3 Things to Know When Buying a Home with a Pool
Several luxury homes in Bloomfield Township and surrounding areas come with a pool. If you’re looking specifically for a home with a pool, there are pros and cons to owning one. People usually either love having a pool, or they despise it. If you’re one of those that loves having the freedom of going swimming whenever you want, being able to cool off or relax in a resort-style setting in your backyard, a pool is a great option.
The first thing to understand is that having a pool is an added expense, but it may not be as much is you think. It will be a new item in your budget, and you’ll need to decide whether you want it professionally maintained or if you’re going to spend the time and energy and do-it-yourself. Pool upkeep can be as inexpensive as $50 a month if you do it yourself or up to $400 a month if you have regular professional maintenance.
Pools can also be a selling feature for “pool people”. It may also be a downside to a lot of people. If you’re looking specifically for pool, others will likely want one as well. Here are three basic things to know when buying a home with a pool.
#1. Understand what you’re getting into.
You may not be able to get out what you think your pool is worth when you go to sell. If you’re really only buying the pool for your own enjoyment, having it as a resale feature may not be as big of a deal. Remember, when you’re buying a home with a pool, you’re always buying the pool secondhand. Most people don’t think of it that way of course because it comes with the house. But you are buying a used pool, not in brand-new condition. You want to have a specific pool inspector check out the pool area to make sure that it is sound and doesn’t have a mountain of problems before you even buy it. Make sure you ask about everything including how often it is clean, when it was installed, if it’s ever lost his integrity and how much it costs each month to maintain it.
#2. Remember to maintain safety.
If you have small children, you’ll definitely want to get a pool gate or a fence around the pool. Remember, if you’re the only one in the neighborhood with a swimming pool your house will probably be considered the “cool house”, which means you may have a lot of guests, friends and friends of your children over at your house swimming. This can leave you up to a lot of liability so you want to make sure that you are covered in your insurance and you’ve done everything you can to maintain safety and protection of your home, your family and your friends.
#3. Properly maintain pools can add resale value.
There are pretty much two types of buyers; those specifically looking for a home with a pool, and others avoiding homes with a pool. You might find a home buyer that doesn’t realize they want a pool until they see a beautiful home with a properly maintained pool and backyard. This is why you need to be able to capture this type of buyer that’s on the fence or just doesn’t have an idea that they want a pool. Keep your home properly maintained, make the pool area something that you can be proud of and entertain and it will hold its resale value when you go to sell.
If you’re specifically looking for a home with a pool, give me a call at 248-752-3088 or contact me here. I’d love to send you the most current list of properties in the area that have backyard pools.
3 Things to Know When Buying a Home with a Pool