Who would mind buying a house with a swimming pool? Perhaps, no one will, until they come to terms with the various things to consider before buying it.
A swimming pool can be a captivating property for you as a homeowner. This would potentially offer you several hours of fun, including water exercises, swimming, cooling down, and relaxing during the summer months. Most people prefer to stay home in the summer rather than go for a vacation, so they look forward to buying a house with a swimming pool for their entertainment.
Moreover, buying a house with a swimming pool can bring a feeling of luxury to your life as well as improve the lifestyle of both you and your family. Here, we will identify both the pros and cons of owning a house with a swimming pool and help you make the right decision.
Why should you buy a house with a swimming pool?
Increases the value of your house
Are you living in a city where the weather is hot throughout the year? Surely, a swimming pool will add value to your home. If all your neighbors have a pool and you don't have one, the value of your house would be low for the buyers. Alternatively, if you have a pool that your neighbors don’t have, you can get a better deal on selling your house.
A good option to cool off
How fun would it be to take a dip in the pool in hot and sultry weather? It’s a good idea to own a house with a swimming pool so that you can take a dip whenever you want. You don’t have to pack your items each time and go to the public pool and perhaps pay an entry fee as well.
An outstanding option to have fun
Swimming with your favorite people can be great fun. If you have a swimming pool at your house, you can easily throw a pool party on your birthday, the 4th of July, as well as on Labor Day, and make the most out of it. Also, if you throw an outdoor party, where it would be a little cold to swim, you can simply add paper lanterns with tea lights floating in the pool and give it a magnificent look.
Aesthetically beautiful
Having a swimming pool in your house can make it a very relaxed place. You may find the sight very calming and soothing, regardless of whether you are swimming or not. In a nutshell, it would give an aesthetic look to your house, and it would be more pleasant to look at a swimming pool when nobody else is swimming in it.
Good for exercise
Swimming is great exercise, especially if you are pregnant, sustained an injury, or an aged person. The water in the pool will keep your body up and it won’t put any unnecessary pressure on your joints. Moreover, if you are suffering from arthritis or have an injury, doing exercise in a swimming pool will give you a deep sense of relief.
Drawbacks of buying a house with a swimming pool- High maintenance cost
Despite all the advantages we have discussed above that make a house with a swimming pool an outstanding asset, here are some facts that you should know about maintaining it:
- A well-maintained swimming pool needs to be cleaned weekly along with regular chemical treatment or even filter replacement. Also, you might need to bear the cost of resurfacing it as and when required as well as collect funds for frequent repairs during the rainy season.
- If you are maintaining a heated pool, it is more than likely your utility bills will be increasing every month.
- An unmaintained swimming pool will breed a lot of mosquitoes or look like a pond with frogs covered in green algae. Overall, this will minimize the resale value of your house.
- If you don’t insure your swimming pool, you may have to incur multiple unexpected and immediate expenses on pump repairs, bursting water pipes, or even leaky seals.
- Due to an increasing number of people staying home in summer recently, the pool industry is experiencing a huge shortage of chlorine. This is creating issues in the maintenance of swimming pools with bacteria and algae forming their house in the pool.
As per Homeadvisor.com, if you buy a house with a swimming pool you are most likely to spend something between $120 to $372 each month for its maintenance.
How can a swimming pool pose a hazard?
A swimming pool can be threatening, especially for children. Mostly, a family with toddlers would be reluctant to purchase a house with a swimming pool as they fear their children might drown. Apart from this, there's a risk of fish or raccoons coming out of your pool, or you may even have to explain to your neighbor how their cat drowned in your pool.
Regardless of how much chlorine you use to fill up your swimming pool, you will need to empty it and refill it for your peaceful mind.
Here are a few safety and regulatory measures for you to take and ensure peace of mind:
- Ensure clear communication with the present owner of the house you want to buy, if it's meeting the federal, state, or local safety standards for the pools in your locality.
- Be sure to fit the drains with the code-compliant covers.
- If you have children at home, you would be required to take special care of them while they are in the pool. For instance, as an additional safety precaution, you can install an alarm or fence the area and rest assured of your kids.
According to the CDC, drowning is the biggest cause of unnatural death of children between the age group of 1-4.
High insurance cost
Since having a swimming pool at your home can be dangerous, you must consider insuring your house with a swimming pool. This will increase your insurance costs, however, if you follow the safety guidelines, we have mentioned above you can easily reduce your expenses.
Here’s what you need to know about the insurance policy:
- Generally, a homeowner’s insurance will cover your swimming as per its other structures clause.
- As per this policy, a homeowner would be liable to compensate for any injuries that have happened because of the swimming pool. However, it will not consider whether the permission has been taken from the homeowner or not.
- You should be aware of the various protocols laid down by your insurance company like buying a swimming pool cover or draining it in the winter season. If you don’t follow these guidelines, your insurance company may reject your claim based on the negligence of the homeowner.
No big return on your investment
Of course, having a swimming pool in your house will increase its value in the market. However, it may not always fetch considerable profit on your investment. The value a swimming pool would add to your house is remarkable.
Any insurance, maintenance, or installation costs you pay for your swimming pool will not be able to compensate for the value it adds. Don't buy a house with a swimming pool to generate huge returns in the future, instead buy it to enhance your living standards.
Having a swimming pool in your house will occupy a lot of space and you may not have sufficient space for sports or even entertainment purposes. Avoid buying a house with a swimming pool if you find sports or entertainment more important than just sitting by the waterside and relaxing or swimming.
Now that you know whether you would like to purchase a house with a swimming pool or not, consider thinking about your relocation. Buying a luxurious house like this would be costly, so we suggest you choose a moving option that suits your budget. However, if you want to hire movers, consider taking quotes from several moving companies or choose to rent a moving truck if you have decided to make a DIY move.