[OhioBuckeye]

Interesting comments. We don't have a pool on because my wife & I never really swam anyway. So I guess the best thing to do is listen to what these people have to say. Pools are really nice but I do agree I don't want the extra expense & paying for extra Ins. to have a pool. If you have the extra money go for it! But you know the people that are excited about having a pool would say how great a pool is, & maybe they are. But think about your income, I would think that would be the biggest issue. Good luck & I hope you get your pool if that's what you want.

[JSR22]

We have a pool that is solar heated and it use 10 months of the year. It was built 4 years ago and we use it all the time. Not expensive to maintain. We bought our house based on a yard that we could have a pool.

[terinbob]

We love our pool. We struggled a bit as you are now about if we would really use the pool as time went on. Well, we bought a heat pump and we heat the pool year round. There is hardly a day that goes by that one of us is not in the pool. We love it for exercise, cooling off and also a relaxing feel outdoors. We also installed a tether that enables me to swim in place. A very inexpensive solution to getting great exercise. Ours is a salt water pool. We care for it ourselves (Pinch a Penny for free water testing) and that is super easy to do. Also, it does not require a lot of chemicals like a traditional pool.

[tomwed]

I have an interior lot. And the only thing I could fit was a salt water slip and slide. Except for the occasional broken hip, it's not that bad.

[John_W]

If you're buying a CYV with a fenced backyard or one of the new Veranda homes with a fence, even though your pool would be legal without a birdcase, I would still have a birdcage. When I lived in Pensacola and had a pool, no one there had a birdcage, no one even built them. They just are not done in the panhandle of Florida, fenced yards are the norm. In my three years of owning that home, I found a water moccasin, he was coiled up in the skimmer when I lifted the lid off with my finger, that was a real surprise. Also a frozen squirrel or two in the bottom of the pool, critters are attracted to the water regardless of the chlorine.

[VillageIdiots]

My wife and I had this same question. Ultimately, we decided not to focus so much on the pool because we didn't want to end up buying a pool with a house attached to it that we didn't care for. But we made sure that any house we considered had room to add at least a small pool if it didn't already have a pool and that's where we wound up. We bought a house we love, in a location we love, with a view we love, and a pool can be added down the road if we want one. If you go this route, though, do your own due diligence, or at least make sure TV does the proper due diligence to make absolutely sure a pool can be added. If they just look around and say yes, a pool "should" fit, that's not a good enough answer. They have access to T&D resources that can take the lot number of the property and do a "blue print" drawing of that property with a pool and verify that the dimensions will allow for the pool. The pool they draw doesn't have to end up being what you get, but the dimensions will show what your constraints are if a pool would even be allowed at all (in other words, if they show a 22x10 kidney shaped pool on the drawing, it doesn't mean you have to put in a kidney shaped pool, but whatever you put in would have to fit that same area, or less). Often, when the newer spec homes are built, they automatically put in stretches, etc. to maximize usage of the given lot and it doesn't leave room for a pool when you factor in the required setbacks to the property lines.

When you add a pool after the purchase, you'll likely have to get in line and wait a few months before construction starts. And, your yard will be a wreck while it's going on. And they aren't cheap, but it will likely be cheaper than buying the pool already built - or you may at least get some niceties that you wouldn't have had for the same money (i.e. heater, etc.).

[tophcfa]

Originally Posted by terinbob

We love our pool. There is hardly a day that goes by that one of us is not in the pool. We love it for exercise, cooling off and also a relaxing feel outdoors. We also installed a tether that enables me to swim in place. A very inexpensive solution to getting great exercise. Ours is a salt water pool. Also, it does not require a lot of chemicals like a traditional pool.

The above post sounds like us. Also installed a teather so we can swim and walk in place. Not the same as lap swimming but still very good exercise. I still go to the sports pools often to swim laps. A quick 20 minute swim on the teather is a great way to loosen up before a round of golf. Also, we never realized how goog a workout one can get using the water resistance dumbells. We use solar heat for most of the year but have to run a heat pump for a couple of months during the winter. We are part time residents so we have T&D do the weekly maintenance. We use the pool multiple times just about every day we are in the Villages. At night we spend hours in the pool with the waterfalls running and the underwater LED lights on. Since we had our pool built, we almost never turn on the television.

[Cedwards38]

Neighborhood pools are a great place to meet people, and someone else does the work of taking care of it, and there is no additional expense. I'm gonna say "no pool."

[vintageogauge]

Originally Posted by Cedwards38

Neighborhood pools are a great place to meet people, and someone else does the work of taking care of it, and there is no additional expense. I'm gonna say "no pool."

That part is true, neighborhood pools are more social and no doubt cheaper but they really aren't the same in comparison. We don't have a pool, not that i'm against them but I don't feel we would get enough use out of one and if the time ever comes it might even make it harder to sell the home to some buyers that might otherwise like the house. It also could make it easier to sell the house. It just boils down to do you want your own pool with the additional cost and expense or do you not.

[My Post]

What % of TV houses have pools I wonder..

[champion6]

Originally Posted by terinbob

<snip> We also installed a tether that enables me to swim in place. A very inexpensive solution to getting great exercise. <snip>

Originally Posted by tophcfa

<snip> Also installed a tether so we can swim and walk in place. Not the same as lap swimming but still very good exercise. I still go to the sports pools often to swim laps. A quick 20 minute swim on the tether is a great way to loosen up before a round of golf. <snip>

We also have a pool and use it to exercise. What is this tether you mentioned? I'm interested in learning more about it. Where did you get it?

[Dan9871]

Originally Posted by champion6

We also have a pool and use it to exercise. What is this tether you mentioned? I'm interested in learning more about it. Where did you get it?

Search the web for swim tether and you will find a lot of them... here is one from Amazon:

Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Swim Tether Low-Impact Stationary Swimming Exercise Belt for Pools and Swim Spas

[tophcfa]

Originally Posted by champion6

We also have a pool and use it to exercise. What is this tether you mentioned? I'm interested in learning more about it. Where did you get it?

Look up superswim.com. I will be at our Villages home in early June. PM me if you want to stop by and check it out.

[BCEagle78]

We moved to The Villages from the Orlando area. We had a pool at our previous house where we lived for 27 years. For the first 7 years, we used the pool several times each week, during the spring, summer and fall months. Then we started using it less and less. About year 10, the pool started to need some expensive updates. It needed to be resurfaced, the pump and related plumbing needed to be replaced. The deck around the pool deteriorated due to constant exposure to chlorine. It was starting to cost a lot for something that we rarely used. When we retired in 2016, our home search in The Villages included the requirement, make sure there is no pool. The novelty of having a house with a pool didn't last for us. We now enjoy our neighborhood pool on the occasion that we feel the urge to be near a pool.

[PoolBrews]

I grew up in Michigan - installed a pool and had it for 20 years - moved to Georgia - installed a pool and enjoyed it for the 8 years I was there. I love pools - love being able to walk outside the door and going in - love the privacy of your own pool. These are all the positives. Also, contrary to popular belief, if you have a salt water pool, maintenance is EASY. I have always done this myself. Very little effort.

I moved to The Villages and, for the first time in 30 years, I don't have a pool. I have room for one - and may add one one day, but have to consider the following.

1. Your taxes will go up - significantly - for as long as you have the pool. When on a fixed income, this can be a huge negative.
2. You home insurance will go up - again, significantly - for the time you keep the pool.
3. Your homes resale value will not go up nearly as much as you think - you will never recover the investment. Make sure you are buying the pool for YOU!
4. Equipment will need to be replaced regularly - figure on ~$2,000 every 3-4 years if you do it yourself - ~$4,000 if you pay someone to fix it.
5. The pool surface will require resurfacing - in Florida it will probably be in ~10-12 years.
6. Plumbing WILL age, crack and eventually leak. This may mean tearing up concrete and resurfacing again.
7. If you go with a chlorine pool (my 1st pool was chlorine, 2nd was salt) be prepared to spend ~$200/month for chemicals. My salt pool was typically ~$300/YEAR.

Personally, I LOVED having my own pool... but since my new home is only 1 block from the pool, I'll see how that works out first.