10 Reasons You'll Regret Buying a House With a Swimming Pool

Attention home buyers: Carefully weigh the pros and cons of owning a home with a swimming pool in the backyard before you sign on the dotted line.

Life ring at swimming pool.emergency tire floating at swimming pool.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Buying a home with a swimming pool in the backyard will certainly score you bragging rights around the neighborhood. However, there's much more to pool ownership than planning deckside parties and kids' playdates. For starters, maintaining a pool is time-consuming and expensive, especially with the high cost of living. Plus, there are safety hazards to consider.

We've interviewed many real-estate experts over the years about the pros and cons of owning a home with a swimming pool. Be forewarned: The cons outnumber the pros. Here are 10 of the biggest regrets that homeowners with a pool often have.

Disclaimer

Unless otherwise noted, all cost estimates for pool operation, maintenance and repairs are national averages for in-ground swimming pools, based on data provided by HomeAdvisor.com, a website that tracks home-improvement costs.

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Andrea Browne Taylor
Contributing Editor

Browne Taylor joined Kiplinger in 2011 and was a channel editor for Kiplinger.com covering living and family finance topics. She previously worked at the Washington Post as a Web producer in the Style section and prior to that covered the Jobs, Cars and Real Estate sections. She earned a BA in journalism from Howard University in Washington, D.C. She is Director of Member Services, at the National Association of Home Builders.

With contributions from