Pool or no pool? (2 Viewers)

[mc4saints]

Definitely better to buy a house with a pool if you want a pool. Just do the math look on MLS at the price of homes with the specs you want with and without pools. Now go price out the cost of putting a pool in. Huge savings in buying a home with a pool.

 

[HoustonSaint68]

As stated and implied above, it’s a personal choice. My vote? Unless you have pre-teen kids, money to pay someone else to take care of it, or expect to only own the house for a few years, don’t do it.

When our caboose left for college, we moved from a 3600 sq ft house with a pool to 4000 sq ft house without one...and we could still honestly say that we felt like we downsized.

 

[MLU]

Another thing that you may want to consider is I can't rest easy when kids are at my house. I don't have any safety fence or anything around the pool so I find myself always on the lookout to make sure no one fell in.

This was the hang-up previously and why we didn't even consider it, but she is 20 now so no worries from us.

Definitely better to buy a house with a pool if you want a pool. Just do the math look on MLS at the price of homes with the specs you want with and without pools. Now go price out the cost of putting a pool in. Huge savings in buying a home with a pool.

I admit that when we first started looking at homes years ago I was surprised at how little value pools added to a home. Maybe they sold first, but that was about it. It's definitely cheaper to buy a home with one already in it, but I would consider putting one in myself to get the type of system, type of pool, etc. I want, whatever that might be. I would even consider digging the hole to manage the cost.

 

[Snakehead]

We never had a house with a pool nor did we really look for one until our house in SC. We love the house and the neighborhood and the pool was just a bonus. After spending a year in the house and many get togethers with friends, we wouldn't own a house without one. We only had one year in the house before I was transfered to AZ. After 2 years in AZ without a pool, we just purchased our retirement house on the MS Gulf Coast and it does not have a pool, but we made sure we found a house with space to put one it and we will design and have our pool installed. We like to entertain and have friends/family over for get togethers so the cost/upkeep doesn't really matter to me as it is worth it for the memories and experiences.

 

[SystemShock]

I would even consider digging the hole to manage the cost.

My home in México has a pool, pretty much a little swimming lane, about 33' x 8' x 5'. The ground there is pure rock, so instead of digging a full pool, half the pool is above ground, but the above ground is built like a Maya pyramid

 

[saintmdterps]

Definitely better to buy a house with a pool if you want a pool. Just do the math look on MLS at the price of homes with the specs you want with and without pools. Now go price out the cost of putting a pool in. Huge savings in buying a home with a pool.

If your house is worth 250k and you spend 50k on a pool, your house is still worth 250k. We bought our house with the pool, you don’t get any monetary return on that investment.

 

[Devildog]

If your house is worth 250k and you spend 50k on a pool, your house is still worth 250k. We bought our house with the pool, you don’t get any monetary return on that investment.

Nope. I just sold my house in July and we had a pool. Absolutely no change in the sale price because of that. Actually, we got more for the house due to the deck and pergola we installed 5 years ago than the pool. We benefitted from Dallas being a real estate hotbed than anything else.

My take on pools is that they are a maintenance nightmare. Sure they're good for the first 4 or 5 years, then you have stuff start to fail. I had spent tons every year getting various things repaired that had failed. Most of the maintenance I could do myself, but even then the parts were expensive because there aren't a lot of companies that make pool parts, so prices are higher, unless you know someone who could get them at cost. If we had kept the house, I was looking at having to get the stonework redone, the pool replastered, and probably having to get a new pump by next summer. All of that alone would've probably cost north of $15K. So, I really don't miss that part.

The part I do miss is the fact that I could go work out, come home and jump straight into the pool and having parties, crawfish boils, etc. I miss hearing the kids having a good time. They're all older no(above 18) but they still would go out there with all their friends. I miss seeing my wife's friends in their swimsuits. I REALLY miss my wife having the darkest tan imaginable and her tan lines (GUH!).

I would buy a house with a pool already installed because you're looking to spend at least $50K on a basic in-ground pool. Just make sure you have a pool service person come out and inspect it before you buy.

 

[saintmdterps]

Nope. I just sold my house in July and we had a pool. Absolutely no change in the sale price because of that. Actually, we got more for the house due to the deck and pergola we installed 5 years ago than the pool. We benefitted from Dallas being a real estate hotbed than anything else.

My take on pools is that they are a maintenance nightmare. Sure they're good for the first 4 or 5 years, then you have stuff start to fail. I had spent tons every year getting various things repaired that had failed. Most of the maintenance I could do myself, but even then the parts were expensive because there aren't a lot of companies that make pool parts, so prices are higher, unless you know someone who could get them at cost. If we had kept the house, I was looking at having to get the stonework redone, the pool replastered, and probably having to get a new pump by next summer. All of that alone would've probably cost north of $15K. So, I really don't miss that part.

The part I do miss is the fact that I could go work out, come home and jump straight into the pool and having parties, crawfish boils, etc. I miss hearing the kids having a good time. They're all older no(above 18) but they still would go out there with all their friends. I miss seeing my wife's friends in their swimsuits. I REALLY miss my wife having the darkest tan imaginable and her tan lines (GUH!).

I would buy a house with a pool already installed because you're looking to spend at least $50K on a basic in-ground pool. Just make sure you have a pool service person come out and inspect it before you buy.

yep, expensive to build and maintain. I get piece of PVC pipe at Lowe's and it's $1.50. The very same PVC pipe at the pool supply store is $27.50. And so on...

It's here and I use it in the summer after a long run. My wife still looks good in a swimsuit, and there have been "interludes" in the pool, so there is that

 

[SystemShock]

I don't know if it is the water, the weather, or the type of pool finish... back home, pools with pumps or no pump are like a 50-50 proposition. Mine doesn't have a pump. But then many people have wells feeding their pool from underground cenotes, so replacing the water costs nothing.

 

[Bayouboy]

Make sure you really want one before putting one in yourself.....it's a little different if you purchase a house with one already there (you actually get the pool free in most cases [they don't add value to your house]). I find I put in way more time maintaining it, than using it.

We purchased a home with the pool already there. It was under a red maple tree no less. The first two years it was an absolute nightmare. I'm still shocked I didn't go postal and blow it up. I had the worst time keeping it algae free (chlorine) until I found a floatron. The floatron basically puts copper ions into your pool which greatly reduces algae and maintenance. Since then, its been very manageable. We've since cut down the red maple. The more trees and shade in the area, the more likely you will run into problems keeping it clean.

 

[xpuma20x]

I've enjoyed my pool (even if I don't use it near as much as I thought) though I'm confused as to why the people that built the house put such a tiny pool in for the size yard I have. My polaris vacuum bot is broken though and the cost to repair it is about 1/3rd the cost of just buying a new one, so there's that. Since my pool is somewhat small, the maintenance isn't that bad. However, mine sits under a large oak tree that continually drops leaves, acorns, bugs, etc into the pool. That means the skimmer basket needs to be emptied more frequently than most, and since my polaris is busted, that means more work for me to get the other stuff out that drops to the bottom. Like someone else mentioned, putting a couple of minutes into it every now and then is better than letting it get out of whack because it'll take several days to get it back under control again. Never buy chemicals and things like that from pool supply places if you can get around it. I buy everything from Amazon, though I'm sure others can direct you to less expensive places. If you do go chlorine, know there is a difference in tablet quality. Some people will say it doesn't matter, but you'll find some that last longer, work better and so on. As far as like the shock packets, iirc they'll run you about a $1 or so each if you buy in bulk. I think I use 1 pack a week during swim season, and one additional after a heavy rain. My pool is less than 15,000 gallons though.

Edit: Around here most people were charging $50 per visit to work on the pool, regardless of the size. My pool though was too small to justify paying someone.

 

[SAINTSFAN]

Bought a house with a pool. I was always told by an agent that you do not get your money back when you sell for a pool if you pay to have one put in. We have loved it. It is a fair amount of work to keep it cleaned and water balanced and is expensive to get resurfaced. Now that the kids are getting older though, we do not use it very frequently.

 

[kansast]

I've had a pool. Had one growing up as a kid. Had one at my 2nd house, which I really liked. My 2 boys were young, and the pool got used a whole bunch. Great on a hot day. Loads of fun for the kids. having a pool is also one big pain in the arse, if you ask me. not to say they can't be fun. Just know what you're getting into.

 

[boutrous]

I had a pool at 2 different houses I owed and loved them both. First house had an above-ground chlorine pool that was there when we bought the house. It was always a battle keeping it cleaned and balanced, but we had a lot of good times, so I was OK with it. When we moved to a new house we missed the pool very much, so I had an in-ground saltwater pool installed. It cost a lot especially since I went with all travertine decking around it instead of cement. However, as long as you keep the salt level correct ,run the Polaris and keep the pH balanced, it basically takes care of itself. My neighbor does have a huge oak tree that makes me have to empty my cleaning baskets often, but I have never had problems with it turning completely swampy like the above-ground pool. If I had to make the choice again, I would put in the in-ground pool everytime. If I had to choose to do another above-ground pool, I would probably pass.

One of the members here, kevininmandeville, owns Crystal Pools and Spas with his dad. They did an amazing job installing mine. It wasn't the cheapest quote I got, but they will have it installed the quickest and the highest quality because they do it themselves.

This is my pool they installed 8 years ago:

 

[BELOWSEALEVEL]

I bought my house and the neighbor across the street has a pool. I used it more than he did this year. So in closing, buy a house where the neighbors have a pool. Befriend them first and ur golden.