Buying a home with a pool seems like a no-brainer. Who wouldn’t want a pool in their backyard?
While it is true that having a pool can be a lot of fun, there are some downsides. Many people don’t want to spend time and money maintaining their pool, as pools require time-consuming and expensive maintenance year-round. Additionally, a pool can lower the resale value of your home in some areas.
However, there are companies that now offer pool removal services for those who purchase a home with a pool they do not want or need. There are many benefits to owning a pool, but it can be easily removed if you find the cons outweigh the benefits.
Pros of Buying a Home With a Pool
Here are some of the biggest benefits of owning a home with a pool:
Social Benefits
Having a pool makes your home the de facto hangout spot for your children and their friends. Of course, it could also be just as popular with your own friends. Just because people do not want to own a pool themselves does not mean they do not want to swim in one.
Having a swimming pool in your backyard is much more private and convenient than using a neighborhood or community pool. You can have the pool all to yourself, it will never be too crowded, and all the comforts of home are right there. Plus, if you have kids, it is a great way to get them to spend their time somewhere you can easily keep an eye on them.
Physical & Mental Health
Swimming is great exercise, and having your own pool is just as good as having a home gym. You can have fun with the whole family while also getting a good workout in.
In addition to getting exercise, a pool is a perfect place to relax, whether you are in the water or just sitting next to it. It creates a great, calm place to wind down, promoting good mental health for you and your family.
It Can Add Aesthetic Value
A well-designed, well-maintained pool looks good. It can tie the outdoor and indoor space together in a way that few other design elements can. Think about the way that a well-placed infinity pool creates incredible views from the inside of the home.
A custom-designed pool can make your backyard look and feel like a luxurious resort. They may even add substantial value to your home. Of course, despite the many benefits, there are downsides to having a pool at your home. Here are a few of the most notable downsides:
Cons of Buying a Home With a Pool
Lots of Maintenance
Pools need near-constant maintenance. The chemicals have to be balanced, the pumps have to be kept in working order, and the water has to be cleaned. It can eat up a lot of your time if you try and do all the work yourself.
If you hire someone to do the work for you, the costs can add up quickly. On top of the cost of maintenance, many people are surprised by how much a pool can add to their energy bills. Even non-heated pools require electricity to keep the pumps running. As these pumps run continuously, it can easily add $100 a month to your energy bill.
Safety Issues
Pools are a huge safety hazard. Your children, your friends, or other family members can get hurt inside the pool or drown inside of it. People diving into the pool can injure themselves, and people running around the edge can easily slip and fall.
In fact, many cities have laws requiring certain safety features like lockable fences around the pool, which only adds to the expense of having one.
Extra Insurance Costs
All those safety issues create another problem for you if you own a pool because you may need additional insurance. You may have to buy liability insurance to cover potential accidents involving your pool, especially if you will be inviting guests over to swim in it.
In addition to the insurance, you will need to pay for safety features like fencing and even cameras that allow you to monitor the pool when you are away. All of this can add up quickly and can end up costing even more than the maintenance.
It Can Lower Your Home’s Resale Value
This depends to some extent on where you live, but in many places, having and in-ground pool can lower the value of your home. If you live somewhere like Texas where there is hot weather for most of the year, it may add value. But if you live in a state like Colorado, where the summers are short and mild, a pool is almost guaranteed to lower the resale value of your home.
In fact, it is not uncommon in some places for people to buy a home with a pool, fill the pool in, and then sell the home for much more than they paid for because removing the pool dramatically increased the value of the home. In fact, if you have found a home you really love, but do not want to keep the in ground pool, an easy solution is to buy the home and have the pool removed.
Since pools often lower the value of the home, this might even allow you to buy a home that is much bigger or in a better neighborhood than you would normally be able to afford. That means that buying a home with a pool can be a good strategy even if you do not want the pool.
Speak With a Pool Removal Contractor
While pool removal may seem like a huge project, contractors specializing in pool removal can get the job done quickly, and the value of your home may go up immediately when you do. If you are considering buying a home that has a pool and will need pool removal services, contact the experts at Dirt Connections. They can give you an idea of what it would cost to remove the pool so you will know if that is the right choice for you.
