Hey everybody, Tom Townsend with Townsend Realty Group coming to you. Hey, this is for everybody that’s interested in what to know about buying a home with a pool in Cherokee County, Georgia. The homes with pools have gotten very popular, most likely because we’re doing all this social distancing, people are spending more time at home than they ever have before, and they want to enjoy it, right? So people with a desire to have pools, this is what it’s all about, and what you need to know, and what questions to ask, when you’re looking for or buying a home with a pool.
What Type Of Pool Does The House Have?
One of the first questions you’re going to want to ask is what kind of a pool does this house have? And there are basically three different types of pools. There’s vinyl, fiberglass, and concrete. Your vinyl pools are relatively easy to build, you know, there are some maintenance costs that are associated with those, they’re usually more on the less expensive side, but you are going to definitely want to make sure that you understand that the vinyl tears sometimes, and they usually last about five to eight years. So a fiberglass pool, the advantages there are, is they have little maintenance, little to no maintenance to maintain. However, they are more expensive to actually install, and you do have limitations on the size of the pool that you can actually have. The concrete pools have got a lot of advantages. First of all, they’re highly customizable. You can get all kinds of crazy sizes and shapes and such with a concrete pool. However, they do take a little bit more maintenance to actually maintain, there’s a lot of chemicals that are involved with a concrete pool, because they have a tendency to have algae and some other stuff that grows in them, so you got to make sure that you have a lot of chemicals in them, and then they also just have a higher maintenance cost than your vinyl or a fiberglass pool. So that’s the three types of pools that you can actually, want to make sure that you understand that you’re getting into.
How Old Is The Pool?
The second question is, is the age of the pool. You’re going to want to know the actual age of the pool itself. Obviously, the older the pool, there may be some more maintenance issues with it, so you’re definitely going to want to get the maintenance history on the pool itself. You may have some circulation issues with older pools, it may need to be resurfaced, so you’re going to want to make sure that you understand how much life is left in the actual pool itself, and really kind of take a look at what the maintenance issues and maintenance records of the pool are. Kind of like buying a car. You know, if you were to buy a used car, you’re going to want to know has it been in any wrecks, has it had any issues have you maintained it, so on and so forth.
Who Built The Pool?
The third question is, is you’re going to want to know who built the pool? There’s a lot of different pool companies out there, some of them are really great, but you’re going to want to make sure that you do a little bit of history on who built the pool. Go out and look at the reviews from those folks, and then I would also encourage you to reach out to whoever built the pool, and have a conversation with them, see if they remember the actual pool itself, and get any, get their input, and then see what their costs would be to go ahead and continue to maintain the pool. But that’ll give you a really good idea of the quality and craftsmanship of the pool itself, and the reputation of the pool builder.
What Will It Cost You Monthly?
The fourth question you’re going to want to ask is your monthly cost associated with the pool. You know, obviously, the, I think the average cost to maintain a pool is been estimated at $245 a month. Now obviously, that’s going to differ depending on the size of the pool, and the type of the pool, and the age of the pool. However, you’re going to want to make sure that that is in your budget. Also, some of the equipment that is out nowadays is much more efficient than some of the equipment that may have been installed when the pool was built, so there may be an opportunity for you to upgrade some of the pumps and equipment that actually maintain the pool, in order to be more efficient, and lower those costs. Also, during the summer, obviously, the maintenance is going to be a little bit higher, because you’re, many times you’re putting more chemicals into the pool, it’s being used more often, so obviously, your maintenance costs are going to go up a little bit more during the summer and the hot months than they would during the colder months.
How Will This Impact Your Home Owners Insurance?
Another question you’re going to want to ask is about your homeowner’s insurance. You’re definitely going to want to reach out to your homeowners to find out what the impact is going to be. So most insurance companies refer to a pool as an attractive nuisance, is basically how they classify that. You know, and usually, there’s going to be an increase in your insurance premiums because of the hazards that naturally occur with having a pool. Obviously, they’re a little bit dangerous, right? The other thing is, is they may consider the pool part of the home, which is going to have a different rate factor than it would if it was a standalone pool. So you’re going to want to definitely talk to your insurance advisor to make sure that you understand exactly what your costs are going to be associated with a pool.
What Are The Pool Regulations In Your Area?
Another question that you’re going to want to research, or ask, is about the regulations. Now obviously, when you build a pool, you have to abide by state, federal, and local ordinances and laws in order to build a pool. Now, they may have changed over the years, so any kind of modifications that you’d like to make around the pool, you may run into an issue unless you’ve been grandfathered in. So just be prepared that if you’re doing any kind of modifications, or improvements around the pool, you may have a local authority come in and say, “Sorry, you’re going to have to abide by existing, and now, current regulations in order to do those changes, or make any kind of changes.” Many of the pools, you’re going to have to have a fence around it, obviously, you don’t want to have kids wandering in, and falling into the pool. So, you know, those are all safety issues that you’re going to have to abide by. So you’re definitely going to want to research and look into the local ordinances and regulations that we have right here in Canton, Georgia, and Cherokee County, as it relates to the pool itself.
What Is The Value Of The Pool?
Usually, the last thing that you’re going to want to take a look at is what is the value of this pool, right? We get that question a lot. Does it add to it, does it detract from it? You know, what is the value of the pool? Now, the National Association of Realtors have done a lot of research around this, and they indicate that a pool will increase the value of about 8 to 13% for homes that are in the Southeast. Now I can tell you I’m also an appraiser right here in Cherokee County, and that doesn’t necessarily always work out right here in our local real estate market. And one of the reasons being is we have such a wide range of types of pools, and price points of homes that have pools. So if it contributes to the appeal to the home itself, it’s going to have a greater value than if it doesn’t. I know that’s kind of a weird answer, but the point is is that make sure you get with a local professional to give you an exact estimate of the value of that particular pool. Don’t think that just because the National Association of Realtors says that it’s going to increase the value 8 to 13%, that’s great, however, real estate and value are always localized to that specific property. So make sure that you go ahead and you talk to a real estate expert, or an appraiser, in order to determine just how much value a pool brings to the property itself.
That concludes what to know about buying a home with a pool! I hope it was very helpful and make sure you click on the link and get all the homes that have pools right here in Cherokee County. Also, make sure you subscribe to our YouTube channel and give me a thumbs up if you thought this was a helpful video.
Thanks.
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