If you're like me, every year, right about this time, you start to have serious swimming pool envy. Every morning when I'm looking at all the new listings that hit the market that day (presumably for our clients), I find myself searching for homes with sparkling blue pools in their backyards.
When I do find them, I lose myself, sometimes more than momentarily, in a picture-perfect daydream that features me, laying on a lounge chair on a warm summer day, sipping a cool drink with a lime, a colorful straw and umbrella, blissfully watching all of my friends and family who I've invited over for the afternoon, splashing around in the pool, having the time of their lives. There’s probably a slide, and a diving board and a volleyball net – you get the idea.
It's one of my very favorite daydreams.
But then, a few minutes later, I snap out of it and remember why I don’t have a pool. My backyard is too small for a pool, and I really love my home and don't want to move. It’s that simple. My desire for a pool hasn’t yet surpassed my desire not to move. I suspect it will someday, but for now, I’ll keep daydreaming away and buying my summer pool membership at the health club.
If you’re thinking about installing a pool, here are a few things to consider when making that decision:
- If you do decide to install a pool, do it because you want to enjoy it, not because you expect to get a return on your investment. In most cases, pools only add about 15 to 20 percent of their original cost to the value of the home.
- Having a pool doesn’t automatically attract buyers. In fact, in some cases, it may deter a buyer. Some people include a swimming pool on their wish list. Others automatically rule out a home with a swimming pool. They may not have the time to maintain the pool or may have young kids and are fearful of accidents.
- You can expect to spend between $3K and $5K annually, for maintenance, repairs, and additional utility costs. Not to mention the time needed to maintain the pool if you don’t hire a pool service. If you want more specific information on estimated costs, I suggest checking out the Home Advisor website. They have an excellent “True Cost Guide” for pool and spa ownership.
And, of course, if you decide that you definitely want a pool, but prefer to buy a home that already has one installed, give us a call. We’d love to help make your dream a reality!
Photo cred: Matthew Ingram - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode
