Have a house we may go after to rehab and sell that has an inground pool in the back yard. Obviously haven’t inspected the pool yet but the house has huge potential if we can pick it up right. Has anybody had any good or bad experience selling a home with a pool? My thoughts are that it might limit our buyers to somebody that is specifically looking for a pool.
My only experience with a pool is in Arizona…there, I think there’s a slight advantage to having a ‘money pit’…
But, about 3 years later, the buyer (sleazebag Realtor) complained that he had to build an additional fence due to some new ordinance in town (Phoenix-area) and that he thought I should pay for the fence. I had sold him the house three years before and the ordinance was 6-months old. I told him that my crystal ball had not revealed that an ordinance was in the offing 2-1/2 years hence. Then I told him that this ploy was just another indication of just what a low-life he was.
Keith
Sounds like a pleasant person! I have decided to go after the property. It’s too nice of an area to not go after. I will just have a pool inspector check it out!
Be sure to budget some extra cash for potential pool repairs such as a faulty pump, etc.
Pools are great in warmer climate. They aren’t that great a selling point where the summer season isn’t very hot. Many rental investors won’t buy with a pool due to the increased liability. I suggest you decide which market you want and do a cost/benefit analysis to see if fixing the pool will add to your bottom line.
Thanks for the input. I live in Fort Wayne, IN where it has been mid 90’s the last 4 days and it is only June. A pool sounds pretty damn good right now!
My friend closing on a house at the end of this month. The seller thought the pool would hurt the value, so he removed it and filled up the hole. My friend likes the idea of the pool so after he closes he is going to have the hole dug and a pool put in. If the seller knew what his buyer was doing he’d feel pretty stupid.
I’d leave the pool in and let your Realtor know that if the buyer wants it filled you will do it at your costs. But for now I wouldn’t fill the pool unless it looks like crap.
I’m guessing that if the seller sold the house he probably doesn’t care what the new owners do, as long as he made some money! And as far as offering to fill in the hole at my cost… eh eh. Not unless they come in with an offer higher than what I would have it listed for.
We actually ended up picking up another house yesterday so we will let the pool house go. They weren’t moving on the price much anyway. Thanks for the input.
I thought you were asking the views on pools when rehabbing a property. That’s why I posted the story of my friend. You would never NOT rehab a property just because of a pool, so I thought you were asking whether to keep or remove the pool.
As far as the seller, he removed a pool, brought in a ton of dirt, and laid sod. That had to of been a little money & time, and no the seller didn’t make a penny on this deal. Not a smart move on his end.
My view on pools are if they look nice or can look nice then keep them. Otherwise remove them if they’re ugly.
Gotcha Iron. :beer
I would consider how old the pool and pool system is. We had one when I was a kid (in the 1970s) and it was a ton of work.
We have a one in our backyard now (two years ago) and with the new auto chlorine, auto cleaning, etc., it’s basically no trouble.
These comments, BTW, aren’t so much about repairing pool system, but about a pool might affect values at resale. A new pool should be way, way better than an old one.
All real estate is local. I say that because here in Houston pools are free. You don’t get a penny more for a house with a pool. It does, however, limit you buys to a person that wants a pool. That can cut out families with small children, lazy people that don’t want to spend money and time on pool upkeep and people with ugly bodies that like to keep them covered up. (This list includes most buyers). You won’t get any more money for the house when you sell it will take longer to sell and the make ready will cost more to include the pool rehab. I never do a pool unless the house is discounted accordingly.