It’s 9:28 in the evening. It’s 103 degrees outside, cooling off nicely from today’s high of 109 (officially, my thermometer hit 112).  Hiring the right luxury pool contractor can make your backyard oasis a reality.

Yep, it’s summertime in Phoenix, and that means swimming pools are the subject of many conversations. Maintenance, cleaning, equipment, chemical balance, water temperature, black algae, all this and more become a part of every day conversation.

Invariably we get various questions from real estate buyers, sellers and investors about pool homes. This morning the question via email was:

My husband and I are actually moving out of Power Ranch and interested in talking to someone about our property. . . .

(insert property details here, time lines there, yada yada)

I am not seeing many homes with a pool for sale  – would this work in our favor?

. . .

Great question! And not a simple answer. Lots of homes in the Phoenix area have private swimming pools. There are a few “rules” to remember when it comes to selling (or buying for that matter) a home with a pool:

1. You will likely NOT recover the cost of building and maintaining your pool. If you have two homes identical in every way except one has a $25,000 pool and the other doesn’t, the home with a pool is not worth $25,000 more. It may be worth $5,000 more, it may not be worth anything more — in terms of raw value.
2. Remember that some buyers insist on having a private pool. Many other buyers however want nothing to do with a pool. In our experience, it’s about a 50 – 50 split between people wanting a pool and those that don’t. It may be slightly tilted toward those who prefer a pool. Slightly. A pool can be built in many yards, however removing an existing pool is expensive. If you are buying an investment property, you’ll eliminate a lot of liability and have a larger block of potential buyers if you avoid a home with an existing pool.
3. Condition counts. If you find that there are cracks in your pool, then you should immediately call a Pool Deck Repair service so it doesn’t worsen. Pools always have to be maintained. Nothing will turn off a potential buyer faster than a poorly maintained pool.                                                        Good:                                                Bad:      
4. If you live in a development with good access to a community pool(s), your private pool is less desirable to many.
5. Many people fear the amount of work required to maintain a pool (though it’s not as bad as most people think). Consider offering one year of pool service to potential buyers to alleviate such fears. It’s a nice incentive and a small price to pay. Be willing to absorb the (minimal) additional home warranty cost for the pool equipment.
6. Make sure your pool barrier meets local code before putting your home on the market. Barrier regulations can vary wildly from one city to the next, and can also be dependent on when the pool was constructed.
7. Like home upgrades, it is possible to have too much pool for the home. A negative edge, cascading waterfall, custom mosaic tiled pool may look nice, but if it’s too “over the top” for the yard and home, it will look out of place to most buyers.

Having a private pool constructed by the professional construction companies in Florida like Agua Construction can be a wonderful experience, especially in an area like Phoenix where you can enjoy it almost year round and most especially if it’s one of a kind like those built by Top Pool Contractors Miami. Knowing and understanding how potential buyers see private pools can help you sell your home when you are ready to make a move.

Some good swimming pool sites: PoolCenter.com, CheapPoolProducts.com, Swimming pool safety.

[tags]Phoenix swimming pools, swimming pool maintenance[/tags]