In these days of Covid staying home with the family has the advantage of maybe staying a little safer and spending a little less and that is possible with a backyard swimming pool the only problem is the initial expense and the costs to run it but if you’re able to pick those expenses back up at resale is it worth it. How much value does a pool add to a home?
Real estate experts estimate that an average 14×28-foot inground concrete pool potentially adds 5 to 8 percent to the real estate value of your home. If your property is worth $400,000, you’ll realize a boost to the value of your property of about $20,000 to $32,000.
It won’t be easy since a swimming pool can actually make your home harder to sell. Many buyers consider it a liability rather than a luxury. Under the right circumstances, however, a pool could boost your property’s value.
How Much Value Does a Pool Add to a Home
If you live in a neighborhood where many of your neighbors have swimming pools, your investment is probably solid. In fact, in those circumstances not having a pool might decrease your home’s marketability.
In warm climates, such as Arizona or Florida, a pool can be an attractive feature for potential buyers. If you’re in a real estate market where houses sell quickly, a pool might not be a deterrent to a prospective buyer.
- If you live in a neighborhood where many of your neighbors have swimming pools, your investment is probably solid. In fact, in those circumstances not having a pool might decrease your home’s marketability.
- In warm climates, such as Arizona or Florida, a pool can be an attractive feature for potential buyers.
- If you’re in a real estate market where houses sell quickly, a pool might not be a deterrent to a prospective buyer.
- The pool doesn’t take up your entire yard there’s still room for a swing set and a garden
- Add details like safety fences (most states require them), waterfalls, lighting, landscaping, and perhaps a spa, and you’re easily looking at totals approaching $100,000.
- Gunite is the most popular in-ground pool. Gunite is a mixture of cement and sand, which can be poured into almost any shape. It has replaced concrete pools as the sought-after standard.
Add all that up and you’ve got a large price tag to try to recoup when you’re ready to sell your home. It won’t be easy since a swimming pool can actually make your home harder to sell. Many buyers consider it a liability rather than a luxury. Under the right circumstances, however, a pool could boost your home’s value by as much as 7%, Houselogic estimates.
Does Adding an In-ground Pool Increase Home and Property Value
Add all that up and you’ve got a large price tag to try to recoup when you’re ready to sell your home. It won’t be easy since a swimming pool can actually make your home harder to sell. Many buyers consider it a liability rather than a luxury.
While above-ground pools work just as well for swimming in, they do not add value to a home. In fact, many real estate agents will tell you that they even devalue a home. A concrete in-ground pool, however, can add 7-8 percent value to a home to the right buyer.
Real estate experts estimate that an average 14×28-foot inground concrete pool potentially adds 5 to 8 percent to the real estate value of your home. If your property is worth $400,000, you’ll realize a boost to the value of your property of about $20,000 to $32,000.
But the average cost of installing a 14×28-foot inground concrete pool is about $50,000, which means you’ll only recoup a portion of your original pool investment.
Fences can help keep animals like deer out of the water, but they’re also required by law for safety reasons. Fence height is mandated state-by-state, but most governments require a 4-foot fence around the pool. Check with your local government to see how high your fence needs to be.
Fence pricing depends on the size of the area and the materials you use. Black aluminum is a popular choice, but if you’re looking to save some money, opt for a post and rail with a wire in-between says Jodie Freeland, Black River Landscape Management in Randolph, NJ.
In the end, if your heart is set on adding a pool, don’t look at it as an investment in your home, but in your lifestyle. A backyard swimming pool can add to your family’s enjoyment of your home, and you can’t put a price on that.
Does an Above Ground Pool Add Value to a Home and Property
Adding an above-ground swimming pool to your home does not add any official real estate value to your home and property. Adding permanent decking, outdoor lighting, patios and landscaping to the above-ground swimming pool area can add some home value to the home though. Anything added to a property that is not considered “permanent” will not add any value. This can be unfortunate as there are different types of above grounds, and some are quite expensive.
Above-ground pools arrive in a kit form and take anywhere from 1 to 3 days to install. They are at the lower end of the cost spectrum compared to in-ground pools. You can buy a kit and pay a professional to install it, or even set it up yourself if you’re up to the task if you are planning to stay in your home for a while.
You can add features around the above-ground pool but in the end, the new owners don’t have the same taste and actually could prevent them from making a sale with you. A backyard pool requires pool maintenance, chemical cost, and extra electrical budgeted for the new homeowners, without adding much to the home’s value or the property value. There isn’t a simple answer to it.
JimGalloway Author/Editor
References: HGTV-Does a Pool Add to the Value of your Home
Ramsey-Does a Swimming Pool Increase or Decrease Your Home’s Value?
