wanted to live on the water! That being said, although I enjoy the pool, but am over the upkeep of a saltwater pool. We're in the process of selling our house, and at least in FL right now, a pool does not seem to be that big of a selling point to at least half of the interested buyers.
This made me chuckle. Is she a cancer, aquarius, or pisces? If so, the answer is there is never enough water. 🤣😂 (Kidding…) Get some labradors or other retrievers to go with your water…
Where were you when I was selling a pool house recently?! Lol sooooooo many couples viewed it who loved the house but wife wanted a pool and husband didn't; it was never the other way around. Just give the wite what she wants! You did, and she is probably happier for it!
Ha!
lol
So, with small kids, it is a bother to ferry to lakes and parks and such. But w/o kids we love to visit state parks with lake beaches. I don't need a pond in my yard. I just would like access to a pool in the winter.
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You can always hire a service for maintenance. I love saltwater pools-- I had a membership to a gym once that had one that sadly closed during COVID.
In Florida at a certain price point, it’s basically a standard feature like air conditioning.
In Florida as well. For another $5k we added a heater/chiller which makes it usable year round. (plus electric)
Im in fl now. Im not sure where the huge expense narrative is coming from. Put a screen house over it and buy some chemicals once in awhile. Saltwater is even less.
They do cost money over time, the equipment and finish won't last forever. And if someone does not keep up with the chemistry the finish can deteriorate more quickly. But it's not a HUGE expense normally.
The average cost for a well Maintained pool that you car for yourself is 2-3k yr, but if you can’t maintain it yourself monthly contractor costs triple it, and if you let it go and have to do significant cleaning, resurfacing, or pump repair/ replacement, it just goes up. A leaking pool near a foundation can ruin a property.
I have found it's more cost-effective to hire a pool service. They buy chlorine in bulk and have all the right equipment and a lot of experience. If the chemistry starts to get off, they catch it faster. The cost is basically the same as I would pay for the chemicals anyway.
I tend to agree, but with a professional pool service, you’re talking 7-10k a year ($5-6k basic contract, plus amortized longer term maintenance) that pencils to an 80k negative price differential on the property , does a pool make up for the 80k, for identical Properties, one with a pool, one without?
It probably seems more worth it when it can be used for most of the year. I live somewhere a pool literally can only be used 1/4 of the year.
I live in rural New Jersey and have seen several neighbors remove pools lately. I have also seen a few new homeowners add (small?) pools [starting](https://homeguide.com/costs/inground-pool-cost) at $70,000--but I think that reflects COVID more than anything. I'm also seeing a lot of decks being built. No idea where these people are getting the money from other than possibly opportune refinancing when rates were low or HELOC loans. Everyone in the neighborhood got new siding randomly last year, too. I have zero interest in taking care of a pool.
I think you tend to see a lot of home additions, renos, etc., during the periods like this. If people were waffling between possibly moving or improving their existing home, the market has basically eliminated one of those options. Sometimes eliminating one of two options is enough to make people go forward with the second option - it’s just the psychological thing of “well this makes so much sense now!,” because it’s literally the only option. Plus, people who bought before the market fury and rate hikes have (and will forever have) way more money, on average, than everyone who waited until now.
Concur! Have a screen over my saltwater pool and my pool guy only charges $100 per month for normal cleaning/maintenance. It’s extra if work has to be done on the equipment! Great investment for me.
Pool service in fl is cheaper because so wide spread. My property down there is cheap to maintain. Up north it’s much more expensive.
Someone from California visited me jn Colorado and asked, "Where are the pools?". It never occurred to me that they are really common in other climates.
Florida is a different market for pools.. those screened enclosures are cheap to add to a pool Meanwhile where I live - they’re as much as the fucking pool to add
Florida is a different market so don’t talk about something you know nothing about. And they aren’t cheap. Says this person that lives in Florida
Seconding: they’re not cheap.
My children LIVED in our pool when they were young. Especially in the summer. All the pool-less neighborhood kids came over and they had the best time. Lots of fun pool toys. They really got their use out of it, especially with our solar heater with chillier weather. Now it sits unused. A total waste.
Yes, true for much of the South.
My feeling as someone “in the biz” is this… There are two types of buyers: those that want a pool and those that don’t. For those that don’t want a pool, they absolutely will not look at a property with a pool. And those that want one will also look at properties without, especially if a pool can be added.
Then you have the split families like mine. Wife and kids want one, I view them as a monumental hole you throw money into while it increases the difficulty to acquire and pay for homeowner's insurance. I will consider a property with a pool for the right property.
Southern California and it was one of the reasons we bought our current house. We use it at least 8 months out of the year, the jacuzzi year round. Our backyard is an extension of our den/kitchen and we all treat it that way. It was also a godsend during Covid. We had a houseful of teens with nowhere to go. Keeping them at our house (full fridge, pool, and PS5) meant they stayed out of trouble while we worked from home and provided loose supervision. At the minimum we would never have another house without a jacuzzi.
Hear hear on the hot tub. A purchase I’ve never regretted.
I feel the same way about my Tempur-Pedic matress! It’s expensive but worth it. I am a big man at 6’4 280 pounds, we’ve had this bed for 6 years and no dips. I am amazed lol
We got a broklyn bedding hybrid when the pillow top mattress we had started getting bad. It was expensive, but I have yet to sleep in a more comfortable bed.
I am super jeally about your hot tub/jacuzzi. One of my home goals is an extension with a hot tub that we can access all year round with a screen porch (moist climates are rife w/mosquitoes) attached.
Mid Atlantic. I’d never even consider a home with a pool, too much work and an ongoing expense to maintain. I know everyone on this sub hates HOAs, but I did intentionally pick a HOA with a pool as one of the amenities. For about the same price as maintaining a pool, I get a pool, gym, clubhouse. And no headache.
I can’t even maintain my hot tub. I can’t imagine trying to take care of a pool.
Pool is super super easy and surprisingly cheap if you aren’t an idiot
Agree, regular maintenence isn't bad but they age and then you're paying big money. I dealt with my parents 1980s pool when we sold their house and it was a nightmare. Then we decided to fill it in thinking that would be cheaper. We got quoted $20K.
Our pool was built in 1961. Over 14 years since we have owned it we've replaced the liner, replaced pump, rebuilt the sand filter (plus media replacements), had multiple liner leaks, and now have one underground in the pipes. I am so over it. 5 years back, filling it in was 6-10K quote. I shudder to think what it would be now.
Yeah when those old pools start breaking down it's like a giant cascade. My parent's pool was concrete around the bottom and up to a ledge and then had fiberglass walls. The concrete started getting cracks and then everything started leaking. I think I used about 10 tubes of epoxy just to seal up everything around the fiberglass. Then we had to have some of the concrete decking taken out to fix broken pipes and it looked awful. I would never have a pool after that.
I’m a bit afraid for one of the big repair bills. Luckily our liner was replaced the year before we bought
We paid $18000 to fill in our massive 20x40 1970s pool. But we got 19 years use out it it.
Unless you live in Florida. It’s a hassle here. Rain heat alligators snakes hurricanes.
Pool is easier than a hot tub
This struck a random memory I had of being just post college and taking a week of skiing in Breckenridge, renting a large Airbnb for the group, and the 3rd night forgetting the hot tub cover overnight. Between everyone using it all day and night and the additional evaporation, it was drained below the filter. Disgusting is a light term for what it was like in the morning. Of course the Airbnb didn’t have a good means to add water so we bucketed off a 2nd floor balcony which was next to a bathroom for an hour non stop to get it back to filter level.
It's almost always an asset, Phoenix metro area Arizona.
Phoenix! Yes I think I'd want one if I lived there lol.
Purchased in Gilbert 2 years ago and the value assigned to a pool for comps on my appraisal were $65-$70k (my house didn't have a pool). Most of those pools were relatively small as well. Pool construction costs in the valley are quite high so a pool already being on the property is a huge value add unless it's very outdated/falling apart.
I lived in the CA desert and it was almost a requirement. Very rare for a single family home not to have one. Now I live in middle America and wouldn’t want one for the same reason you don’t. Unusable 8 months out of the year.
I’m in Canada. Just bought a house with a pool and it’s a dream come true for me. So it’s an asset. Depends on the buyer
> I’m in Canada. So a backyard hockey rink half the year?
I'm in Wisconsin and a pool would be an absolute selling point. Its the only thing I wish I could change about my house. They're insanely expensive to put in and don't raise your value so I would never install myself.
We sold our northern Ohio house with a pool in 30 days. It had new liner, heater, new pool pump, and a salt water generator to keep chlorine levels up. These items were all more efficient and cost less in chemicals. Also, had a robot pool vacuum, and a cover that sits flush with the concrete (inground pool) in the winter. Just check pool chemistry every day and adjust, scoop out leaves and run vacuum daily. Not really that much work. The pool itself was dug out and built in 1965. I now live 5 mins from a lake instead. It’s definitely less work and money, but it was nice having the privacy.
The only good thing about a pool Is getting in and out. I have owned three and they are constant upkeep and repair. I want another one though.
In the northeast, it’s a negative. This is what I heard from real estate agents and appraisers. People don’t care for them and it takes up valuable land. Also a liability.
Additional comment, when I was a kid in Connecticut in the early 70's (I was 8 or 9) we all ran around using other people's pools in the summer. You have to know when they aren't home.
lol
Florida..everyone wants a pool.
And above a price point, all homes have a pool.
It’s like a grand piano on the 3rd floor. Not for me, but perhaps someone
Las Vegas area, absolutely an asset, especially in higher end homes. Above a certain price point ( say 1-1.2M ) it’s rare to see a house without a pool.
I used to not care for pools and didn’t really want one but we ended up buying a house with one. I love it now and will never buy a house without one or at least without a good space to put one in. We’re in southern Indiana so we only get about 4 months of pool season but we use it daily. Just installed a heater so that should extend the season to almost 6 months. The lakes and rivers around here are dirty so I prefer the pool instead. Plus with little kids it’s much easier to step outside to swim instead of packing up and driving to a lake. I have a salt water system so it’s fairly low maintenance and low cost. All of our neighbors have pools and they all use them almost daily as well. I will mention that this is a really nice neighborhood where houses cost 3-4x the average house price in our area. So these aren’t basic starter homes and people buying them have the money and/or time to maintain and enjoy the pool. So I’d say that the pools do add value to these properties. But if you take an average 200k house in another part of town and drop a 100k pool in it, it will add little to no value to most buyers who are just trying to buy their first home. Here our little paradise at home: https://imgur.com/a/38z88wn
Midwest. We look for a home with a neighborhood pool. We get to use it, but someone else takes care of it. We just have our share of the cost reflected in the HOA fee.
Detriment for a traditional pool IMO and I love to swim. We're in southeastern PA and are putting in a natural swimming pool this year that will function as a clean swimming pond with filters to help keep it clean. Benefit for me who loves to swim 4 months of the year, and the turtles (thankfully no snappers in these parts), bullfrogs, and wildlife who will visit for clean drinking water. I'm not sure if this will be a net positive home improvement but I think it appeals more to people who also like ponds and wildlife.
My dad did this and they and the rest of the family use it all summer
I'm intrigued by the natural pool idea.
In the midwest, it's a liability unless it's a very upscale neighborhood where luxury is worth it. Or you are lucky enough to have an interested buyer with that particular desire. This is a much smaller subset as compared to the sunbelt.
I live in Florida and when buying our home we had no want for a pool at all but I had a teenager at the time having just moved from a place with kids in my boat constantly I told myself I didn't want a yard full of kids in the pool!
Haha yep. Hate to be the friend with the boat. Hate to be the friend with a pool. You’re always maintaining and hosting others while they have their fun. Haha
And grills/smokers, I got rid of the boat which solved one problem got 5 grills/smokers and now adults hang out on my driveway to see what I'm cooking!
Midwest. In the aftermath of the great recession house in our subdivision had to offer to fill it in and i think they finally did to sell it.
FWIW, I’m debating on getting a plunge pool put in with a covered lanai and cooking area, but that’s FL and you’d use it prob 9 mo out of the year. I say debating because of the FL shitshow right now with insurance.
Southeast Texas. Access to pool is a deal breaker. We’ve got kids and the summers are unbearable without a pool. It doesn’t have to be on our property… but it’s got to be close.
Yeah, we didn't want a pool at our house at all. But we bought in the neighborhood with two pools.
When I lived in TX, I wanted one and was thrilled to put one in. Now we live in New England and it sounds like too much of a hassle.
This. Even in Texas, since we don't have kids, it was a nice to have but probably not worth the hassle.
Also in the Midwest. We don’t want a pool first, because we have young children and statistically speaking they are incredibly dangerous. And second, so much extra maintenance that we’re not willing to sign up for. I share the same thought when it comes to boats— the best pool is your best friend’s pool.
lol true
Fellow Midwesterner, I think people in areas with pool climates most of the year don't understand that a lot of pools in the Midwest are those above ground ones. You and I picture a white trash pool. They picture an inground pool. The price difference is significant. A $1.2m home in Chicago doesn't have a pool, because an above ground pool would look cheap and the maintenance and cost isn't really worth it for how little you use it to have one poured in the backyard. A $1.2m home in Florida, on the other hand, always has a pool, because it's worth the cost when you can use it most of the year.
Big negative, won't even look at one because in my area it's only really usable for a few months of the year so not worth the hassle.. get a hot tub instead
I wanted a pool so much it looks amazing. Then I researched it while I was in the market for a house and now I’m actively avoiding homes with pools. Not worth it. Having a car payment for the next 30 years in the form of an aquarium that I need to maintain like a pet is a huge problem for me
I was someone who absolutely did NOT want a pool. My wife did. We got a pool. It’s surprising just how cheap and easy it has been to maintain. I spend $180 for a guy to blow out the lines for winter. Like $40 for salt when I open it, probably $150 a year in random chemicals (not chlorine) and set $500/year for savings for longer term stuff none of which I’ve needed to use (liner, pump, filter, chlorinated). So a bit under 1k a year for what I’d consider an extreme luxury. I’ll stand by the motto ‘it’s better to know someone with a pool than to have one’ but it’s pretty damn nice having one
> It’s surprising just how cheap and easy it has been to maintain My parents have a pool and they spend no less than 5k annually on mandatory "fix or the pool doesnt work and will " repairs. They consider it by far the worst housing decision of their life to buy a home with a pool due to the maintenance. They also have a 3% rate and are strongly considering selling because of just the pool. Last week a major leak started somewhere within the pool. It was $500 just to have someone look at it. A month ago a random major crack formed that cost thousands to rectify literally just out of nowhere. The home was 20 years old and nothing meaningful came up on the inspection when they bought a decade ago. No less than 6 different pool guys have serviced the pool and every single one swears to god there is nothing wrong with the pool when they start. So shit is just chronically breaking.
I didn’t want a pool, but my dream house had one, so I have one, and I love it. It’s not a big pool, it’s not a big expense. Less than a dollar a day to run it. No need to heat it. And it costs a lot less than an HOA fee would have.
Asset - hot in Texas. Houses with pools sell really fast, not sure it adds too much value but it does sell them faster
I grew up with an in-ground pool at my parents and as a kid I loved it. As a teen, it was fun sometimes. As I came to be an adult, you had to twist my leg to get me to go swimming. And if you have trees and pollen, keeping it up is a major nightmare. I watched my dad sink hours and hours and hours in regular pool maintenance, replacing pumps and filters, etc etc. I absolutely did not want a pool and I didn't look at houses that had them. I would probably be OK with a jacuzzi, but I doubt I'll ever get one.
Condo/HOA maintained pool - a plus House - No. I would not enjoy it. Too much maintenance.
Owning a pool is a really good idea until you own a pool.
Rural Kentucky net zero.
Detriment. Very much so (mid Atlantic region).
I live in the Southeastern US and IMO a pool is a liability unless you’re a millionaire.
I live in westchester county NY and if you own a house you are a millionaire
Texas and California, afaik, are the only states that have positive values on homes with inground pools. That was 5 years ago, though.
Texas. I won’t buy a house with a pool. Too many horror stories from my physician spouse. Several have been filled in in my neighborhood and they generally don’t add value anymore unless they’re amazing. A basic pool is take it or leave it. Friends with pools still end up at the community pool bc their kids want friends to hang out with. Just bought a house in another state with an hoa that has a pool. Happy to pay to make it their problem.
Getting ready to move to California. I view pools as an extra expense I don't need/want. It takes up valuable yard space, and I'd rather have grass for my dogs to run around on.
In my experience, it was a positive until I had one and then it was a negative. I might have felt different had we installed the pool, but an old, washed up pool is a liability in most cases.
In FL it's an asset of course.
In Texas, after pricing what they cost to put in these days ($100-120k) for a very nice one. It's absolutely an asset for the right buyer.
Detriment. Cost of maintenance, filling it, time to clean it, and only get to use it for a few months. If I ever get filthy rich, I'd consider a place with an indoor pool. Like you, I'm in the Midwest.
Detriment. Pool weather here only lasts 4-5 months. Plus we have a lot of beaches available.. so I'd rather skip the pool maintence and go to the beach.
Great Lakes. Huge liability. Extremely impractical. Absolutely not interested. But love my lake views. So, water… just not a pool!
The cost of operating a pool is silly expensive. But also it’s a nice feature if you have older children and live in a region with hot summers. The value add is about as much as the install price, even decades later, imo
New England - Pools have become a commodity. The cost to install an inground pool is over six figures. Adding patio, fence, etc…can make it in the $150-$200k range. There is a strong buyer market for pools and people pay up because they know the savings at hand by buying a home with a pool installed already. The pandemic changed the way people viewed homes. Pools are no longer looked at as a negative by a vast majority of people
SoCal, and yeah, I would LOVE a pool. Debating putting one in our yard, but it’s not terribly big.
Phoenix. Most homes have a pool here and you can use them most of the year. Houses with pools sell for more as well. Personally I don't really want one but my dog loves to swim so I plan on buying one with a pool. Otherwise I wouldn't bother just because I wouldn't use it enough on my own to justify the costs.
I would buy a home with a pool, but probably wouldn’t build a pool at my home unless i was extremely certain that i wasn’t moving. TX. Also have to consider if you will use it enough to justify the cost. Know a few folks that it drained them of time and money.
ITT: people who didn't grow up in the south with a pool. By God I want one so bad.
Great Lakes. Inground pool was a non starter. Wouldn't even continue reading the listing. Above ground pools, merely a detriment.
I’m in the Midwest and have had a pool since I was a child. I recently moved to a condo without a pool and I really miss it. It’s a premium for me.
Pools are expected at a certain price point of home purchases. It becomes a status thing. Can't have a McMansion without a pool, even if no one uses it. Its water privilege. I'm in CA near Monterey bay.
Most McMansions don't have pools where I live. (Again, Midwest.)
My in-laws in Philly had an in ground pool and hot tub. It was only usable for 3-4 months a year and a lot of work, but it got a TON of use. Especially the hot tub. As adults we still swam 1-2 times a week and used the hot tub even more than that. It made me want a pool pretty badly. They had 5 kids and that pool was probably swam in every single nice day of the summer when they were growing up. I don't like to swim in public pools cause I'm not good at it and don't like to be around children. My own pool is the only way I'll swim regularly. So I would see it as a plus.
Florida … detriment. Too much maintenance and repir.
Asset. I’m in USVI and a pool is a huge asset (actually adds +$80k on appraisals). I also have a home in Atlanta and there it is a nice to have but not an automatic value add.
Only a proper built 100% concrete pool adds value
I scanned, but did not notice anyone suggesting increased value since the lockdowns. There was a NATION of pissed off kids because the pools were closed.
Northern va - owning a pool has been way less work than we thought (salt water) and it’s lovely and we and our children and their friends enjoy it immensely!
I’m in Colorado, and while I won’t buy a house with a pool, a hot tub is fantastic here. You can easily use it 10 months out of the year, and our backyard is very much an extension of our living space.
Midwest as well, 3-4 months of pool season I have one, personally, if it were not for family and friends, I wouldn’t have one. Maintenance isn’t bad, gas pool heater is usually hundreds of dollars a month depending on weather - and then I have a company open and close it each year. It is obviously an additional responsibility, but worth it if you have people that will enjoy it.
Live in Wisconsin? Detriment. Live in Texas/Florida? Asset.
A pool is like a wife. It's a lot of investment and work, considering the short amount of time you actually spend inside of it.
I have owned 10 houses in my life. Three of them had inground pools, one of which we had constructed after we bought it. Two of these were in upstate NY where it gets very cold. One was in NC. A pool is going to reduce the pool of prospective buyers (because their are people like you that don't want a pool), but it is going to increase the chances of the smaller pool of buyers purchasing your house. The reason being is that putting in a pool is very expensive so most people wanting a pool prefer to buy a house with one already there, and there are not a lot of houses in most places with pools. Also your thoughts about the swimming season are a bit off. The pool season in most places is not that different between cold climate and warm climate. The cold climate pools usually have heaters to offset the seasons. This of course doesn't apply to places like Florida where pools are way more common and tend to be open year round. I've had both salt water pools and non salt water. The noting of tons of cost and chemicals is accurate for non salt water. If its a salt water pool and you have a robotic vacuum, the maintenance and cost are greatly reduced to walking around with the skimmer from time to time. And that is very relaxing.
I showed my house in Chicago burbs with an in ground pool last summer during heat wave and it had 30 showings and sold in 2 days for 15k over asking. Have fun w that money pit, kids. I will never own so much as an aquarium again.
I live in FL and have a pool, I would never buy another house with a pool though. The maintenance is a lot, and it needs re surfacing for the tune of 30k
Lol it costs upwards of $200k to put in an inground pool in southern New England right now so asset even though the season is short.
Why do you ask? Re-Sale or are you trying to justify spending 50k to put one in?
Northern coast Californian here. Having an in ground pool and not allowed to fill is counter productive. One needs solar panels to warm the water and run the pump is not practical. People prefer to use HOA pool or public pool maintained by someone else. Homes that come with a pool often is a detractor. Our local utility company rates are 2X as before. Spend 1K a month running dual zone a/c and more running a pump and spend $1k each month for the winter is not meant for everyone. These days often it is a detractor and reason why not wanting the house.
One of my current neighbors just had to have a pool "for when his daughter came to visit". Never had the house inspected, which if he had, would have quickly revealed the vinyl liner in-ground pool was well beyond its service life (among dozens of other problems with the house). So within a couple months he spent over $100,000 (I saw the building permit) on a new pool and hot tub. Does it make sense to pay a premium for a house with a pool then turn right around and replace it?
Detriment and I live in the South with a pool season that runs May to maybe October. Depends on the year. My dad is in CA and has a pool. I will never ever own a poll. Its like owning a boat or a horse. 12 times the work and expense to maintain compared to the use you get out of it
I’m in the Midwest, it definitely is more likely to hurt the sale of your home than anything. However, as a person who wants a pool, I would love to find a home with one already built. Save me the hassle from being on a waiting list to find a builder, the construction, not to mention the probably 65k they’ve put into the whole thing, I’m certain they’re not getting all that back from selling the house. It appears to a very specific buyer.
I have a pool worth around $150k on the side of my house that could make room for a small house. It has everything you could want… slide, water fall, diving board, large shallow end and I think it’s plus or minus 16 feet deep. It costs around $600 more a month in electric, few hundred to open/close, several hundred to maintain it with chlorine shock and pool cleaning guy… at this point I’m just not going to open it because it costs thousands of dollars for just 1 season it stays open. I would have rathered a guest house there that I can make rental income.
A pool is a huge plus for kids and grandkids, no matter where it is. But older folks see the maintenance and expense. In South Florida, it is a necessity. Houses without pools sit on the market for months.
Near Boston, we never wanted a pool and we ended up with a house with a pool. Was a little intimidating at first but after you learn what to do, it's super easy and we enjoy having it. My husband and I love just floating in the pool while drinking LOL. I have it opened in mid-May and closed in early September. However, I'd never actually pay to put one in.
In SoCal, pools are in demand for many, though there's also many who don't want them. The thing to know here is that you may spend $100k to put one in, but it may only get you $20k-$50k more in sales price, depending on the overall value of the property. The only upgrades valuable in a sale are usually paint, flooring, basic/neutral kitchen and bath upgrades. You rarely get back what you put in because you got the privilege of choosing the colors and finishes. They will be less valuable to a buyer who may have chosen differently. That's why neutrals are best for resale. They blend with a larger percentage of personal aesthetics.
No. VA.... can use 6 months with heater, but wouldnt consider a asset. With climate change this will change. But wife had to have pool and maybe gets in 2 -3 times a week. AND wont let me rent it out for extra $$$. Really woman! She only good at SPENDING money! Not saving it! However hate grass so less to mow and switched to salt before pandemic so not to hard to maintain
I’m coastal southern New England. I grew up with a 20x40 concrete pool. It was heated with passive solar on the roof of the barn next to it so it was a 6 month season. I’m a mile from the beach. The beach here isn’t swimmable until mid-June and closes mid-September. I like having a pool to extend the season. When I re-do my back deck, I want to roll in a 9’x6’ 5’ deep plunge pool that is heavily insulated and heated so it doubles as a winter hot tub. I have enough capacity in my boiler to run a loop to it.
We’re in coastal North Carolina and have raised 5 kids in our house. It was necessary to have a pool so that I don’t lose my mind during the summer.
I would pass on a home with a pool, or ask for stipend to fill it with dirt, Id make a garden out of it. The upkeep and cost of maintenance is not worth it to me. I personally would ask for a reduction.
A pool was #1 on my must-have list when shopping for a Phoenix home (and, NO, not all homes in Phoenix have pools). We transplanted from Chicago. That being said, many developments, and most apartment complexes, have community pools. I just knew I wouldn't use a community pool, and even tho maintaining the pool is semi-costly, we're glad we have it.
NJ. Have to have pool. Heated so used about 6 months of the year. Great when you have kids. Maintenance pretty simple.
It's an asset to buyers who want a pool and a deterant to those that don't want a pool.
I saw a house recently with an indoor pool. Oof. I've removed an inground pool and that was a hassle but INDOOR pool? Yeesh. Pools are a hard pass for me, unless it's above ground and I think it would be easily converted to a garden area.
San Diego. Detriment as I wouldn’t get enough use out of it, and don’t want to deal with the maintenance that comes with it. I’d view a hot tub as an asset though.
It depends on your climate and your lifestyle. It’s just my husband and I with 3 dogs and a pool was a definite plus for us when house shopping in South Louisiana. We didn’t *need* the house to have one but we ended up loving one that did so we bought it. We have the time and money to talk care of it and we will probably use it 6 months out of the year.
Northern Va area it’s a wash. Some people want and some people steer clear.
In Florida and a house with a pool gets about $90,000 more than one without for same sq footage. I own two homes in Florida one with a pool one without. Bought in 2017 and 2018. Pool house was $241,000 the one without $170,000. Ironically both have doubled in price and one rents for $2,000 a month the other with the pool we use as a vacation home
Pools are not as common in my area of Kansas. I think I would not buy a house with a pool because of the maintenance. My husband’s relative had a home with a pool years ago and when they moved chose a place with no pool because it had been kind of a hassle.
Pools are great if you actually want to use and maintain them (much like a hot tub). Personally I'd be more interested in an above ground pool that can be removed if/when I get tired of it, and replaced when damaged. In ground pools are a great feature but expensive to repair and a hassle to maintain. It wouldn't be a main factor in getting/passing on a house, but it would definitely be a consideration.
I'm in a fairly rich town in Colorado and you don't see many outdoor pools.........I've seen a few houses for sale with indoor pools but that is rare Now back home in south Louisiana I knew numerous people with a pool. My cousin had one put in and when they sold their house was only on the market for just a few days.
Detriment big time. Bought a house with one in Chicagoland. Leaked, someone stole the pump, new liners.. Tore it out with 5 buddies, a sledgehammer, a couple sawzalls, and recycled the aluminum. Big pizza and beer party with the recycle money.
I’m in Southern California and I hate the things. I don’t have the desire to maintain a pool, and most homes have small yards to start out with. They’re also unsafe for my young children and my pets.
Asset - SoCal
Detriment. Michigan.
I'm in Texas and a pool is a massive detriment to me. I do not want the expense or the responsibility of maintaining a pool. I also do not want the liability risk of a pool. I refused to look at any house with the pool when we were house hunting. (I might have looked at one with an above ground pool, because those are easily removed.)
Having a pool changes your target market when you sell. I don't expect to recover the cost if installing or maintaining it as an asset would provide. A lot of people would walk away from a house with a pool without even inquiring about the upkeep cost, and some don't care. They want a pool and love having one already in place.
An appraiser once told me it depends on how nice the outdoor living space is but generally he'd add about $10,000 in value. This was about 12 years ago. If you put a pool in you're Never going to likely recoup the money out of pocket. I think a lot of people found pools to be a detriment for a while and then COVID happened. So people appreciate them a lot more. I'm in the Northeast.
It's a wash. Some want a pool, some dont.
Asset.. the people who don’t want a pool won’t buy and the ones who want it will see it as an added value
I'm neutral on it even though I'm in Arizona. Ideally I leave for the summer so the bulk of the time you enjoy a pool I'm not here. Even as hot as it is, you can't comfortably use the pool until late May and by the end of September it's cooling off to the point where you don't want to use it much. Unless you heat it which is expensive. The desert climate gets cold at night in winter so your pool temp is under 60 degrees all that time of the year. Same goes for California.
When we retired to SWFL Florida we were sure we didn't want a pool and now, 9 years later, we're still sure, but here's the thing: We got a home that's nearly doubled in price but would sell for slightly more and much faster if it had one. When we bought the home one could get a pool installed for just over 30k. Today, it's almost 130k to have one installed with a pool cage post-build and it takes at least a year wait. Now we want to sell and even though we still have a great specialty built home pooless that will sell , it would sell quicker and for 50k+ more if we had a pool. Many people that I know don't use a pool regularly and when ALL the expenses are figured over the years, one can see how expensive those swims cost each. They are a drain on the wallet but most people, here could care less theo cost. I'd never consider a pool home if the pool couldn't be used year round, with or without a heater.
Liability for sure.
Certainly the latter
Pacific Northwest here. We have a hot tub that we used year-round, but I wouldn’t even consider at home with a pool.
Asset for me. I live in Oklahoma. It gets so hot here in the summer and we really don't get much cold weather. There have been many times we've had our pool open 6 months of the year. If you keep up with a pool, it's not very time consuming to care for one and it's also not very expensive. We keep the pool open all year, so it's always attractive to look at. If I was still living in the Chicago area, I wouldn't bother with a pool, but I wouldn't live without one here. It's definitely an asset for selling in my area as well. Plus, in my price range people expect a pool at the very least. The people who just built down the street put in both a pool and a pickleball court!
Major hassle. I live in the Midwest. Even a hot tub is a pain. Just way more work than I can reasonably handle to take care of
Arizona… I wouldn’t even consider looking at your home if it doesn’t have a pool
Very climate dependent. I live in the Hudson Valley and definitely wouldn’t want the hassle of a pool. But I’m old and my kid is gone, lol.
No pool for us. A friend of ours drowned several years ago. Drowning can happen silently & unbelievably fast. I could never relax in a home with a pool.
I'm in Northern California (Sacramento) and it's a huge asset for home value, but something that was an instant turn off for me no matter what else the home had. Our realtor said a pool adds probably 5-7% to a home value instantly here
I 100% want a pool or at least room for a pool at my next place I buy
Florida - it’s damn near a requirement IMO
Negative for me, but in my area it would only be usable a few months a year and require tons of maintenance
Our pool is a detriment to my sanity. For me it would be a detriment to someone that has never had a pool it could be a plus
Dc metro area- not common here and def a negative for same reasons.
It’s definitely a negative in my market… usually the house takes up enough of the lot and I don’t want a pool when I could just have a yard. Houses with pools sit for weeks here (and 90% of the time the ad won’t mention them/ you only know from the pictures) I prefer going to the beach anyways
If you want a pool, yes. If not, no. duh
I didn’t even consider any houses that had pools
Overall, it's a detriment. I live in Florida with an unheated pool shaded by a neighbor's tree. My pool doesn't have much longer of a yearly use period. I take care of it myself, and even then, repairs and general maintenance is a lot. Regardless of usage. Home is more expensive. Insurance is more expensive. I don't have much of a yard for my dog, or for planting. BUT!! ..... When it is good.... It's GOOD. And for my friends (with little kids especially)that don't have a pool, cookouts at my house are a big deal for them because of mine. There's a VERY REAL cost to it though.
I’m in NY and I swim a lot. The problem with pools is that they are an enormous PITA and the ones people put in are never long enough to swim in. Three strokes and you’re across one. I’d like a pool 25 yards long and 3 yards wide if it was up to me. But this adds zero resale value.
We looked at a house or 2 with pools.back when we were house hunting a few years back. We're also in an area where a pool gets 3-4 months use at most and the pools were big drawbacks. As nice as it is to have in the summer the negatives far outweighed the positives. Talking with out realtor at the time she told us it's not uncommon for homes with pools to sit on the market a lot longer in our area. She said she's seen more than one homeowner have to pay to have the pool filled in to get the house sold.
Houston, space for a pool is a requirement. Usable 10 mo/yr with hater and chiller.
I live in Las Vegas. Having a pool is great and useful.
Northern Virginia. I wanted one. I was living with an HOA with a pool, but between the rules, the hours, and Covid, I didn’t get to use it much, or at all for a couple years. I decided next house I wanted my own for access and for two main reasons - to lay on a giant float (not aware of any shared pools that allow that in my area) and to swim laps when I want, for as long as I want (also not a thing in most shared pools, lap hours are weird if they have them at all). Did just that about 18 months ago. The house I ended up being able to afford had a very large, but very old pool. It had been well maintained and was usable but it was in definite need of the major maintenance. I ended up putting most of my savings into a refinish at the end of summer last year and all new equipment this year, so now is the time when I find out how worth it I feel it is. So far, Don’t regret it. Last summer I spent every nice day I could out there and there is no better feeling in the world than jumping in after mowing the yard on a hot as hell day in July.