Off the Deep End

Ray is looking for a home. The house in question he will live in for a few years and then convert into a rental. A swell plan if I do say so myself.

Because of this mission, Ray is looking at what he is buying with the eyes of an investor. Thankfully, he is not doing "the paint is the wrong color and just won't match my sofa," emotional home rejection we agents see again and again. (And let me just say to you buyers--and you know who you are--YOU CAN ALWAYS PAINT! But, I digress...).

One of the items Ray is debating about is whether or not to buy a home with a pool. On one hand, a pool is mighty nice this time of year. And, given where he is looking and his overall criteria, we are running into a tremendous amount of homes that have said pool.

His innocent question to me the other day was, if I were to have a rental home, would I pick one with a pool?

As it turns out, I have actually put some thought into this one. For my homes in Alabama, the answer is No!, with a capital N. And, if you took it upon yourself to add any modifiers in front of no, you would even have a more accurate assessment of my thoughts on the topic.

In Arizona, I am mixed, but leaning towards no. Out here, a pool is a way of life. Homes in the Phoenix metro area rent better with a pool. Landlords get a bit more money for a home with a pool. Last year, when Marty Sunshine was facing whether he wanted to move us to Seattle or face unemployment, we discussed renting out our home. And yes, we have a pool. Thankfully, an offer came into the Mesa division and we were let off the hook, because we never reached a verdict.

In my line of work, as well as through my own experiences, I have seen how some tenants treat homes. A pool is one more expense for the tenant and landlord. There is some training that needs to go into effectively maintaining a pool. If a tenant is short on cash, it is the first item to be neglected. It is one more thing to break. It is also somewhat delicate. If I had a rental home with a pool, I would hire a pool service, only because I want to be absolutely certain I am not getting back a big black mosquito-breeding hole in the ground at the end of the lease.

As an agent, I don't wish to project my personal values on another's purchase decision. Ray's vision for what is important needs to be kept in check. This is Ray's money. I can show him statistics of what rents better in the city he is shopping in. I can provide him with pool barrier guidelines. I can direct him to his local city council so that he knows what zoning restrictions might need to be in place. But, I can't say, "don't buy this house because of what may or may not come into play later."

Think of it this way, if you go shopping with someone you have met only a few times, and they fall in love with a ghastly pair of neon orange and green shoes, it isn't really up to you to stop them from buying. You can voice your opinion. Agents can't do that. We can only give the facts. Or, at least agents who wish to keep their licenses can't voice opinions. It isn't our purchase decision. We are there to facilitate a transaction.

What I did share with Ray was this: A few years ago, my 70 year old father called me around 9 p.m. It is one of the two times in my life I have heard my father sob. The home across the street from him was a rental. The toddler living there managed to find his way out the back door and into the pool. The boy's parents didn't find the child until hours later because the pool was dark green. The tenants weren't taking care of the pool. My father was beside himself over the senseless death.

Even though the landlord had a pool fence that complied with city ordinance, the tenants eventually took their grief out on the landlord and sued. In this case, because the tenants didn't maintain the pool I doubt they won. In the event the landlord lost, he would have home owner's insurance, or perhaps an umbrella policy, to financially cover this kind of a loss. Either way, it still doesn't bring the child back to his mother.

If I were Ray and I bought a home with a pool to rent out, I would take my time and make sure I carefully picked my tenants. I would invest in an hour of a lawyer's time to make sure my lease spelled out everything and anything pertaining to a swimming pool. I would find a reputable pool service and add the cost of maintenance on to the lease. And hopefully, whomever rented the home would take care of my pool. And more importantly, take care of thier children.