Study Finds Pools Add Value To Homes

In December of 2003, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) confirmed what pool professionals have known for years: swimming pools can add value to your home.

In a study sponsored by the NAR, G. Stacy Sirmans PhD, Kenneth G. Bacheller Professor of Real Estate, and David A. Macpherson PhD stated that in ground pools increase property values by 8 to 15 percent. Some of the factors that determine the percentage added to your property value are: lot size, age, decking, and the style.

Based on the data collected from 1996 to 2003 for over 28,000 homes sold in 21 counties in the four states of Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey and Maryland, the study analyzed a number of characteristics that determined the value of residential properties. The average home in the study sold for over $200,000 and had 3.5 bedrooms and 1.8 baths.

“It’s only natural that a pool adds value to a home. On a national scale, the demand for pools is exceeding the capacity to build them. Therefore an installed pool carries a premium as more and more people want their personal and/or family retreats in their own backyards,” says Manny Perez de la Mesa, Chief Executive Office, SCP Pool Corporation.

Even though the value increased by an in ground pool will vary based on appraisals from region to region, what the data offers is an idea of what's valued and what's not. Studies published in academic journals over the last 15 years have shown a value pattern to be consistent in the Northeast, South, Midwest, & California. Sirmans is quoted as saying, “past studies show that pools add an average of 8% in most areas of the US.”

The study did not differentiate between gunite or vinyl pools having an impact on the value of a home.