Does a Swimming Pool Increase Your Property Value?

There was a time when realtors considered swimming pools a liability during the house selling process. The maintenance demands (both time and cost) could turn off a potential homeowner. Also, families with small children might see a swimming pool as a safety hazard.

Views have changed today however. A well-constructed and neatly landscaped swimming pool generally increases your property value. Fences and pool alarms can protect small children. A lot more of the maintenance can be automated today with automatic pool cleaners, remote-control lights and pool covers, and self-regulating chlorine or bromine feeders. Because of the increased ease of swimming pool ownership, most prospective homeowners will see it as a boon.

It should be noted that this is primarily for in-ground swimming pools. Though aboveground swimming pools have come a long way, there is still a stigma about them; they are not seen as an asset that could increase the property value. This is mainly because they are not seen as something of a permanent nature. Many of them, if you haven't gone to the trouble of building a deck around the pool, may even be seen as an eyesore that detracts from the value of the home. For this and other reasons, many homeowners choose to take their aboveground swimming pools with them when they leave. On the other hand, an in-ground swimming pool, understood to be a permanent structure, can add thousands of dollars to the assessment value of your home. Of course, this also means you will probably pay more taxes on your property while you live there (due to the increased home value), so that is something else to consider when you are thinking about building a swimming pool in your backyard.