Home & Garden

      Ask a real estate agent if a swimming pool will enhance your home’s value and chances are they will tell you they won’t add value to your home, and it may even be a detriment to selling your property.  Do an internet search on the subject, and you will find dozens of sites that will caution home owners about adding a swimming pool. 
       While that advice may be the norm, there is an exception to every rule. Unlike many areas of the country, Lake Havasu City was made for the swimming pool. In a climate where the summer temperatures are constantly in the triple digits, many of us consider a swimming pool a necessity.
       In other areas, real estate professionals may caution that having a pool will discourage a majority of potential buyers, who see a pool as a liability; increased maintenance and expense. In Havasu, even the buyers who personally do not want a pool will often discount a home that doesn’t have room for one.  It’s not that they ever intend to put one in, yet they understand that a good majority of Havasu buyers want the ability to add a pool.
       Will a home owner get dollar for dollar for his investment?  Yes and no.  Appraisers will give value to the swimming pool, yet will that dollar amount equal what the homeowner actually paid for the improvement?  Probably not, yet there are other factors to consider, that will ultimately affect the bottom line.  If you are marketing a higher end home, it will sell much easier if it already has a swimming pool. Potential homebuyers in that bracket will be willing to spend more money, if they don’t have to deal with adding a pool later.
       But is a swimming pool a good idea in a lower priced home? Surprisingly, it can be in Havasu.  Investors who remodel older homes for the vacation rental market find those with a pool will rent much better in the summer months.
       Unlike other real estate markets across the country, we have far more buyers who refuse to buy a house without a pool, than those who refuse to buy a house with one.      
       For those buyers who insist on buying a house that already has a pool, we warn that they need to consider the age and condition of the pool.  It can often be more affordable to put in a new pool, rather than repairing an existing one.  And if the seller has inflated the price for the pool, make sure it is worth the asking price.

More about swimming pools:

Swimming Pool Types, Pool Barriers, Pool Decking