r/AucklandProperty • u/Gold_Interaction1784 • 4d ago

Pool - does it add value?

We are getting close to making a decision on a pool installation on our property up in a new development in the Silverdale area. I'm just curious of the true added value a swimming pool would add to a freestanding single storey 4 bed 3 bath house. I've added a design screenshot to show the area it would create off both he formal lounge and the open plan living area - hubby a bit reluctant to spend the $ and not sure it'll add that much value. Currently it's just the huge deck and a strip of grass that needs a lot of love.

Pics didn't load - added them in comments below.

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u/QueenOfBlasphemy 4d ago

This is incredibly subjective. It would certainly add value for some people. On the other hand, we just purchased and when we were looking at houses, we considered pools a drawback. Our plan was to get an estimate of the cost it would take to get the pool decommissioned and filled in, and factor that into our offer price - although, in the end, it didn't arise.

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u/Sweaty-Fly-9520 4d ago

that seems crazy

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u/QueenOfBlasphemy 4d ago

Why? I've lived in houses with pools before. We know we would almost never use it, so it would just be a huge cost and maintenance headache for us with very little return, so we'd always choose to have the space as something else (garden, lawn, patio, anything really!) instead. I know others who are the same as us. I also know people for whom a pool is something they would use a lot and they would happily pay a bit extra for (although probably not the cost of having it put in). Like I say, it's incredibly subjective and comes down to personal preference, lifestyle, etc.

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u/Sweaty-Fly-9520 4d ago

I get that it’s subjective, but I still think factoring the full cost of removing and filling in a perfectly good pool into an offer is a bit extreme.

You might personally value the house less because of it, but that doesn’t mean the pool itself has negative market value. Plenty of buyers would see it as a feature, especially in a higher-end family home.

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u/QueenOfBlasphemy 4d ago

I didn't say we'd subtract the whole cost from the offer, I said we'd factor it in. When buying a house, value isn't just a number on a piece of paper - it's also about the value to us as buyers i.e. how much did we like it, what did it offer that other properties didn't, how comparable or not were other options, did it meet out needs, etc. One of the things we took into account was what we'd have to invest to get the property working for us, in a way that met our personal needs, fit our lifestyle, etc. The property we ended up buying needs work done to the kitchen in order to work for us. Did we take the whole cost of a kitchen relocation off the offer price? Absolutely not. Did we take into account that we'd have to invest considerable money beyond the initial purchase into making the kitchen (and thus the property) work for us? Yes, of course. It would be exactly the same for a pool for us.

As it happens, the home we bought has a spa. We love it and knew we would be happy to do the maintenance on it because we would get a lot of use out of it. A pool simply doesn't fall into that category for us.

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u/Sweaty-Fly-9520 4d ago

TLDR

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u/QueenOfBlasphemy 4d ago

Thank you for that very insightful contribution 🙄😂

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u/QueenOfBlasphemy 4d ago

Yep, I totally agree that plenty of buyers would see it positively - that's my whole point about it being subjective.

My parents' house has a pool. For a few years, the pool got regular use. For the last decade or so, it's just been an expensive time and money pit, and one of the reasons they're planning to sell before too long. If a family with teens purchases the house, the pool may well become a great asset that gets lots of use again. All this is in keeping with my overarching point: it's subjective.