It's summertime and as temperatures rise in St. Paul and Minneapolis, some dream of time to leisurely enjoy a backyard pool. If, however, you want return on your investment when selling your house in the cold Northland, don't expect a swimming pool to increase the value of your home. If your home was in Florida, California, Nevada or some of the other states that have longer warm seasons, a pool might be considered a necessity, but not in Minnesota! Remember how cold Memorial Day was this year! A pleasant summer season might allow four, or possibly five, months of use, but that might be pushing the season's limits.
Additionally many buyers are leery of swimming pools for reasons other than seasonal. The cost for higher homeowners' insurance premiums, energy used to run the pump and heater, water to fill the pool, chemicals to keep the pool clean, and a pool service to winterize for St. Paul's frigid months is daunting to some buyers. The wear and tear of our winters on pools is another factor. Others are concerned about safety issues for their own children and neighborhood children. A pool needs to be constantly supervised or barricaded against uninvited guests as well.
Those cool afternoons with a soda by the pool are so tempting. Consider pros and cons before going to the expense of an in-ground pool. Does the operating expense work in your budget and is the expense compatible with the cost of your home making the cost acceptable to a new buyer in your price bracket? The number of buyers willing to buy a house with a pool is narrowed when you resell which could extend the amount of time it takes to sell your home. Will the enjoyment obtained from the pool compensate for the lack of return on your investment or is a new kitchen (which has a high rate of return on resale) a better choice for your remodeling budget?
For pool lovers (I'm one of them.) these factors are all surprises. From a St. Paul agent's perspective, it's based on experience.
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