Pros and cons of living next to a pond (price, properties, expensive)
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as nice as a water view (any water view) is, I don't want to live near a pond or any body of water other than an ocean. The reasons are:
Mosquitoes. Oftentimes the water is not moving and the pond is just a large pit of standing water.
Weeds/Debris. If the pond is not cleaned regularly, your lovely view can easily become a weed-choked cesspool. The pond can also collect wind swept debris or garbage deliberately thrown in by people.
Smell. Nothing is more fragrant than stagnant water.
Wildlife. If you're not a big fan of wildlife sightings (including snakes), then living near a pond isn't for you.
Good point about mosquitoes. I wonder if they would be just as bad if you bought a house a few homes lots away or if the bugs mostly stay near the homes right along the pond.
Another thing to add to my list. Concern or no concern about how close you own to the body of water...or even if you own the pond or part of it. That can involve expense, insurance concerns, erosion issues, higher HOA fees sometimes, personal concerns for others, selling issues for buyers/may lenders.
Some people spray a bug spray meant for grass and love living right on the pond. Some spray only on themselves or clothing but not on nature. Some are not effected by bugs.
I do know people who bought a few houses away intentionally because in their experience there are fewer biting insects that way.
If the pond has an aerator, mosquitos shouldn't be a problem. Many of the man made (retention) ponds in neighborhoods in our area have aerators.
Snakes would be my biggest CON. I am terrified of snakes and you are going to see more of them living near a pond. No thanks!
Another con to some is people coming onto your property to access the pond. We have a pond in our neighborhood and the homeowners are complaining all the time because the neighborhood kids like to go and fish/play around it and often cut across their property to get to it.
We have ponds throughout our neighborhood, owned by the property owners who surround them. Ugh, glad not to be one of them. The ducks and geese are all over their yards, plus mosquitoes, plus they all can see into each other's backyards.
I don't know if they pay more for insurance. I think it's a bit strange that pool owners need fences, yet pond owners don't where we are.
Agree 100%. Why is a pond not considered an "attractive nuisance"? I don't live in Williamsburg, but I would not have bought my house beside my neighbor's pond if I had known what it meant. The neighbors themselves are the biggest nuisance. They throw food scraps out to feed the ducks and geese and have complained about my very small dog barking at "their" Canada geese.
I have a small shack (custom shed) on a lakeside lot, so it's basically a large pond. In fact, my lot faces the dam with a large creek on the other side so there's a double water feature. We have no mosquitoes there. The lake isn't dredged, but there's no plant growth or algae buildup. I know there are catfish and carp in the lake, and there are geese, ducks and herons on and around it. However, they only go onto lots that have grass growing right down to the water. My lot has natural vegetation at the waterline, which doesn't interest them in the least. I used to have beavers that came up from the pond, but they trapped all of them; however, the deer still go down to the lake to drink, which is fine with me. They need to live too!
Actually the only "con" I've had by the lake/pond is the flock of black vultures that nests in my trees, but that's more a function of the dog next door and the availability of his bowl of kibble than the lake.
We live on acreage with 3 ponds. The large one we use for irrigation, the others for wildlife and views. Two are sited below our home, the third smaller one is in a far corner. We also have a year round creek which has a large cedar I like to sit under as I listen to the water flow. We have no mosquitos as we attract birds with plants and don't use chemicals. We have flickers, several types of ducks, owls, hummers, hawks, plus have seen deer and a bobcat drink from the ponds. Very nice.
My mom lives in a condo which has a city owned wetland she enjoys observing through the seasons. She hopes to continue to live there as she cherishes her view.
Con: NO way would I have wanted a pond nearby when my boys were young. They were little "darlings" and once they got out of my sight when they were old enough to venture a bit, I'm sure they would have been in the pond or on the ice of the pond.
I would have lived in fear of them drowning summer and winter. Kids and drowning would have been my number one reason for not wanting a pond or pool nearby or on my property.
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