Selling a House with a Pool: 5 Tips to Make It Feel Like Paradise
Selling a house with a pool? Here’s how to put this home amenity in its best, sparkling light to capture the attention of the perfect buyer.
Potential buyers of your house will view an in-ground swimming pool as either a relaxing oasis, social hub, and an excellent spot for exercises—or just another maintenance hassle. This is why selling a house with a pool is a tricky transaction.
“Lot of times with clients, they’re either pool people or they’re not pool people,” says Robert Ryczek, a real estate agent with 47 years of experience in Florida’s Fort Lauderdale and Gainesville areas.
“The people that I find have two or three children, and they want to invite all the classmates over, a pool is pretty high on their list. In some cases, you’ve got the grandparents who want to have all the pool parties.”
Can you change the mind of a pool hater? Nope, consider them a lost cause! Instead, you need to target your efforts for selling a house with a pool toward the party people — but even they’ll turn up their noses at an ugly cement pond.
So let’s go through exactly how to show this home amenity in its best, sparkling light to capture the attention of the perfect buyer.
Selling a Home with a Pool? Partner with a Top Agent
If you’re selling a home with a pool, consult with a top local real estate agent about the best way to proceed. Doing so could save you significant time and money. An experienced agent can also help you know what to fix, and what repairs you can skip.
Does a pool add value to your house?
Approximately 8% of American homes have a pool. Homeowners spend an average of $5,000 to $30,000 to remodel pools. It costs more when you add visually-appealing features, such as slides, waterfalls, and enclosures.
Having a pool is a bit like buying a new car. It comes with value which then depreciates due to necessary maintenance. There’s also the cost of the recommended liability insurance. Even so, some experts say a pool could boost your list price by as much as 7% depending on the age and condition of your pool and where you live.
Statista report shows the top cities with the highest percentages of backyard pools were:
- Cleveland, Ohio
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Cincinnati, Ohio
- Atlanta, Georgia
- Tucson, Arizona
Depending on your price range, a pool can be an expected amenity. Ivory Cooks, a top-selling Miami agent, said that most of the homes that sold in the $1 to 2 million range in Miami Beach had pools.
According to Cooks, pools have gone from being just fun spots for kids to becoming a key feature for his clients. Homeowners love to entertain and want the perfect space for hosting events and gatherings. They want an outdoor area that feels like part of the home.
Even if you’re in a more modest price range of, say, about $350,000, “most of those homes are going to have a pool because it’s pretty standard once you get past a certain point,” Ryczek said.
“If it’s a newer pool, say, within the last 5, 6, 7 years, you’re able to get a little better value. But I’ve seen older homes, 25-30 year old homes, where … sales haven’t really been much more than $12,000 to $14,000 more than what the non-pool homes have sold for.”
