With Realtors across the country gearing up for spring sales, swimming pools are an important consideration -- do they add value to a home? And if so, how do you determine how much they're worth?

Like any other unique feature, swimming pools either thrill homeowners or leave them cold, leaving their real value to the pocketbook of the buyer.

On the plus side, swimming pools are part of the overall outdoor fashion trend which has given new emphasis to backyard landscaping, fencing, walkways, decks, weather-proof kitchens, fireplaces, covered and open patios, arbors, ponds, and play areas. Raining day concerns are safety, increased maintenance and insurance costs.

A visit to Faqfarm.com reveals the sizeable issues that revolve around ownership of a pool. From what to do about those pesky frog eggs, to how to make a pool safe for children, such questions indicate the level of angst surrounding pool ownership. Yet there are new building materials and shallower designs in pools that can relieve the mind of even the most accident and maintenance-wary homeowner.

According to Howthingswork.com, pools "use a combination of filtration and chemical treatment to continually clean a large volume of water." A typical swimming pool has seven components: basin; motorized pump; water filter; chemical feeder; drains; returns; and PVC plastic plumbing connecting all of those elements.

As with any mechanical components, age is always a factor.

Pools come in five styles, according to the site, in order of the least to most expensive type of basin:

• Above-ground pools are the cheapest construction option, as well as the easiest to build.

• Fiberglass pools are made from fiberglass-reinforced plastic, which has been molded into a basin shape.

• Vinyl-lined in-ground pools are a lot like above-ground pools, structurally, but they look more like conventional in-ground designs, but liners need to be replaced every 10 years or so.

• Gunite pools are currently the most popular design in much of the United States, a highly durable sprayed mixture of cement and sand over a mesh grid.

• Poured-concrete pools are similar to Gunite pools, but they're a lot harder to build. Instead of spraying concrete material around a rebar framework, concrete is actually poured into conventional wooden forms.

As a Realtor, you may be trying to gauge how much or little a pool will add to a home's list price. Consider the following questions:

• Demand -- Are pools popular in your area?

• Style -- Is the pool area appropriate in look and function to the home and the neighborhood? Does the pool eliminate room for a play area or augment a play area? Is there an outdoor cabana with an extra shower and WC?

• Condition -- Does the pool appear as well-maintained as the home? Are there any visible cracks, broken tiles, or cloudy water that would telegraph large expenses to the buyer? How old are the mechanical components? Do they need to be replaced? Have the tile surround or concrete walkways been updated?

• Staging -- Do the homeowners use the pool? Have they staged it with tables, chairs, barbecue pits and other accoutrements to outdoor fun to appeal to residents and guests?

• Age -- How old is the pool and does it look outdated? If so, it can make the home appear tired, too.

While you can certainly entertain the seller's purchase price of the pool, it's unlikely that the seller will get back what they invested unless, the property has risen enough to lift the pool's cost, too.

Encourage sellers to have pool maintenance records handy so you can go over them and decide what needs to be done for your marketing. Obtain recent prices from local pool companies on similar pools and see where your seller's pool compares. Most pool companies are happy to oblige in order to get the maintenance, repair, or redesign business from the new owner.

You really have no choice but to market the home as if the pool were a major attraction, because it is a major consideration. A move-in ready home with a swim-ready pool can be very attractive to the right buyer, so the more you can encourage the home seller to stage the pool, the better.

Start by having the seller "shock" clean the pool to make the water sparkle, remove debris and old or broken toys and loungers. Clean the windows, open the curtains and blinds to show off the pool and bring the outdoors in.

Published: February 21, 2005

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Blanche Evans is the award-winning senior editor of Realty Times, the Internet's leading independent real estate news service. She is featured daily on the Realty Times Video Network in the "Realty Viewpoint" segment. Blanche has been named one of the "25 Most Influential People In Real Estate" by REALTOR Magazine, and has been twice recognized as a "notable." In 2005, she was named "Top Reporter Covering the NAR" by Delahaye-Bacon's. Blanche is a renowned author of five real estate books. Her newest, Bubbles, Booms and Busts: Make Money In Any Real Estate Market, McGraw-Hill, was rave-reviewed by The New York Times. She was also selected from hundreds of real estate experts to contribute to Donald Trump's book, Trump: The Best Real Estate Advice I Ever Received: 100 Top Experts Share Their Strategies, Rutledge Hill Press, and is featured on page 68. Order Now Review - Honors In 2006, Blanche was selected among scores of candidates to author two consumer real estate guidebooks for the National Association of Realtors: The NAR Guide to Home Buying, and The NAR Guide to Home Selling, Wiley & Sons. She is currently planning two new books for the NAR and its members.       Known for her keen insight into real estate industry issues and for her ability to make complex subjects easy to understand, Blanche is a sought-after keynote and continuing education speaker. Real estate organizations from MLSs, to brokerages, to franchisors, to associations hire her to provide up-to-the-minute analysis of real estate industry news and advice on how to improve revenues. Her passionate delivery, peppered with stinging wit, is a huge hit with audiences and fans. Don Klein, CEO Greater Nashville Association of Realtors, Blanche Evans, Richard Courtney, president 2007, GRAR "The GNAR membership meeting last week featured Blanche Evans as the keynote speaker. Her comments and insights resonated extremely well with those in attendance and we have had many requests for copies of her PowerPoint Presentation. She was a terrific part of the membership meeting and convention program!" - Don Klein, CEO Greater Nashville Association of Realtors Coverage from WSMV, Nashville - 8-14-2007 That Interview Guy - Get Inside The Head Of Today's Generation 2007 AE Institute Session - To purchase 2006 AE Institute Session - Parts 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 HouseValues Mastermind call - Parts 1 2 Blanche's fireside chat with Jeremy Conaway, HAR - Click here. To contact Blanche, email her at . For more articles by Blanche, click here.