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  Adam Spate October 12, 2009 at 8:07am

  I agree with everything you guys are saying. All I ask is, did they have to put it in an article called "5 Worst Home Updates"? And also, did my local news channel need to pick it up and put it on thier home page? It just cancelled out a weeks worth of advertising...
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  Tal Millican October 11, 2009 at 8:10pm

  Adam:
  
  I feel HGTV has a valid point; but, hey, don't take it personally. Unless a home buyer is looking for a pool as part of the package, that beautiful, expensive body of backyard water CAN be a liability for the home seller. Let's face it: pools are high maintenance and are often a deal breaker if the potential buyer has neither the desire to maintain a pool nor the budget for pool service. Realistically, swimming pools are consumer goods like plasma TVs or cars. With all due respect to our brothers and sisters who build, sell and promote pools and spas and their lifestyle enhancement, and, at the risk of pissing them off, cars and pools are both, to a large degree, emotional, self-gratifying purchases and neither should be considered an 'investment' even in the Southern U.S. Any home owner anywhere can pony up for the pool of their dreams that can become the next home owner's nightmare. Speaking as a pool service owner, I am just grateful for the pool owners in my territory who turned their pool over to me--whether they wanted the pool or not.
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  Merry Wise October 11, 2009 at 10:01am

  In our area with an extremely hot climate and a long swimming season, a pool often helps resale value, especially in upscale neighborhoods. They do mention that in the article, and it is true here and in much of the sunbelt that a pool is often a good financial investment as well as having the lifestyle enhancement many families desire.
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  Bruce Hudson October 9, 2009 at 8:55am

  I can't really argue with HGTV on this one. Pool ownership is not for everyone and adding one will make the property appealing to a smaller market. As with any upgrade, the improvement should be balanced with the return. A pool is not nessessarily an investment in the property, but is instead an investment in family and lifestyle.
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  David Penton October 5, 2009 at 7:41pm

  With pools going in at $85K - $250K out here, I would tend to agree... A recent job we did was $235,000 in a house that was about $1.1 MIL before the pool. There is NO WAY that home is worth 1.3 - 1.35 MIL now... but the client lives in their backyard now, and is very happy. He feels like he's getting his money's worth out of it. Will he ever recover the $200K + he has into the yard? Not even close, but he sure enjoys his home much more now!