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Wouldn’t it be great to be able to afford the home of your dreams?

You know the one – it has a huge yard; beautiful landscaping; a decent security system; a patio built for entertaining; an inground pool and more?

Since we all have budgets, and our budgets are defined by our families’ needs, getting the home of our dreams is not usually possible.

It is possible, however, to satisfy a few “dream” requests, because McGarr Realty experts know that other families have been there before you, and may be selling a home they previously upgraded with a few of your wish list items.

Like owning a home with a pool, for example.

Or a beautiful patio, built for entertaining.

Or both.

You have to trust us on this one: Homes with your wish list upgrades are still out there in Niagara’s market, and we have found them in places where your budget will hardly even feel a pinch. 

Pools in the backyard come in all shapes and sizes, from “kiddie” versions to full inground pools with diving boards and slides. No matter the size, owning a home with a pool in the backyard can become a focal point for a family’s summer fun, enabling bonding and enjoyment of the outdoors.

Let’s talk about some other benefits of owning a home with a pool:

  • If you have children, they will love learning to swim and play in their own backyards;
  • Wintertime swim lessons with a local organization can help young swimmers stay safe during summer play;
  • Pool safety routines are fairly easy to establish, even with young children. Learning to use pool safety tools is easy. Likely your pool already has the bylaw-determined fencing … you must remember to keep the gate locked, however;
  • Pool maintenance is simple to learn;
  • Coming home from work on a hot day? The pool will invite you to  take a dip, swim out your annoyances, and enjoy your evening;
  • When summer vacation trips aren’t in the budget, the pool offers a place to play, relax and have fun as a family;
  • Family gatherings with extended family are easier to keep casual, when you say “potluck pool party and barbecue at our house;”
  • When you put your pool pump on a timer, you can run it overnight, when hydro costs are least expensive. You’ll only need to run it during the day if it’s being cleaned or if you are doing other maintenance;
  • A backyard pool is one way of getting teens to hang out at home with their friends. Teens are capable of doing pool maintenance, so that becomes a good trade-off;
  • For people with some health concerns – such as arthritis – a pool makes a good exercise option. Swimming puts no stress on joints, and cool water feels wonderful on stressed joints and muscles;
  • Unless your pool is a salt system, you’ll need pool chemicals. There are companies that deliver these, so you never need to carry chlorine in your car;
  • It’s relatively inexpensive to have a pool company open or close your pool each season if you don’t want to do it yourself; it’s also not complicated to learn how to do it yourself.

We could go on with this list, but we think families hang back because they feel owning a home with a pool can get expensive, and that safety might be an issue.

Running the pump at nighttime gives some relief to hydro costs, and as we said, it’s fairly easy to establish a family safety routine.

Some tips from our McGarr Realty experts include: giving children wintertime swimming lessons; always following the buddy system, with an adult present and watching out for young ones; very young children should swim with approved personal flotation devices, such as water wing jackets or vests, and the adult in charge should always have access to a cellphone in case of accidents. 

As your children get older and your family becomes extended, your grandchildren will love coming to visit – the McGarr Realty team knows this from experience!

Quite simply, a pool is an awesome place to gather.

Are you ready to find your dream home? Our McGarr Realty team can help make it happen!

Our team is very good at what they do: matching families to really great homes in Niagara communities.

Sometimes, those great homes have pools and other upgrades … if it’s time to consider your wish list, it’s time to give McGarr Realty a call.

Consult with one of our real estate professionals by calling our office at 905-468-9229 in Niagara-on-the-Lake, or 905-687-9229 in St. Catharines. Alternatively, send us a message HERE.

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