Pool or not (Redlands, Morgan Hill: renting, buying a home, neighborhood)

[Lienyie]

We have lived here close to two years (renting) from a move from Boston. We live in Morgan Hill with a beautiful community pool. We have a 9 and 12 year old active is football and softball. We rarely have used the community pool. We are so active in sports and academics we rarely have the time to just take casual swims. Our friends we are meeting that have pools say that have a few pool parties in the summer but do not swim year round because of being busy and it gets cold in the evenings. We just wanted feedback from people if they feel the expense is worth it. Maybe we are too frugel still thinking about saving for retirement. Question is being raised because we are now house hunting and we have ran accross a lot of homes with pools. We don't know if we want the maintenance fee if we would only use it over the summer. Positive and Negative feedback welcomed.

[1200RT]

When I lived in Redlands for college, we had a house with a pool.

I don’t remember the exact figures, but I do remember our electric bill was very expensive. The pool equipment was old, and probably very inefficient, so I’m sure replaced with newer stuff, this might not be an issue. Also, factor in monthly (weekly??) pool cleaning, unless you’re going to do it yourself.

I also remember there being a fence height requirement around the pool. If there is not already such a fence in place, or it doesn’t meet the height requirement, you may have to build one to meet code when the house sells.

Now, on the positive side, some of the areas you’re looking in (just a guess because of the forum you posted in..) are VERY hot in the summer. We used our pool quite a bit in Redlands, with 100+ degree summers. Those months, the expense was worth it, but keep in mind, pool equipment doesn’t shot off just because the water is too cold to swim in. Maybe you can empty the pool in the winter like they do back east?

Personally, I would find a house that you really like. If it has a pool, great. If not, no big deal. Basically, don’t let the pool make or break the deal.

Where are you moving to??

[Snort]

The outdoor pool complex in Morgan Hill is a good one, especially if you want to do laps. Unfortunately, it closes at the end of September. The indoor complex only has a few lanes for lap swimming, but you can usually find time in the day when there are few people there. For the kids, both places are fine.
If I wanted a pool for my home, I'd buy one of those Endless Pools.

[streetscenes]

If I were buying a home in the IE it would be one with a pool. I wouldn't build a new one but if buying it would be high on my list. To keep expenses down I would probably do the maintenance myself and buy a pool cover to keep it warmer for swimming later in the season and evenings.

[gthorson]

We moved to the IE from Minnesota about 18 months ago. At the time, I thought the kids would swim year-round. In reality, my kids only use the pool between the end of June and the middle of September. Otherwise, it simply isn't warm enough and/or they don't have enough time to use it. It was a critical issue for us when we were looking for houses. In retrospect, I would have moved it much lower down the list of "wants" in a new house. Personally, I would focus more on the neighborhood, the size and layout of the house, and the size of the yard and/or proximity to parks. Finally, don't forget how expensive air conditioning can be. Bigger is not always better!

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by Lienyie

We have lived here close to two years (renting) from a move from Boston. We live in Morgan Hill with a beautiful community pool. We have a 9 and 12 year old active is football and softball. We rarely have used the community pool. We are so active in sports and academics we rarely have the time to just take casual swims. Our friends we are meeting that have pools say that have a few pool parties in the summer but do not swim year round because of being busy and it gets cold in the evenings. We just wanted feedback from people if they feel the expense is worth it. Maybe we are too frugel still thinking about saving for retirement. Question is being raised because we are now house hunting and we have ran accross a lot of homes with pools. We don't know if we want the maintenance fee if we would only use it over the summer. Positive and Negative feedback welcomed.

We had a few houses while our kids were young with pools (all in Ca) our daughter lives in a community in the Dallas area with a couple community pools. For us, yes, we loved our pools but it was never on our list of things we had to have in our home. I wouldn't rule out houses with pools, but I wouldn't have it at the top of my list, especially now that your kids are getting older. Actually, if you had a pool they would use it more than you use the community pool I bet. Our daugther and hubby used the community pool when the kids were really little. Eventually, like your kids the girls got into sports (swimming as a matter of fact) and school activities. The use of the community pool was hardly an issue. Now with the girls both grown, they literally never use them. As for the maintainance fees, in the winter months they are not nearly as high..

Nita

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by streetscenes

If I were buying a home in the IE it would be one with a pool. I wouldn't build a new one but if buying it would be high on my list. To keep expenses down I would probably do the maintenance myself and buy a pool cover to keep it warmer for swimming later in the season and evenings.

perfect solution. That is about what we did.

Nita