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Swimming is one of the most popular exercise preferred by many. It helps relax and stretch your muscles, flexibility and lose weight. Though owning a pool at home may give a luxurious lifestyle with a number of added benefits like maintaining physical and mental health, it has certain downsides to be aware of. Though buying a home with a swimming pool is comparatively cheaper than installing a swimming pool later on, the maintenance and repair costs must be taken into account.
Things to be considerate before buying home with a pool
There are certain things that may be considered while making a decision to buy a home with a pool.
The location you live in - Certainly the usage of swimming pool may be comparatively higher in states like California, Arizona, Texas because of the weather than the states that have long winter months.
The age of your children is another factor to be considerate because if the swimming pools are most used by the kids, once they move out, it doesn't make any sense to upkeep with the maintenance and repair costs.
Certain Homeowners association have specific rules and regulations that they expect to be followed if you have a home with a swimming pool.
It also depends on how frequently do you have to maintain the pool as the pool need lots of maintenance.
You may need to ask the owner of the home about the pool before making an offer such as age of the pool, liner of the pool, type of material used inside the pool, did it had a leak, warranty of the pool and the equipment used, manufacturer and the details of the person who installed etc
Pros of buying a home with a pool
Cool off during summer
During the summer months, it may be very relaxing and comforting to take a dip on the pool. If you have a pool at home, it may be very convenient as you don't have to pack up your things and drive to the public pools. If there is a pool at home, you may be able to use it at your convenience and time.
Privacy
Having a home at pool not only gives the freedom to use it whenever you wish, it also gives a lot of privacy and a peaceful environment as some people like to read books and lounge by the pool. The public pools may be crowded and noisy.
Physical and mental health
Swimming is a very good exercise that is good for both your physical and mental well being. It might be therapeutic for the people who have Arthritis as there is low pressure on the joints, may provide relaxation during pregnancy period, may control cholesterol and blood pressure. It helps boost our emotions. Certain studies show that swimming improves kid's concentration and focus. It also helps to have a better sleep.
Adds beauty to home
A pool helps a home to be enhanced aesthetically. Having a swimming pool at home may make the surrounding calm and relaxing as a getaway from the daily life's stress. A properly designed pool might look great and paves way to a great landscaping ideas. If an underwater light is added on to the pool, it might cause reflections on the walls of your home making it aesthetically pleasing.
Entertainment
A swimming pool may be an ideal place to get together, have summer pool parties. It may also be planned privately in pools outside of our home, but it may not give the satisfaction and comfort of having a privacy of owning a pool. If you are socially very active and love to entertain your guests, having a pool at your home may be an important feature to be considered as it is a perfect way to entertain. But, adding a child proof fence around the pool may be necessary considering the safety of small kids.
Increase home value
Especially in locations that have a hot weather, the homes with swimming pools add a lot of value to the home because of its demand. This might be an added advantage while selling your home. From classic style to modern look, you can build a pool that matches your taste.
Cons of buying a home with a pool
Cost of Maintenance and Repairs
The pool needs to be maintained well and the pool cleaning service may cost few hundreds every month depending on the location, size of the pool, frequency of the cleaning maintenance. The cleaning process usually include skimming (removing substances from above the water), checking filtration systems, testing the water. You may cover the pool with a mesh to avoid falling leaves, dirt etc and to reduce frequency of cleaning but the mesh may cost few hundreds to few thousands of dollars. Regular maintenance of the pool is very important to avoid repairs like leakage of the pool which might hurt your wallet.
Less marketable home
Some homeowners are not ecstatic about owning a pool because of its maintenance and repair costs, especially the families with pets and small children might consider it to be an extra hazard. Some homeowners prefer to have a large yard space for kid's play structures or to walk around. It might be difficult to sell the home or could cause delay in selling the home. You might also not get the money you invested back while selling the home.
Safety issues
Swimming pools might pose a greater risk for the families with pets and small kids. Proper safety features like fencing around the pool may be added but it might cost you a extra. It may also be necessary to train the kids to swim from an early age if you decide to buy a home with a pool to avoid potential drowning. You may also consider installing an alarm device on the pool as a caution. It would be better if you are CPR trained which might help in cases of emergency.
High energy bills
It might have an impact in your energy bills because of the filter system or heat pump used to filter the chemicals and maintain the temperature of the pool. Filtration system is very important in a swimming pool to have a healthy clear water. The filtration system might be expected to run at least 8 hours to maintain clear water. You may reduce the bill by using a high efficient filter system or heater system. Upgrading the lights to LED might help conserve energy.
Added inspection fees
Home inspection is an important part of the home buying and selling process. Especially, during the home buying process, an inspection contingency is added as a clause to the purchase contract before buying the home. It typically means the offer to buy the home depends on the results obtained in the Inspection report. If you own a swimming pool, the buyer may have an added expense to inspect a swimming pool. The inspection fee may vary depending on the location, size of the pool, type of equipment used on the pool.
High insurance cost
Owning a swimming pool at home increases the chance of liability. If you feel your current limits of Insurance are not sufficient enough to cover a loss, an endorsement to your current policy may be added or you may add an Umbrella Insurance Policy to cover the cost occurred over your Homeowners Insurance limit. Increasing the liability limit or buying an umbrella policy might increase the annual premium of your insurance. You may reduce the insurance premium by fencing around the perimeter of the swimming pool, posting a sign or keeping the safety equipment accessible. The cost varies depending on the factors such as type of policy, size of the pool, location, type of the pool etc.