Swimming Pools and Resale Value of Your Home | Real Estate

Wise homeowners considering any major renovation project always consider whether or not the planned renovation will increase the resale value of their homes. Real estate agents tell us kitchens and baths add to a home’s resale value, but even here there is a danger the cost of the renovation will far exceed a budget set with resale value in mind.

While some counsel that the improved lifestyle accompanying a major renovation is a benefit that is difficult to cost out, this only holds true if the homeowner remains in the home for an extended period of time to enjoy the benefits. If an unexpected promotion comes along requiring relocation to another area, that renovation that cost more than anticipated will be enjoyed by the new owners.

Swimming pools are especially problematic when it comes to the question of resale. While some potential buyers see an in-ground or perhaps even a lavish above-ground pool as highly desirable, others refuse to even consider homes that have them.

If you consult real estate professionals throughout Australia you’ll find opinion is split 50/50 as to the resale value of a swimming pool. Those who feel pools are a negative renovation point to the high maintenance costs and safety concerns many potential buyers have about pools. Not only will you pay for the pool, but in Australia special safety fencing around the pool is mandatory. Indeed, some agents advise sellers with above ground pools to include a “removal” contingency in the home’s listing information. The seller agrees to remove the pool and re-landscape the property at the buyer’s discretion.

If you’re thinking of an attractive above ground pool with an added surrounding deck you would at least have the option of removing the pool and taking it with you. In ground pools can be filled in and landscaped over, but the cost of the pool will be a total write-off.

If you live in a warm climate where the pool can be used for an extended part of the season, a pool may be attractive to more buyers than a pool in an area where outdoor swimming is limited to a few months of the year. Perhaps more so than with any other home renovation, the question of whether or not to add a swimming pool to your property depends on your own desire to have one. Since in-ground pools generally involve an increase in property taxes as well, it is unrealistic to expect you will get back your total cost when the time comes to sell your home.

You can search the Internet on this issue and talk to different real estate agents about the viability of swimming pools and their contribution to a home’s resale value; but the best advice you might get would be to think of building a swimming pool as strictly a personal lifestyle improvement, not a resale value improvement.

While they are subject to some of the same high maintenance issues as swimming pools, outdoor spas are becoming increasingly popular, especially with an aging population. Due to their smaller size they are more easily removed. While how much they add to the resale value of your home is a debatable point, they generally are seen by more potential buyers as an attractive feature and they are much less costly to remove if necessary.