Is It Better to Sell a House With a Pool?

Almost everyone who has enjoyed nice vacations in a house with a pool and a stunning ocean view might think: “To sell a home like this must be a piece of cake and go pretty fast.”

However, this idea usually comes from people who’ve never lived in a house like that.

Then some homeowners and investors need to decide if they add a pool or if they buy a house with a pool, and therefore might ask themselves if it is better to sell a house with a pool. 

Homes with pools in California, Arizona, and Florida can usually sell faster since there is a higher demand for them in these locations. 

However, selling fast also depends on the overall first impression of the home, competitive pricing, and if you laser target the right audience of potential pool home buyers in these areas on the proper marketing channels.

In this article, we dive a bit deeper into the factors that make or break a fast and profitable sale of a home with a pool.

The Perceived Value of a Home Is Only One Factor to Sell It Fast

In this article, I have covered how you can increase your chances of selling a home quickly within 5 to 7 days. I established that:

• The property needs to make a good first impression, and also, the person selling it
• It needs to be priced between 2% and 5% below market value
• The listing of the home needs to make a good online impression
• Introduced scarcity can increase the urgency to take action

While a home having a pool can increase the perceived value of a home, it’s not the only factor that will move the needle for a fast sale.

So, you can imagine that if most of the other conditions aren’t met, just having a pool won’t help that much.

Imagine being a potential buyer on a home showing with a realtor. 

You just arrived at the home and can already see at first glance that the landscaping is way off and the home is cluttered with things from the current owner. 

You can also see that it’s now very well maintained and several areas of damage are visible.

Then you arrive at the living area with an open room concept connected to the kitchen. 

It also has sliding doors leading to the terrace with a connecting pool. 

Once you arrive there, you are surprised because this terrace and pool area looks tip-top in contrast to the other areas you have already seen.

Do you think this particular house having a pool will lead to a faster sale?

I don’t think so.

As discussed in this article, 80% of potential buyers decide on a property when they step inside (source).

The tip-top pool won’t be able to compensate for the bad first impression the potential buyers have already experienced right from the beginning.

Besides, the benefits of having a home with a pool in Idaho could be missed.

That’s because of the year-round climate, and it makes sense where the benefits of a pool really take effect.

To know when this is the case, let’s discuss the actual benefits of a pool (not the features).

What Are the Benefits of a House With a Pool?

To get to know the benefits of a house with a pool, we can ask which deep-rooted human needs it fulfills. In the field of copywriting, there is a list which is called the “Life Force 8”, which are:

• Survival, enjoyment of Life, Life Extension
• Sexual companionship
• Comfortable living conditions
• To be superior, winning, keeping up with the Joneses
• Care and protection of loved ones
• Social approval
• Enjoyment of food and beverages
• Freedom from fear, pain, and danger

And then, there is a list of 16 Core Desires:

• Desire to influence
• Desire for knowledge
• Desire to be independent
• The desire for social standing
• Desire to play
• Desire to get even
• Desire to obey moral code
• Desire to improve society
• Desire to exercise
• Desire to courtship
• Desire to raise own children
• Desire to organize
• Desire to eat
• Desire for approval
• Desire to avoid anxiety
• Desire to collect 

So, what of the above needs and wants can we identify that a pool will provide for (I bolded them already)?

The first one is the enjoyment of life. 

When you have a pool with nice, fresh, and cool water in a hot climate, you can use it to cool down and relax. Most people enjoy being in the water. 

Then it might be easier to attract someone as a potential partner if you can invite her or him over to show and enjoy your pool.

A pool also makes living conditions more comfortable. 

It’s lovely when you have the terrace bordering the master bedroom with sliding doors, where you can just jump into the pool from your bedroom.

The next benefit is showing your peers that you have ‘made’ it and feel a bit like a winner and superior (‘Wow, you have a pool, good for you, man’). 

On the same note, this also fulfills a desire for social standing and approval.

Then with a pool, you can also exercise your body (another human desire).

Some people have just never had a pool in their lives and now want one, so they can add it to the things they already have. This fulfills the desire to collect.

Now that we have established the benefits of having a pool, we can go to the next step. So, let’s derive from the above for which people, especially in which locations, homes with pools are in demand the most.

Since demand directly influences the perceived value of a home, we can assume that it also affects the speed of a sale.