Housing advice....Buy a house with a pool and hot tub or no way? (hardwood floors)

[Doug Heffernan]

Hello all,

I moved to this area in July. I love it here so far and have enjoyed my time.

I'm looking at 2 houses and would like your personal opinion on it.

The 2 houses are on the same road, and only 4 houses apart from each other.

The houses are the same size.

Here are the differences:

House A: Has 2 driveways with 2 garages. 1 Garage on main level, 1 garage in basement(Both 2 car garages). Has full Basement. Built in 2007, yet inside is very outdated, looks more like 1990 so would need to do some updating, well, a lot of updating. Outside of house is very nice. Backyard is very steep, so, we will just call it no backyard because you can't do anything with it. No shed or anything, so would probably have to store lawn equipment in basement garage.


House B: Built in 2009, just one garage(2 car) on main level, no basement. Both inside and outside look 2009, very modern, hardwood floors, stainless steel appliances. Very nice backyard with Pool that has full deck around it making it look like an inground pool and the deck has 2 stories to it so you can entertain guests at the top and overlook onto the pool and Hot Tub(Hot Tub has a very nice full enclosure to it for year round usage). Has a couple of nice gardens. Also has a huge shed for lawn equipment and backyard is huge and is fenced in.


House B is $15,000 more but is move-in ready. I would probably have to put $10,000 into House A.



So, which would you go with? I came from Indiana where I thought having a pool was pointless as you never got to use it. My parents have an outside hot tub with no enclosure and only used there's a few times a year. I also used to live in Florida where a pool seemed necessary. Being the "in-between" state...it's hard to guess if it's worth it. What do y'all think?


(P.S...I love the cost of housing in East Tennessee....these houses are bargains compared to Florida and the college town I came from in Indiana.)

[Pam& Bill]

My knee jerk reaction would be the move in ready one. But the question I would need to ask you is.... Are the expense of running a pool and hot tub worth it to you? Not only electricity but chemicals also.
All the best to you.
Pam

[hiknapster]

Even if you take the pool and hot tub out of the equation (a lot of home buyers just throw the hot tub out now, they don't have the allure that they used to but some people still love them) you are talking about a home that is 19 years newer and move in ready as opposed to the other one, yet it is only $15,000 more so it seems like a no-brainer.

Swimming pools can have added concerns. Make sure there is a fence around the property or pool or you could have a very difficult time getting insurance. But if you don't want the maintenance, etc., you can always fill it in. Resale is a draw concerning a pool. It could be a deterrent and an attraction, depending on the buyer.

For what it's worth, I've lived up north where you could use a pool for about two-and-a-half months or so and in Florida where you could use it for anywhere from seven to 10 months. In Tennessee, the pool at my complex is open about five months.

[Beretta]

Neither. Hold out for getting it all! lol

But if you are wanting one or the other pretend that I made an offer on one of them. Which one are you scared I will take out from under you? That is the one you should go with. Good luck!

[Bones]

House A...2007

House B...2009

I opt for House C..... Keep looking....no hurry, time is on your side....

We can only guess without seeing pictures of inside/outside.

[Lakehopper]

Since we are always window shopping for the "perfect home", I will try answering this for myself if not for you. This is the way I see it as far as differences:

House A: Basement but No usable Back Yard.
House B: No Basement but Usable Back Yard.

The price difference makes the interior differences a "wash". Even if you pocket the difference and go cheap, $15K is not what should make you buy a house.

As far as the pool and hot tub, they can both be taken away if need be. The fact that House A doesn't even give you the option of having either one in the back yard is an issue you will think about as long as you own it.

As far as the Basement question, it may depend on your need for extra space the rest of the house doesn't have at either address for storage. The shed at House B may or may not make up for it and there's always building something else on the usable back yard or side yard later if you are wrong about your storage/space needs. Usually, basements give you more space also for HVAC, Water Heater, etc... instead of in the main level, but that is negated by the need for stairs getting you there.

Basements can make it much easier to inspect under the house and when making changes to the house wiring and plumbing due to changes/remodeling later. You can also fight the moisture issue more effectively with a basement over a crawlspace.

My answer, after whipping this to death, is to agree with Beretta and say, "Neither. Hold out for getting it all!"

You are obviously not in love with either one of the houses or you would be on here telling us how you just bought the "best house ever" for you and yours. So, take your time and treat buying a house like the wonderful chore/pleasure it really is and use this time to bring the family together on the decision that should effect the rest of your life!

[Doug Heffernan]

Y'all gave excellent advice. It's much appreciated. I think we are going to wait. And who knows, these 2 houses might drop in price in the meantime and we can get an even better deal.

Thanks so much.

[jchometeam]

Swimming pools in tennessee typically decrease the value of the home and increase the time on market when selling. But so do cliffs as a back yard