Thoughts on pools (how much, buying a house, neighborhood) - Massachusetts (MA) - City-Data Forum

peachto4 · 03-17-2014, 08:35 PM

Hello! We have our eye on a home in Mass for an upcoming move. It has a pool. The thought of having the pool is nice AND a little scary. I have children (age 8, 6, and 6) who are decent swimmers. I could see that having a pool would be fabulous for the kids during the summer! But there is always the safety factor that might be stressful for me for both my children and for our guests.

Pool owners - what is your experience with having a pool? I was just wondering if resale with a pool is ever easy? Also, what is the cost for upkeep and weekly maintenance of outdoor pools. Thanks!

MikePRU · 03-17-2014, 08:40 PM

Having a pool definitely makes resale harder. Around here pools are great for about two months out of the year. However, as you mentioned many people have safety concerns with pools. Plus there are the maintenance costs. Most people just don't want the hassle for something you can only enjoy such a short part of the year.

peachto4 · 03-17-2014, 08:45 PM

Thanks Mike! Great points! Appreciate it as always!

tribechamy · 03-18-2014, 05:32 AM

Where is the pool located in relation to the house? That may make a difference.

We passed on a house that had a pool directly off of the back patio just a few feet from the house - it just seemed there was no way to childproof if a child got out the back door by accident - the back door was a single point of failure.

However a friend growing up had a backyard pool that was to the rear of their backyard, totally enclosed by chain link with a locked gate. As a house hunter I would have considered something like that more favorably.

Beachcomber4 · 03-18-2014, 06:52 AM

We sold our house with a pool in less than a week. That being said, it was part of a carefully designed 1200 sf outdoor living space. It was a step down from a larger deck area so it was easily closed off, but a wet bar, under the canopy of a tree was incorporated into both the upper deck and pool deck area. We had large commercial heaters that we used so realistically, that overall space was used much more than 2 months, the pool would just be closed down.

We loved having a pool- I grew up with one. My kids knew how to swim at a very young age, but we had very clear rules and made their friends leave if they didn't abide by them. We had gate alarms and only stopped short of a pool alarm (you can get an in water alarm that sounds if something goes in). Maintenance cost was minimal. We had an automatic pool cleaner and had a company open and close the pool. I would say, maybe $1,000 a year for ownership, tops. I do miss it. It was a great way to wind down as a family at the end of a day. I also loved that my kids and their friends were usually in my back yard. There is something to be said for keeping them close.

SpringMom3 · 03-18-2014, 07:37 AM

As a recent home buyer I can tell you that I preferred looking at homes w/o pools. I also have young kids and didn't want to deal with the safety precautions/maintenance/etc. One house we considered had a pool and i looked into costs of removal as a part of the home cost for myself.

One house had the pool inside of a fenced in area and I did like that much more from the safety standpoint, however I just don't want to deal with that in general. Like Mike said, the benefits of a pool around here for 2-3 mo are just not worth it for me no matter how much fun it is. I did love having one as a kid though....so there's that.

MikePRU · 03-18-2014, 07:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tribechamy

Where is the pool located in relation to the house? That may make a difference.

Good point! Sometimes a pool can take up the whole backyard of the house or be positioned in a way that reduces the utility of the yard.

I can't recall off the top of my head if it's a state law or building code, but pools do have to be fenced in. Personally, if I were buying a house with a pool I would prefer the fence to be around the pool and not around the entire yard for child safety reasons.

Parsec · 03-18-2014, 07:58 AM

I also purchased a home in the past year and a pool wasn't a deal breaker as long as it could be secured/locked. I didn't specifically look for houses with pools, but if it happened to have one then it was no big deal to me. You can always hire someone to do everything for you from opening the pool, cleaning and closing the pool. The cost of upkeep would still be cheaper than the cost of an annual outdoor family pool membership, but having the pool in your own back yard is a lot more convenient.

brightdoglover · 03-18-2014, 10:19 AM

Everyone tells me it's a negative for resale. One new house on my street, a big house on a tiny lot, had a not-real-big pool on half of its little yard. The house was on the market for months and months and sold for some $30K less than a similar property next door that didn't have a pool.
A friend bought a two-family beautiful house with a pool in the suburbs. Swam once and then the liner broke and they didn't have the $7k to fix it. Now it sits, locked up because of grandchildren and law.
I don't know that most towns have an annual outdoor pool for membership, but I think that would be preferable. More social and no maintenance. I grew up with a neighborhood pool, and no one had personal pools and it was a real highlight of the summer. A safe and sociable place for people to go, often with other things, like tennis courts, a snack bar, card games, evening parties, etc.

roadstrailstris · 03-18-2014, 11:13 AM

We bought our house a couple of years ago and absolutely love having a pool. Kids were 2 and 4 when we bought, and the pool has a seperate fence with a lock that they can't open without adult help. It has been great- on the weekends in the summer we often head outside at 9am and don't really come in again until 4pm. My husband does the pool maintenance himself and has said many times that he doesn't mind it. Other than opening and closing the pool, weekly upkeep takes about 1-2 hours. We bought an automatic pool vac, so other than testing the Ph and chlorine levels, and skimming daily, there isn't much else to do. We've had several pool parties and lots of swimming playdates- we have life vests and guests with kids who can't swim independantly usually bring their own floaties. As far as the short season, it depends on the year. We've been opening the pool in mid-May and closing it in early October. We also have a pool heater (gas heat, so not that expensive), which makes a huge difference.