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Old 03-19-2010, 05:58 PM
 
497 posts, read 1,485,190 times
Reputation: 758

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We have a pool and we all love it.

It does cause some work and it costs about $150 a month between chemicals, electricity and repairs. Don't under estimate the expense.
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Old 03-19-2010, 06:15 PM
 
Location: Cinco Dinero
967 posts, read 2,609,287 times
Reputation: 1354
If you live in a neighborhood with a pool... go without the expense of your own and enjoy their's. You'll have to pay for the maintenance with HOA dues anyways, may as well get your monies worth.

I live in Cinco Ranch... 8 pools to choose from. And I still have an entire backyard to do what I please!

Also, the kids get to know each other at the community pools. My kids want to go to the pool, in part because they want to play with friends. Swimming in our own pool would be awfully lonely.

Going to the neighborhood pool is an easy way to make friends in the neighborhood, and run into them in an easy casual sort of way.

Would I buy a home with a pool? If everything else were "right" with the house, I would take it. I wouldn't let a pool deter me from the right house. But I wouldn't seek out a home with a pool either.

Gawd, $150/mo for pool maintence? I'd rather spend my "fun money" on funner things... But that's just me and my 3 kids.
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Old 03-19-2010, 06:32 PM
 
Location: The Greater Houston Metro Area
9,053 posts, read 17,192,790 times
Reputation: 15226
Quote:
Originally Posted by descovy View Post
If you live in a neighborhood with a pool... go without the expense of your own and enjoy their's. You'll have to pay for the maintenance with HOA dues anyways, may as well get your monies worth.

I live in Cinco Ranch... 8 pools to choose from. And I still have an entire backyard to do what I please!

Also, the kids get to know each other at the community pools. My kids want to go to the pool, in part because they want to play with friends. Swimming in our own pool would be awfully lonely.

Going to the neighborhood pool is an easy way to make friends in the neighborhood, and run into them in an easy casual sort of way.

Would I buy a home with a pool? If everything else were "right" with the house, I would take it. I wouldn't let a pool deter me from the right house. But I wouldn't seek out a home with a pool either.

Gawd, $150/mo for pool maintence? I'd rather spend my "fun money" on funner things... But that's just me and my 3 kids.
Best post on this subject yet. A pool only increases value about $5K for a house. If you really want one, get a house that already has one - they have already taken the pool depreciation hit. The above poster hit everything right on the head, though.
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Old 03-19-2010, 07:41 PM
 
Location: California
10,090 posts, read 42,408,854 times
Reputation: 22175
Quote:
Originally Posted by elnina View Post
What about mosquitos?
We have no problem with mosquitoes. And I live directly on the water. We spend so much time in our backyard, I can not imagine NOT having a pool.
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Old 03-19-2010, 09:10 PM
 
Location: The world is my home
172 posts, read 785,173 times
Reputation: 120
We are planning our move to Houston from Minnesota late summer/early fall. A pool is a MUST to us. Coming from Minnesota- I'd melt without a nice morning and evening swim. Yes, it's an extra expense... So I guess I'll just have to work that much harder

Good luck on your move!
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Old 03-20-2010, 12:51 AM
 
Location: Upper East Side of Texas
12,498 posts, read 26,981,478 times
Reputation: 4890
No.

Waayyy too much up keep to have them looking their best year round ie: not turn green. We've had a gunite in ground pool for the past 30 something years & its a complete money pit. After you've bought all of the chemicals or have someone to take care of it for you, the price to operate one can become quite costly, especially if you plan on heating it. Parts break...pumps burn up, valves can crack, etc. so you have to figure all of that in as well.
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Old 03-20-2010, 05:00 AM
 
Location: Spring, TX
460 posts, read 2,426,942 times
Reputation: 386
As you can see mksteen, no one can determine whether a pool is essential for you. Many people, like self, have gone through this thinking process many times. Some people put a pool in every house (pool people gotta love them!). Others do something else with their money, or time if they don't pay someone to maintain the pool. That's the camp I happen to fall into. It's not right or wrong. Just a decision we've always made on what to do with our money (and time). Regardless, three things are universally true about pools. One, you never recover your entire investment in a pool, only a portion of it, if that. Two, they cost money (or time) to maintain and three, whether you have one or not, there are some home buyers who will or won't look at your house based on the presence/absence of a pool. Past that, whether you have a pool or not is a lot like whether you drive a BMW or a Malibu.
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Old 03-20-2010, 05:15 AM
 
Location: Houston
687 posts, read 2,127,879 times
Reputation: 779
I agree with the posters. A pool is time-consuming and costly to maintain. The advantage would be if you/kids swim almost every day. You are much less likely to get ear infections in your own pool. Stay away from neighborhood pools with lots of little kids. For this reason, neighborhood pools use a LOT of chemicals. You can't wash the chlorine smell off.

So if you swim a lot, your kids are on swim teams and need to train, and the pool is lap pool... the expense and extra work is worth it. Saltwater pool is even better!

No mosquitoes because they don't like chlorinated water.
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Old 03-20-2010, 07:07 AM
 
14 posts, read 46,940 times
Reputation: 34
I never understand people who fret over whether or not they will get dollar for dolllar back on their pool purchase. The comment above about driving a BMW is a good one. Go and drive a $35K car for five years and tell me what it's worth then. The reason we decided to go with a pool was for family fun and enjoyment. If I were concerned about an "investment", I wouldn't do a dang thing with my house. Houses in Houston are a terrible "investment". You buy a house in Houston strictly because you need a place to live. If putting in a pool increases your enjoyment (and for us it does), so be it, but if you want your money to work for you, I can think of a hundred other, better investments than anything you could do with your home.
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Old 03-20-2010, 07:53 AM
 
Location: California
10,090 posts, read 42,408,854 times
Reputation: 22175
We use our pool daily. In fact, "floated" all last weekend!
The last thing I want is to go to a neighborhood pool, filled with screaming kids and babies, peeing in the pool. Yeah...unwashed bodies...thought turns my stomach.
It is definately a personal choice. As stated above, it is one that I enjoy with family and friends or just all by my lonesome. For the record...we have never had a "green" pool...It is sparkingly clean and adds beauty to our backyard. For us...pure enjoyment.
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