Should I buy a home with a pool is the question that always comes to mind when shopping for a new home. We love the idea of buying a home with a pool. In our euphoria of the American Dream, we rationalize every thought. Thoughts of joy, like spending time with family in the backyard pool, or spending time with our significant other in the summer nights. We rationalize these thoughts and fail to look into the other side of the spectrum, that sometimes owning a pool isn’t all what we think it is. So before you go on Google to search for houses for sale near me with a pool and commit to buying a house with a pool. You must understand that owning a pool has a secret dark side to it. A side that doesn’t come up often in conversations or when this subject does come up, people ignore the argument. The reality of the argument is that pools are costly and sometimes not worth the headache.

Pool Ownership Nightmare

I know about this truth because it happened to me as a first time home owner, and if it happened to me I am sure it has happened to others. Therefore, I want to share my story so that I can help you make a better decision and hopefully save you time and money. A few years ago, my family and I decided that it was time to follow the American Dream, the dream of buying a house. Buying a house was a significant step for us, and of course in our dream house we wanted a pool so that we can spend time with family enjoying the splash of water. We went to multiple open houses, and after months of looking for the perfect house we found our match. The house had everything we can ever hope for including a beautiful pool.

Right away we did our research and started the inspection process. The inspection report came back and  stated that the house needed a few fixes but other than that, the house was ready to move in. We figured that anything that the house needed work on we could fix, and the pool was no exception.

Well on the first night in our new home, I went to the backyard to turn on the pool lights. I wanted to light up the backyard because I couldn’t believe that I had accomplished the dream, so in my desire to savor the moment in the backyard I noticed that the pool had cracks in the bottom, and right away the water pump stopped working. I didn’t even know that pools had a water pump. After consulting with a pool contractor about the status of the pool, he gave us a reality check. The pool needed a lot of work and the total cost to upgrade was about $40k. I almost dropped to the floor when I heard this. How could this have happened? Why didn’t anyone tell us about how bad the condition of the pool was? How were we going to be able to pay for a fix of $40k when we had used the majority of our savings for the 20% down payment? All this was a rush of bad news, and what I want you to avoid.

What to Look for When Buying a Home with a Pool

Before you close the deal on your dream house you have to get the house inspected. A home inspection can save you from taking over if there are a lot of things wrong with the house. However, for your pool do not go with the home inspector that the seller or the escrow company is recommending, make sure you hire your own General Contractor or pool company to inspect the pool. An inspection by someone who knows the real cost will give you an idea of what the real cost of owning a pool. A professional will share with you the reality of the condition of the pool. If the pump, the filter, the plaster, and the coping are good, then by all means you are safe. You are good to go, that is assuming that there isn’t anything else wrong with the house.

Secondly, find out the average cost of maintaining a pool. Maintaining a pool is like having an HOA fee every month, there is a cost and it won’t go away. For more details read the article Cost of Owning a Pool to find out. To get a basic idea of this, talk to the pool guy who is currently servicing the pool, or call a local Leslie’s Pool Supplies store and they will be able to give you some answers. Do your research, a pool always needs maintenance and it isn’t free.