Does adding a pool to a SFH in NoVA increase the house value? (insurance, houses)

[Margery]

Originally Posted by deuxcents

I can tell you that when I listed a previous home I was told that the pool could be a major issue - especially for people with kids and those who don't want to deal with the maintenance. The agent suggested that we offer in the listing to get rid of the pool. It eventually sold with the pool intact.

Having said that, if you plan on staying in your home for a long time, go ahead and get the pool for your own enjoyment. You can offer to get rid of it when you go to sell.

This is my opinion also. If you want a pool and it will add to your enjoyment of your home, go ahead with it. It will not add significantly to resale value and, as above, you can add to your listing that you will remove it at your expense if the buyer desires.

[Cardiff Kook]

Originally Posted by Carlingtonian

I love to swim, but I would not want to own a pool. Mostly because of the cost of maintenance. And in this area of the country, it doesn't get that hot. This is gonna sound really '70s, but I'd be way more interested in a hot tub.

for 4-5 months of the year its sweltering

[Lehuster]

The short answer is no.

How Much Will a Pool Actually Cost - WSJ.com

The financial advisers I spoke to all said that, through long experience, they had learned that pools ended up costing a lot more year to year than you usually expect. Susan Elser, a certified financial planner in Indianapolis ("and a former pool owner," she adds), suggests the ongoing costs can easily run to $3,000 a year, or about 10% of the initial cost. If you hire a pool service company, she says, make that 15%. Jim Miller at Woodward Financial Advisers in Chapel Hill, N.C., says the annual costs can run as high as $5,000 a year.

You may figure that you'll make a lot of this back when you come to sell your home. Advisers doubt it. "I question whether it adds anything to the [sale price]," says Ed Rose, a financial planner at Bayside Wealth Management in Pensacola, Fla. "It may contribute something, but you'll never get your money out of it on the resale." One of his clients recently bought a home with a pool and paid extra to have it filled in. "Many people don't want to buy a house with a pool because they don't want the responsibility," says Jim Miller at Woodward.

Sure, that's going to vary. If you live in the south or southwest, or you are selling a luxury home, some of your potential purchasers may expect a pool. Overall, you should be wary about relying on making some money back on the pool when you sell the home.

Bottom line? If your pool costs $30,000 to install, say $3,000 a year in total running, maintenance and repairs, and you don't get much back when you sell it, how much has it really cost you? Remember you could have invested that $30,000 and earned a return on the money. If you borrowed it, you have to pay interest.

Even if the rate of return is only 5%, that $30,000 pool would actually cost about $4,500 a year in total.

Is it worth it? A pool can be great fun in summer, and maybe it's worth the cost–if you use it a lot. Up here in the northeast, for example, the summers really aren't reliable enough. Few are like this year. I'm amazed at how many people have an in-ground pool anyway. They could probably make better use of that money. As several advisers pointed out, it may cost a lot less to join a local club with a pool.

In many cases, people get a pool when they have small children, figuring the children will use it. It may not be the right move. "A lot of my neighbors built the pool for the kids," says Elaine Scoggins. "But the kids end up wanting to go to the community pool, because there are more kids there."

[ReblTeen84]

Depends. When we go to buy our next house, a pool will be a plus, especially an in-ground. If it's an above ground, it'll be a toss - I don't like them. But, expect to take a "loss" on it when you sell, you won't make the money back. If you're ok with taking a day out of every week to care for it and can keep up with chemicals (not that hard), you'll be fine. But, buyers probably won't want the perceived hassle.

[newnewsmama]

It is a plus in the upper class neighborhood. People are willing to pay more if your pool is well built and/or is equipped with a nice pool house.

In a middle class neighborhood, the value added with a pool is very limited. Some buyers even consider it a minus like you said. So your house may sit on the market longer compared with a house with no pool at all.

Enjoy it if you are going to live in the same house for a long time.

[Carlingtonian]

Originally Posted by newnewsmama

It is a plus in the upper class neighborhood. People are willing to pay more if your pool is well built and/or is equipped with a nice pool house.

In a middle class neighborhood, the value added with a pool is very limited. Some buyers even consider it a minus like you said. So your house may sit on the market longer compared with a house with no pool at all.

Enjoy it if you are going to live in the same house for a long time.

Interesting take. I guess my neighborhood full of GS15s, lawyers, etc. is just not uppity enough.

[slim04]

My parents had a pool and had a difficult time selling their house. The problem is that people with families, particularly with young children don't want them because of safety issues and added maintenance costs. So you basically cut your target audience in half or more, which will mean lower offering prices.

Another thing is that swimming is extremely popular in northern virginia, but as a communal activity. People join their local HOA pools, the pools at community rec centers, private pool clubs, and pools at country clubs. It just isn't seen as necessary to splash around in your back yard like it is in the southwest or south.

[slim04]

Originally Posted by CAVA1990

You can use a heated pool year round.

The energy and maintenance costs to heat an outdoor pool year round is very high. I know someone with a heated pool and it takes forever to get it heated up and they haven't used it in the winter or early spring in years.

[VRE332]

We used to have a pool and it was very nice. The newer salt water pools have less maintenance than the chlorinated pools. The newer heaters use a heat pump to maintain the water temperature but you will get robbed by electric costs of running the water pump filter

[Fundman]

For 90 percent of buyers a pool would be more of a burden and maintenance expense then it's worth. Also remember, that your pool will become a magnet for teenagers. You will regularly come home to discover that children have climbed your fence and are swimming in your pool. And when one of them drowns their parents will sue you.