[annie123]

hi everyone,
we are living in melbourne beach, renting for 4 months, and are looking to buy a home. I really wanted a pool. I have a 9 month old and would love to teach her to swim and plus, it would be relaxing to have.

however, this is our first home and money is really tight. my husband thinks it would be a money pit and we cannot afford to have expenditures unexpectedly. the ocean is right across the street, but i have been told there are rip currents, so i really have no idea how much people actually swim in the ocean in the summer here.

anyway, i would appreciate anyone's own experiences that you could share with me. im torn on this. plus the homes with pools here are really close to being out of our price range. but i can't imagine being without a pool here in florida.

does anyone think that a hot tub may be a good alternative? just wondering if this would be a good backup. We're looking at one home with a big back porch, so perhaps we could put one there.
thanks so much!

[Lindsey_Mcfarren]

I personally would want a pool and it will be cheaper to purchase a house with an existing pool then to buy a house and add one later.

There are all kinds of things that make the beach not a great place to teach a child to swim, red tide, man o wars, sharks (during the time of the year that they migrate is not a good time to swim), not too mention it can be a little cool during the winter.

You can put solar panels on your roof to keep the pool warm AND heat your hot water for the house as well.

[Denise in Fla]

I have a pool and don't live too far from the beach. I like having it because if I want to take a quick dip or just hang out in the water it's right in my back yard. I still go to the beach but not as much as I did before the pool.

[annie123]

i suspected i would want it too. thank you both for your answers. it's difficult to know if i "really" want it. right now we have a community pool and i enjoy it sometimes, but i think in my back yard, it would be wonderful :O)

[121804]

Originally Posted by annie123

= money is really tight. we cannot afford to have expenditures unexpectedly

Sounds more like a "want" than a "need".

Have you done a budget? CAN you afford it?

Is your life going to be that awful if you don't have a pool? Is that the biggest issue you are facing right now?

I can think of thousands of things that would be "wonderful" to have in our home, but we can only afford so much right now. I have no desire to go into foreclosure b/c I wanted all the bells & whistles right away. We can pay our bills, we have no credit card debt, and my husband goes to work not worrying how we are going to pay the mortgage.

My 2yr old loved the beach & we had a community pool. It worked. He knew no difference.

You said money was tight. Think about what you said......

[Magnulus]

Pools are money pits. Not huge money pits but they are an expense. Not exactly like owning an RV or a big boat, more like owning a motorcycle or sports car. If you've got a good community pool, that's OK.

Some of the beaches in Florida look nasty, some are nice. I'm not a beach person and I don't go swimming (I know how to swim, though), so I don't see the appeal. I had a pool as a kid and it was fun but they are alot of work. Something is always breaking and needs fixing with them.

[BeenAroundTheBlock]

If you're renting you should define what you pay and what the owners pay with regard to pool repairs. I would think you would only be required for the upkeep and not for any equipment that breaks. We pay $80.00 a month for a pool service who provides all the chemicals and cleaning of the pool. Pools can be a money pit but if you're renting define what is being covered and then when you buy, hopefully you can buy a home that is newer and pool problems would be few.

[sunrico90]

Maintenance cost and insurance are the questions... Use the beach or local pool.

[daytripper]

I prefer pools. I don't like sharks!!!!!

[harry chickpea]

We had a house with a pool. It was OK for the first year, but then the novelty of swimming daily started to wear off, and it became an ongoing headache and money pit. If someone tells you that you can own a pool in Florida and pay less than $600 per year on upkeep, don't believe them. I've tried. You have to power the pool pump a certain number of hours per day, you have to keep the chlorine and chemical levels within a certain range, you have to manually remove some debris and invest in pool cleaners to remove the rest. There is filter cleaning, the likelihood of spilled chlorine or acid in your car, and a very real risk to young kids.

OTOH, swimming is much safer and cleaner than in the ocean, and for some people a pool is a great form of exercise and relaxation in the south Florida heat.

Personally, I never want the hassle of another pool. I'd take that $600 to $1,000 per year and put it to better uses, and use the time for less mind-numbing tasks.