Want to Buy a Home with a Pool? Make Sure You Know These Facts First
A pool can be a must-have feature when you’re buying a house in Texas. In fact, whether you’re shopping for a home in Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Dallas, or anywhere else in the Lone Star State, a pool can be the crown jewel of a home’s exterior space.
As gorgeous as pools look in listings or open houses, however, these water features aren’t the best fit for all homebuyers. That’s because pools can come with some unique considerations, responsibilities, safety concerns, and costs.
Know those upfront, and you can figure out if buying a house with a pool is really right for you.
To help you make a more informed decision, check out this insightful 3-minute guide on what to consider when buying a house with a pool in Texas, covering:
- 6 Factors to Keep in Mind When Buying a House with a Pool
- Should I Buy a House with a Pool in Texas?
- What Else Do I Need to Know About Buying a Home with a Pool?
If you have more questions or need help making an offer, negotiating purchase terms, or closing on a house with a pool in Texas, contact an experienced Realtor® at New Home Gurus.
6 Factors to Keep in Mind When Buying a House with a Pool
Pools can look spectacular in photos, video tours, and even in-person visits, but there’s a lot more to the story than just how pools look. Filling in those blanks means getting to know more about the condition of the pool, its upkeep, and other key details you may need to understand before you own it.
You can get a feel for those by going over the factors that follow, considering how they may apply to, enhance, or negatively impact your situation.
1. Pool Inspections
Don’t skip the home inspection, and don’t assume the home inspection will cover the pool. Instead, it’s better to ask about and confirm this upfront, making sure that the home inspection will include the pool and specifics like (but not limited to):
- Pool structure
- Cracks or leaks
- Pool pumps, heaters, filters, and other equipment
- Pool safety features
Pro Tip: Carefully read the home inspection report, paying attention to the section on the pool. If the inspector points out unsafe, inoperable, or neglected equipment, you may have the chance to renegotiate the purchase price or terms — or you may have enough information to know that this just isn’t the house for you.
2. Pool Maintenance Costs
Maintaining a pool as a homeowner means weekly maintenance and routine cleaning. It also involves repairing worn parts, replacing broken systems, and maintaining items like pool covers, safety gates around pools, and more.
As of 2024, the average Texas homeowner with a pool spends about $100 to $300 per month in pool maintenance costs.
Pro Tip: Ask about pool maintenance costs during open houses or in-person tours. Find out how the sellers have maintained the pool and how much they tended to pay for pool maintenance.
3. Pool Safety & Insurance
Pools should generally come with sufficient safety features to prevent accidents. Depending on the area and the age of the pool, those features could include (and may not be limited to):
- Pool fences and locks
- Poolside sensors and alarms that sound alerts whenever someone enters the pool
- A lifesaver, a rescue hook, and/or floaties
Also, keep in mind that many homeowners’ insurance providers:
- Require gates and other accident-preventing safety features as a condition of covering a home with a pool
- Charge higher premiums for homes with pools because insurance companies see pools as risky.
Pro Tip: Does a pool have a diving board and/or a slide? If so, you could get some pushback from insurance companies. In fact, some insurers may even refuse to cover pools with these add-on features.
4. Pool Energy & Water Usage
Pools can elevate your utilities and water bills, especially during the hot summer months when:
- Water can evaporate from pools faster.
- It’s necessary to refill and cool down pools more.
Similarly, heating pools in cooler months can mean heftier energy bills than you may want or expect.
The bottom line here is that pools have multiple recurring costs, and those can come out of your pocket in different ways — not just in bills, equipment, and services directly for the pool but also in more general house bills, where it can be more challenging to see how pools are tipping the scales.
Pro Tip: Ask the sellers or their Realtors® to see copies of the energy and water bills for the house. Be sure to ask for “typical” summertime and wintertime bills, so you can also get eyes on how these costs may seasonally fluctuate.
5. Pool Resale Value
While pools can mean extra work, maintenance, and costs for homeowners, these outdoor water features can also impact the value of a home — and strengthen its resale value.
In fact, well-maintained pools in Texas homes can:
- Increase a house’s resale value by an average of 7% to 8%
- Add anywhere from ~$15,000 to $80,000+ to the appraised value of the house, depending on the area, the condition of the pool, and more.
Plus, updating a poolscape — instead of constructing a brand-new pool — can be less of a heavy lift. So, even if a pool looks dated or not exactly like the pool of your dreams, it may still be a viable option to consider if the pool has been well-maintained.
Pro Tip: Pool resale value typically tops out at nearly 8%, assuming you’ll maintain the pool going forward. Keep in mind that pool resale value varies by location.
6. Pool Type & Features
Different types of pools, like the ones below, can have their own pros and cons for different types of homes and homeowners:
- In-ground pools and above-ground pools
- Saltwater vs. chlorine pools
- Pools attached to Jacuzzis
- Pools with waterfalls
- And more.
Pro Tip: The more you know about a pool, its history, and its maintenance needs, the better. A 360° perspective on residential pools can help you figure out if it’s really right for you.
Should I Buy a House with a Pool in Texas?
Morning swims, weekend pool parties, and sparkling water right outside of a home’s windows — there can be A LOT of reasons to buy a home with a pool. That doesn’t mean that it’s the right choice for you, however.
To work out the answer to this question and figure out what’s really in your best interests (and avoid biting off more than you chew or missing out on may really want), answer the following questions, ideally with your spouse, partner, and/or other decision-makers in your family:
- Why do I want a pool?
- How often am I really going to use the pool?
- Am I going to be able to keep up with pool maintenance and repairs?
- Will owning a pool enhance my life? Or will it create new challenges and costs that I don’t want to deal with?
- How much more am I willing or able to pay for a house with a pool?
- What are my dealbreakers for houses with pools (where do I “draw the line” and walk away)?
What Else Do I Need to Know About Buying a Home with a Pool?
There may be a lot more to know about homes with pools when you’re buying or selling a house in Texas. To get the answers you need and more support going forward, turn to an experienced Realtor® at New Home Gurus.
We guide and advise home buyers and sellers through offers, contingencies, negotiations, inspections, appraisals, and so much more. Plus, we split our commission with our clients at closing.
Home sellers and buyers who work with New Home Gurus can get back an average of $4,500 to $12,000 at closing.
How Much Cash Can You Get After Closing?
Call (281) 668-8124 or Contact Us to Find Out Now
We are standing by, ready to answer your questions and explain the details of our commission-sharing program.