Living in a place that has 100° + temperatures for 4-5 months a year makes the Phoenix metro a popular place for swimming pools. Several Valley of the Sun cities rank among the top 10 places in the U. S. with backyard pools. Nationally, The City of Scottsdale ranks second only to Coral Springs, FL for the number of homes boasting private pools.
According to Realtor.com six, Phoenix-area cities populate the top ten list. Here is a look at the top ten medium-to-large cities in the country with the highest percentage of backyard pools.
1. Coral Springs, Florida – 66 percent
2. Scottsdale, Arizona – 62 percent
3. Tempe, Arizona – 46 percent
4. Chandler, Arizona – 40 percent
5. Glendale, Arizona – 37 percent
6. Gilbert, Arizona – 37 percent
7. Clearwater, Florida – 32 percent
8. Clovis, California – 32 percent
9. Mesa, Arizona – 31 percent
10. Plano, Texas – 31 percent
In addition, many Phoenix-area communities have community pools
It should come as no surprise that Arizona and Florida rank near the top when it comes to home-to-pool percentage considering the warm climate in both states. But like Arizona and Florida, backyard pools are becoming more and more popular in many other places around the country.
Swimming pools are a great way to cool down when the mercury begins to rise. But swimming pools have their problems as well. Along with the pleasure of having a resort style backyard just steps from your living room comes the dark side of owning a pool.
Swimming pools also can bring health hazards, particularly for young children, added expenses for liability insurance and costly maintenance routines.
In Arizona alone, on average 40 adults and 20 children lose their lives to drowning accidents, most in backyard pools. Despite all efforts to reduce that number it seems to remain constant year after year.
The Arizona real estate contract goes into significant detail to inform prospective homebuyers on the regulations and requirements for pool safety. It even requires buyers to agree to comply with and pay all costs of complying with local regulations prior to occupying the Premises.
The Arizona Association of Realtors has published a brochure that helps guide prospective buyers on how to locate the requirements for each local community.
https://www.aaronline.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/PoolBarrierLaws.pdf
And even though complying with pool safety requirements is paramount. More needs to be done.
What can we do as real estate agents to help reduce drowning deaths?
We can start by educating people on the dangers that come along with pool ownership. It is not enough to simply have home buyers “sign off” on pool safety regulations. Agents representing buyers need to take a few minutes to review the responsibilities that come along with pool ownership.
What other factors can help reduce drowning deaths?
- Better, more diligent adult supervision. Appoint a “designated watcher” in group settings whenever young children are present in a pool area.
- Consider installing a pool alarm that goes off if anyone enters the pool unexpectedly.
- Teaching children to swim at the earliest possible point in the child’s life. It is amazing how quickly small children will adapt to water.
- CPR classes for adults can help save a life should an accident occur.
It is simply too easy to become complacent when it comes to pool safety.
Joe Domino is a Realtor® serving the Phoenix & Scottsdale metro area. You can find more great information by visiting his website at www.Scottsdale-AZHomes.com.
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