Everyone thinks that as soon as you dig a giant hole in the backyard and fill it with water and fancy tiles that your house price is just going to skyrocket and you’ll be rich when you sell it but the reality of how much does a pool add to home value is actually way more complicated and sometimes a bit of a total pain to figure out.
Does a Swimming Pool Add Value to a Home?
Well, usually it does, but you’re probably not going to get back every single dollar you spent on the heater and the lighting and the fancy waterfall feature that looks cool but makes a lot of noise. It’s more about making the house “marketable” to a specific type of buyer who wants the lifestyle and doesn’t want to deal with the mess of building one themselves because let’s face it building a pool is a total pain and takes forever.
Key Factors Influencing Pool Value
There are a few Key Factors Influencing Pool Value that you really have to pay attention to if you’re doing this for the money and not just for the splashing.
First off is the condition because a pool with cracked tiles or a sketchy pump isn’t an asset it’s just a bill waiting to happen and no buyer wants to inherit a swamp that needs five grand in repairs the day they move in.
Then you have the “neighborhood match” which basically means if you put a $100,000 infinity pool in a neighborhood where houses only cost $200,000 you are never seeing that money again because you’ve “over-improved” the property and the bank won’t even value it that high.
Also, the type of pool matters a lot because if you’re asking does a above ground pool add value to your home the answer is usually a pretty big “no” or at least not in the way you want because most appraisers see those as temporary things like a piece of furniture and some buyers might even ask you to take it down and haul it away before they buy the place.
Value Contribution by the Numbers
If you look at the raw data most experts say an inground pool adds maybe 5% to 8% to your total home value which sounds okay until you realize that on a $400,000 house that’s only like $20,000 to $32,000 and the pool probably cost you $60,000 to build in the first place. This is why you should check a Pool Cost Calculator before you start digging so you can see the gap between what you spend and what you’ll actually get back because if you’re looking for What increases house value the most? it’s usually things like an extra bedroom or a kitchen remodel rather than a giant tank of water in the backyard.
Does a pool increase home value in Florida? Here’s what the experts say.
Now if you live in a place where it’s basically summer for ten months of the year then the rules change quite a bit. Does a pool increase home value in Florida? Here’s what the experts say. In states like Florida or Arizona or even parts of California a pool is almost mandatory for high-end homes and it can add way more value there than it would in say Minnesota where you can only use it for two months before you have to pay a fortune to winterize it. In Florida, buyers often filter their searches to only show homes with pools so if you don’t have one you’re missing out on a huge chunk of the market which makes the investment way more logical than it is in colder climates.
Financial Realities
The “hidden” financial reality is that even if the value goes up your insurance might go up too because a pool is a “liability” and you might need a higher fence or a special rider on your policy which is just another monthly cost. Plus you have the chemicals and the electricity for the pump and the occasional need for Same Day Pool Services when the water turns green right before you’re supposed to host a graduation party or something equally stressful.
FAQs
Is it harder to sell a home with a pool?
It depends on the buyer because some people see a pool and think “vacation at home” but others see it and think “I’m going to spend every Saturday cleaning filters and I’m terrified my toddler will fall in” so you’re basically narrowing your pool of buyers, no pun intended, to people who actually want the responsibility.
How much money does a pool add to home value?
On average you can expect maybe $20,000 to $40,000 in actual appraisal value depending on the market but it’s rarely more than half of what the pool actually cost to install especially if it’s a pricy custom build.
Is owning a house with a pool worth it?
If you like swimming and hosting parties and don’t mind the maintenance then yeah it’s totally worth it for the lifestyle but if you’re just doing it as a “investment” to make the house worth more you’re probably better off putting that money into a new roof or better landscaping.
What increases house value the most?
When people ask What increases house value the most? the boring answer is usually “functional square footage” like finishing a basement or adding a bathroom because those things have a much higher return on investment and they don’t involve the risk of a leak that turns your backyard into a sketchy mud pit.
Does an above ground pool add value to your home even if it has a nice deck around it?
Not really because it’s still considered personal property like a shed or a trampoline so even if it’s a nice one it’s not going to change your official appraisal much and it might even make some buyers nervous about the lawn underneath it.
How Much Value Does a Pool Add to a House?
Ultimately it’s about the “emotional” value for the right person who sees your backyard and imagines their kids playing there and that person might pay a premium but you can’t always count on that person showing up the exact week you decide to list the house for sale.
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