Should I rent a house with a pool? (Phoenix: rental homes, condos)

[eastcoastlady]

I'm moving to Phoenix from Massachusetts and I'm looking for a rental home. I think I want a pool- something I could never have here. I wonder about a few things though:
I'm sure there are costs and annoyances involved, but I don't know what they are- any pointers?
How much of the year do you use your pool? Is it warm enough in the winter?
Thanks in advance!

[Havasu]

It is more expensive to have a pool and the upkeep can also cost a bit. You can swim up until november and then start up again in april. If you have a heated pool you can swim year round. To heat a pool will cost you though. I could not live in the desert without a pool. So to make it simple if you want a pool it will cost you to have it. How much? That depends on the size and if you heat it and if you maintain it yourself. If you maintain it yourself it is alot less to keep up. Pools can cost an extra $100 or more a month.

[HollyhockGarden]

Hello -- We don't have a pool ourselves, but it would sure be nice to have one on a hot summer evening! A couple of things to consider when looking at rental homes with a pool ---- Is the pool [cleaning] service included in the monthly rental cost? Is the pool fenced with a self-latching gate? Is there a doggie door opening into the pool area? There have been a few drownings due to babies/toddlers escaping through a doggie door into the pool area. Summertime duststorms can cause extra labor/time to clean up a pool, so be aware of the time commitment involved. The bottom line will probably be your budget. There are many rental houses to choose from, so look around. If you are moving here by yourself and don't know too many people, you might enjoy renting a condo, townhome, or patio home with a community pool. Usually the landscaping in these complexes is very nice and there may be neighbors using the pool and you might make some new friends. Plus, you don't have to do the pool up-keep. Good luck with your move!

[eastcoastlady]

Thanks for the answers. I don't have kids and I have indoor cats so I don't worry about any drownings- good thought though.
For my price range in the area I'm looking at, it seems like I can afford to rent a house with a pool, but there are a lot more options without one. I'll look at some of the condos, but I'm a little wary of that kind of living arrangement. I've had bad experiences with neighbors and I'm about ready to have a place that doesn't share walls.

So I keep seeing descriptions of pools. What is a Pebble Tec pool? Is that just a brand? Is there something special about it? Thanks.

[dbean]

Originally Posted by eastcoastlady

I'm moving to Phoenix from Massachusetts and I'm looking for a rental home. I think I want a pool- something I could never have here. I wonder about a few things though:
I'm sure there are costs and annoyances involved, but I don't know what they are- any pointers?
How much of the year do you use your pool? Is it warm enough in the winter?
Thanks in advance!

We were in your same position about 4 months ago, moving across the country, didn't know anybody in Phoenix, but wanted to rent a house with a pool. We found a very nice 3br 2.5 ba house with a pool in N phoenix.

I am SO GLAD we have a pool. The summers here a very hot and relentless. Coming home from work--->jump right into the pool, with a cold beer...its great!!

Wasn't that way when we moved in tho...the pool had been neglected for about 6 months and was pure green and disgusting. Our landlord hired a pool service to clean it all up and flush the filter. After about a week, the water was sparkling clean.

Our private landlord does not include pool service. However, after researching a bit online, I found a great forum called troublefreepool.com. I had NO CLUE how to maintain a pool, but all the answers were on this forum.

The most expensive thing, it letting the pump/filter run 8 hrs during the night. That takes a lot of electricity over time and its definitely noticed on our electric bill. As far as chemicals...don't listen to any damn pool store, they are honestly in the business to rip you off. The above forum promotes the "BBB" method; Bleach, Borax, Baking soda. With these 3 household chemicals, you can cheaply maintain sparkling water all year long.

I havn't added anything but bleach and our pool is great. I can buy a cart full of bleach ultra at wal-mart for <$20 and that lasts months. If you took a sample of water into a pool store, you'd be lucky if you walked out spending <$75 after they talked you into chemical a, b, c, d, e, f, g, ect...

good luck with the move, and don't worry about how to maintain a pool, its very simple.

[nikkzone]

dbean, thanks for the site info. There are some really good info on that site. We just use a company to do the chemicals on our pool, not cleaning. It's only about $40.00 per month and they come out once a week in Summer and every other week in Winter. We have a Barracuda and it cleans just fine. All I have to do otherwise is to back wash the filter and clean the basket now and then. It's not too complicated to have a pool and we use it all the time. We have such a long swimming season that it's so worth having a pool.

[foma]

You should google "upkeep and maintenance on pools".

I don't own a pool but we have friends that do and they all hate and regret it. The upkeep, the cost, the liability - all of it. On the other hand, we also know of a couple of folks who love it. They also hired someone to maintain the pool for them. All of our friends who hate their pool, maintain it themselves. Go figure!

My suggestion is, since you are renting, why not? It's not like you will be committed. You have a way out if you decide having a pool is not for you and that will be when your lease expires. That's better than spending $15-20k to build one and then regretting it!