The simple truth is that swimming pools can add value to your property, but given a set of circumstances, they can actually pose the opposite outcome. Hiring the services of pool remodeling in Orange County can help you decide whether one would be perfect for your backyard.
Should You Choose Pool Remodeling in Orange County?
The good news for those who live in Los Angeles and its surrounding areas, including Orange County, is that a swimming pool can add $95,000 to the value of a home.
Homes with swimming pools are popular for a couple of reasons, including long, hot summer months and the fact that the majority of homes in the region already have pools. In this instance, not having a pool will decrease the value of your home.
The other good news is that since COVID-19, the demand for private swimming pools has been growing year-on-year, a trend that is set to continue over the next few years.
Homeowners aren’t prepared to risk swimming in a community pool. Instead, they want to cool down and even exercise in their own pool.
Potential buyers who work from home are also looking to swimming pools to provide a mental break from work and a gentle but effective workout.
What Factors Influence the Value of Homes With Pools?
There are several factors that determine whether a pool will add to the value of your property and increase the resale price.
Climate
Climate is one of the biggest factors in determining the added value to your selling price. Hot climates, including California and Florida, favor swimming pools.
High average temperatures and extremely high temperatures during a heat wave make pools indispensable. Having an inground pool definitely adds value to properties in the real estate market.
On the other hand, pools have no real effect on the value of properties in colder climates, where winters are long and summers don’t reach sweltering temperatures. In fact, in some cases, a swimming pool can decrease the value of houses for sale.
The climate just doesn’t support the need for inground or above-ground pools.
Maintenance Costs
Pools need regular maintenance to keep them sparkling clean, and this costs money. It’s also time-consuming unless you hire a pool service – which adds to pool maintenance costs.
Some buyers don’t want all the responsibility that goes with pool ownership, let alone the ongoing costs, while others will jump at the opportunity to enjoy all the benefits of a pool and shrug off pool upkeep as a reasonable price to pay for all the fun their family is going to have.
A Breakdown of Maintenance Requirements
Chlorine pools need chlorine to prevent algae and bacteria from growing on the pool’s surface. Occasionally, you need to shock your pool. You need chemical test kits to ensure the pool water is always at the right pH balance.
Saltwater pools don’t need all the chemicals that chlorinated pools do. They will need a bag of salt every now and then, but salt is considerably cheaper than chlorine. They still require maintenance equipment, though.
Pool Equipment
You need maintenance equipment, including a telescopic pole, pool brush, pool skimmer, and vacuum head and hose. Most importantly, you need a pool filter and pool pump to keep your pool crystal clean.
All of these have upfront costs, but they don’t last forever, so there’s the cost of repairs and replacements.
Pool Cover
Then there is the pool cover, which is essential if you’re going to close your pool over winter. A pool cover also plays a role in pool safety because it prevents children and kids from drowning if they accidentally fall onto the pool’s surface.
Again, covers don’t last forever and will, at some stage, need to be replaced.
Pool Material
The pool material you’ve chosen also determines maintenance costs. A vinyl pool is easy to keep clean and costs relatively little to maintain, but the liner needs to be replaced every five or seven years.
Concrete pools are expensive to maintain as it is, but the concrete or gunite needs to be resurfaced every five or so years, and that is an expensive project.
Fiberglass pools are somewhere between vinyl liner pools and concrete or gunite pools, but they tend to last the longest, so you don’t have to worry about replacing or resurfacing costs.
Pool Insurance
Finally, there is homeowners insurance. An inground pool should be included on your insurance policy, but it will have an effect on insurance premiums, effectively increasing overall insurance costs.
Note that an above-ground swimming pool isn’t added to your insurance policy because it’s not a permanent feature.
How Can You Increase the Value of Your Pool?
There are several things you can do that will make people look at your pool and think, yes, they absolutely need to buy your home.
You could add extra features, including a pool heater, water features, Baja shelf, slide, and decorative rockery, but simple measures will do as much to make buyers appreciate the beauty of your pool.
A Clean Pool
It sounds obvious, but a well-kept pool with no algae growth is far more attractive than an opaque or, heaven forbid, a green pool.
Clean extends to the pool area in general. Rake and remove leaves and twigs and sweep the paving. You can even rinse the paving with a hose. You could go the extra mile and clean the safety fence, perhaps even repaint it if necessary.
Landscaping
You don’t need elaborate pool landscaping, but you do need a well-tended lawn and neat flower beds. Rake the yard and remove all debris, so your backyard space looks like an inviting spot for a family picnic.
Outdoor Entertainment Area
Again, you don’t need to go all out with a pool deck, pool furniture, outdoor kitchen, fire pit, gazebo, and feature wall.
Just ensure it’s as neat and tidy as the rest of the outdoor space. Try to repair cracks and clean away any spiderwebs.
Let Calimingo Pools Install the Perfect Pool to Increase Your Property Value!
The bottom line is that installing a backyard pool could add close to $100,000 to your property’s value, but there’s a chance that it won’t add enough value to your home to cover the cost of installation and landscaping.
So think carefully before you install an inground pool. Talk to real estate experts who specialize in your area and know the market inside out and whether they think a pool will win over prospective buyers.
If you’re already a pool owner, you could hire an Orange County pool remodeling company to refresh your existing pool area, making it irresistible to home buyers.
For advice on how to recondition your swimming pool, email us at connect@calimingo.com or contact us at 714-235-3294 at Calimingo Pools today!