Many people dream about the day when they’re able to purchase a home with a swimming pool in the backyard. Each year, that dream inspires people to make an offer on houses with swimming pools before the buyer has fully researched the pros and cons of owning a pool.
The most important thing to consider before making an offer on a home with a pool is how big an impact the pool will have on the homeowner’s budget.
Swimming Pool Maintenance Costs
Swimming pools are great fun, but they’re also quite expensive to maintain. Keeping the pool clean requires replacing filters, performing regularly scheduled chemical treatments, providing insect control, and constant cleanings. The cost of materials, the type of swimming pool, and the size of the pool will impact the maintenance costs. Homeadvisor.com reports that homes owners should set aside $110-$338 per month for pool maintenance.
Increased Home Owners Insurance Liability
Homeowners who own a swimming pool should expect to pay significantly higher liability insurance rates than their pool-less neighbors. Not only does using the pool mean an increased risk of injuries, but the swimming pool is also something that insurance companies call an attractive nuisance.
Policy Genius states that homeowners who have pools should increase their liability insurance by $300,000–$500,000.
Keeping Up With Safety Regulations
Many homeowners can work maintaining and insuring the pool into their budget but are caught off guard when local, state, or federal safety regulations change, forcing the homeowner to alter their pool. Some of these changes can be quite expensive.
Examples of regulation changes that may turn expensive are adding different fencing, adding alarms, replacing current drains with ones that are considered safer, and having to replace the pool cover. Failing to comply with regulation changes could result in hefty fines
Resale Problems
The good news is that while a swimming pool doesn’t usually harm the resale value of a property, it can sometimes affect how long it takes to resell the home. Buyers who have done their homework and realized just how expensive owning a swimming pool will sometimes decide that they aren’t interested in the additional expense.
Knowing the full financial impact a swimming pool will have on their future is important when a buyer is trying to decide if they should make an offer on a house that has a pool in the backyard.