With Australians spending more time at home than ever, it appears the backyard swimming pool is back in vogue, as homebuyers scramble to get ready for summer.
According to Domain, the most searched term across all capital cities in October was, ‘pool’, ahead of other popular terms such as ‘home office’ and ‘courtyard.’
With Australians unable to travel overseas, and interstate travel still up in the air, a backyard pool is fast becoming a much-wanted alternative for when holidays outside of the home aren’t possible.
It’s creating big demand for properties that already have a pool, with costs to build and install them on the rise, along with rapidly increasing wait times.
Swimming Pool and Spa Association of Australia (SPASA) chief executive Linsday McGrath, said there had been a 30 to 50 per cent increase in demand for pools and spas across the country.
“There’s never been a higher demand in the history of swimming pools and spas in Australia,” Mr McGrath said.
“Even with travel opening up, we haven’t seen a drop in demand.”
Mr McGrath said demand was 50 per cent higher this year, with those wanting a pool or spa facing a wait of between three and 12 months before completed, leading to even greater demand for established homes with a pool.
Toop & Toop Real Estate sales partner Sally Cameron believes a swimming pool is now adding considerable value to a property.
“The swimming pool thing has changed considerably. It never used to add value, but now it does,” Ms Cameron said.
“People are looking for one; even downsizers are looking for properties with plunge pools.”
