would you buy a home with a pool

[Former SD resident]

we found 2 homes that we like, one is bigger with a pool and an updated kitchen while the other one is original but in good shape without a pool and it 75k cheaper. I like the house with a pool because the kitchen is done but we are hesitant to buy a pool house because we have 2 young children 1&3. my husband more so than me because he almost drown as a child, but I’m still a little worried, I wish it didn’t have the pool, but other than that I really like the house. if you have a home with a pool are you happy with it? would you buy a pool home with young children? how does a pool affect resale? I should add that pretty much every home in the neighborhood has a pool, it seems to be the exception if it doesn’t.

[SD Transplant]

I had the same requirements 2 years ago when looking for a house. I did buy the house with a small pool/spa because I liked everything else. I have to say, I was hesitant first, but it’s the best decision.
I have 2 children (4.5 yrs-old & 5 months-old), and the first thing I did when moving in was a safety pool fence. (I found one on Craigslist & installed it myself to save a buck).

Go for it if you like the house, if you don’t like the pool, it might cost you $10K to get rid of it/fill it with dirt.

[spdrun]

I’d put an electric fence around the pool, so that anyone going there would get electrocuted before they have a chance to drown. Less messy, you know.

[CA renter]

This was one of my husband’s concerns as well when we were looking for a house, especially when they were younger.

We bought a house with a pool, and couldn’t be happier. Our kids were a bit older when we finally bought (9, 8, and 5 at the time) which helped, and we had them in swim lessons for quite a while before we moved in.

Do know that it will cost quite a bit to maintain the pool. I grew up with pools and had rented a pool house in my 20s, but didn’t remember the cost to run the pump being as much as it seems to be now (~$150/month for a main pump and smaller pump for the pool vacuum??? We’re wondering if our meter is not working properly). Also, factor in ~$100-$120/month for a pool guy if you don’t do it yourself (we’re seriously considering taking this on ourselves since our pool guy maybe vacuums maybe twice a year and hardly brushes things down — he’s definitely not worth the money). Then, you’ll have the maintenance issues that you’ll have to budget for over the years like re-plastering, pump repairs/replacement, etc.

No matter what, a pool fence is a must when the kids are as young as yours, IMHO. This should run about $2,000-ish if you hire a contractor to supply and install it.

It really depends on where the house is, too. Is it in the coastal fog area, making the pool less desirable; or is it in the inland area, which will make the pool more desirable and valuable upon resale. Do you and your family think you’ll enjoy swimming on a regular basis? If so, it would probably be worth it to buy the pool house. For those who really enjoy swimming and playing outdoors, I think pools are wonderful. Most people who have a pool and kids love the fact that your kids and their friends will probably be hanging out at your house…which makes it a plus if you want to know with whom they’re associating and what they’re doing.

Best of luck!

[carlsbadworker]

I won’t. Personal choice. You have to prevent not only your own kids get drown but also other kids in the neighborhood. Too much liability. I picked a house very close to HOA (walking distance) and would rather use their pools.

[Former SD resident]

thanks for the replies. it’s a moot point now, the house with a pool has accepted an offer. our agent said it was at list (can the sellers agent even disclose that info, though I wouldn’t be surprised if our agent was just throwing that out there), I don’t see how it’s going to appraise if that’s the case. asked us if we want to be backup and we passed.

based on my desktop appraisal price based on recent comps put it at 660 with list at 700, are homes jumping in price that fast (comps all closed this month) or are buyers kicking in the difference, or sellers lowering? maybe 40k isn’t that much to some people?! should add that we’re also look in north Orange County (fullerton, brea).

[carlsbadworker]

40K at the current interest rate is just $5 or $6 a day. Just saying. There is some magic that the low interest rate could do for the price sensitivity. You made up for that much difference if the rate is 0.5% higher/lower.

[equalizer]

[quote=carlsbadworker]40K at the current interest rate is just $5 or $6 a day. Just saying. There is some magic that the low interest rate could do for the price sensitivity. You made up for that much difference if the rate is 0.5% higher/lower.[/quote]
In last month 10yr T-bond has gone from 1.5 to 2, but 15/30yr Mortgage rates have only gone up 0.2%. If economic numbers improve, rates will rise. If there is big fight over debt ceiling rates will probably go down again.

Because rates are volatile, should you go for extra 40K home? Depends on cash flow, risk tolerance?

[thejq]

Go for the pool, especially when you have kids. They will love and enjoy it. In SoCal, I think it’s given that kids need to know how to swim. There’s just so many water activities around. The younger they start the better. With that said, I completely agree with comments above that you need to get a safety device, fence or a pool cover. I have both but like the latter better, because once closed, you can’t get in period. It also keeps the water and chemical from evaporating and the dirt out – hence less pump runs. Maintenance is not that bad if you do it yourself and buy a pool cleaning robot (sweeper). I vacuum and add chems once/2 mos in the winter and once/2 wks in the summer. Remember that saying … having a pool in your own backyard – priceless.

[Anonymous]

Pool at home is the best thing one can ad on to living. The cleaning and maintenance is the one issue that makes the home owners consider this as an issue before going for that. Also the water sometimes may cause some problem in case of overflow.

[Author]

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