Yes — in New Braunfels, Bulverde and Boerne a well-built, permitted pool adds value. It does not add value dollar for dollar, and it adds it in two different ways that get confused with each other: appraised value, and how quickly and competitively the house sells. This guide separates the two, works through each of the three cities, and shows which design decisions hold value and which do not.
Three numbers worth knowing first
What the national studies actually say
The most-cited figure is the National Association of Realtors and National Association of Landscape Professionals 2023 Remodeling Impact Report: Outdoor Features, which put cost recovery on an in-ground pool at 56% — last among the eleven outdoor projects it measured, behind an outdoor kitchen (100%) and a new patio. If you stop reading there, a pool looks like a bad financial decision.
Two things complicate that reading. First, it is a national average across every climate, and the study's baseline was a $90,000 pool on an average 2,500-square-foot house. Second, cost recovery is not the same measurement as market value. Realtor.com's April 2025 analysis found homes listed with pools carried a 54% price premium over comparable non-pool listings — down from a 61% peak in January 2022 — but the same analysis notes pool homes are typically about 32% larger, so the premium reflects the whole house, not the pool alone.
The consistent finding across sources is that climate drives the outcome. In Sun Belt markets, published estimates for a well-maintained in-ground pool generally land in the 7% to 10% range of home value, against roughly 2% to 5% in short-season northern markets. Comal and Kendall counties sit firmly on the favorable side of that line.
Appraised value and buyer demand are two different questions
What an appraiser does
An appraiser does not price your pool from its invoice. They find comparable recent sales and adjust — and the adjustment for a pool is usually a fraction of what it cost to build. Two conditions decide how large that adjustment can be: the pool has to be permanent, permitted and professionally built, and there have to be comparable pool sales nearby to support the number. In neighborhoods where pools are common, the comps do the work. On a street with no pools, the appraiser has little to anchor to.
What buyers do
Buyer demand is where a Hill Country pool earns most of its keep, and it does not show up as a line on an appraisal. In the price tiers we build in, a pool changes which listings a buyer will tour at all. From a listing agent's side that shows up as more showings, a shorter time on market, and fewer price reductions rather than a bigger appraised number. Both effects are real; only one of them appears in a study of cost recovery.
City by city: New Braunfels, Bulverde and Boerne
The three markets behave differently, mostly because of who is buying and what the comparable homes already have.
| City | What the market looks like | Where a pool lands at resale |
|---|---|---|
| New Braunfels | The broadest range of the three — established in-town neighborhoods, fast-growing master-planned communities, and river- and lake-adjacent lots. Buyers span first-time families to move-up and relocation buyers. | Strongest where the surrounding comps already have pools, which increasingly they do in newer master-planned sections. In older in-town neighborhoods a pool is more of a differentiator than an expectation, so the demand effect outweighs the appraisal effect. |
| Bulverde | Acreage and larger-lot subdivisions between New Braunfels and San Antonio's north side. Buyers are typically choosing space and outdoor living deliberately. | The clearest fit of the three. When someone buys an acre-plus in Bulverde for the backyard, a finished pool and outdoor living area removes the biggest project on their list — which shortens time on market noticeably. |
| Boerne | The highest concentration of gated ranch and estate communities in our service area, plus strict architectural review in several of them. | Closest to expected. In the upper tiers around Boerne a pool is often assumed, so its absence is the thing buyers notice. Design quality and how well the pool fits the site matter more here than pool size. |
The city assessments above are J. Oliver field observations from building across all three markets since 2022, not appraisal data. Percentage figures elsewhere on this page come from the published sources listed at the end.
Neighborhood by neighborhood
Value tracks the neighborhood far more closely than the city line. Around New Braunfels, pools are the norm in Vintage Oaks, Veramendi and Copper Ridge. In Bulverde, Rim Rock Ranch, Johnson Ranch and Belle Oaks all have enough pool comps to support an appraisal adjustment. Around Boerne, Cordillera Ranch, Esperanza, Georges Ranch and Fair Oaks Ranch are the clearest examples of markets where a pool reads as standard equipment. Full list: neighborhoods we build in.
Which features hold value, and which don't
Not all of a pool budget behaves the same way at resale. The pattern we see, and the one agents describe, is that anything a future buyer reads as ordinary maintenance-free enjoyment holds value; anything highly personal does not.
| Holds value | Rarely returns its cost |
|---|---|
| A permitted gunite pool with stamped engineering and documentation | An oversized pool that consumes the whole usable yard |
| Quality decking and a real patio connection to the house | Heavily themed rockwork and grottos that date quickly |
| An attached spa | Deep diving wells, which many families now see as a drawback |
| A durable finish such as PebbleTec rather than a short-life plaster | Elaborate lighting and audio packages that will be obsolete equipment by resale |
| Efficient, current-generation, well-documented equipment | Deferred maintenance of any kind — condition is the single biggest swing factor |
| An outdoor living or kitchen area, which the NAR report rated at 100% cost recovery | Anything that had to be rebuilt because it was not engineered for Hill Country rock and soil |
Two of those deserve emphasis. Condition dominates everything else — a neglected pool subtracts value in any market. And the outdoor living area beside the pool tests better in the national data than the pool itself does, which is why we design them together rather than in sequence. More on the pieces: spas and water features, pool decking, and PebbleTec vs. plaster.
Build now, or build before you list?
Homeowners ask this in two directions, and the answers are different.
If you plan to stay five years or more
Build now. You collect the use — the part of the value the 56% figure ignores entirely — and by the time you sell, the pool is established, landscaped in, and documented with maintenance history. Nearly all of our clients are in this category.
If you are listing within a year
We generally advise against it, and we say so on the phone. A typical custom build runs several months from permit through plaster, before landscaping recovers. You would carry the full cost, capture none of the use, and recover a fraction at closing while a freshly disturbed yard photographs poorly. Money spent on decking, resurfacing, or repairing an existing pool usually does more for a near-term listing than a new build does.
If you already have a pool and are listing
Fix condition, not features. Resurfacing, coping replacement, and repairing leaks or cracks remove the objections that cost you money in negotiation. A dated but sound pool is a discount; a pool with visible problems is a deal risk.
What agents in this market tell us
The most consistent message we hear from listing agents around New Braunfels and Boerne is not about the appraisal. It is that a well-kept pool decides which houses get toured — and that a poorly kept one becomes the buyer's negotiating lever.
Summarized from conversations with agents in our service area
If you are a Hill Country agent and your own numbers say something different, we would like to hear it — we update this page as we get better local data, and we are happy to credit you. Send it to us here.
The costs that offset the gain
An honest accounting includes the carrying costs, because they change the math and buyers ask about them.
- Insurance. An in-ground pool commonly raises a Texas homeowner's premium, and the Insurance Information Institute recommends carrying higher liability limits, often with an umbrella policy.
- Property tax. A pool raises the improvement value on your account with the Comal or Kendall appraisal district, and that increase recurs annually.
- Upkeep. Hill Country summers accelerate chemical use and evaporation, so budget seasonal maintenance realistically rather than optimistically.
- Rock. Excavation through limestone is the biggest cost variable on this side of Central Texas, and it is money that buys structure, not value at resale. Make sure your contract states how rock is priced: what vague contract language costs.
For what a build actually costs before any of that, see the pool cost guide and our 2026 cost breakdown for New Braunfels.
So: is it worth it?
We also know the part no study measures. Memories are something that has no price, and we find our clients are so happy they chose to build a place to share and build these memories.
If you are treating a pool as an investment vehicle, no project on the NAR list is a worse one. If you are treating it as a large purchase that you will use for a decade in a climate with a long swim season, and that will make your house more competitive when you eventually sell, the answer in New Braunfels, Bulverde and Boerne is yes. The highest Joy Score and the lowest cost recovery in the same study is not a contradiction. It is the whole finding.
Sources
- National Association of Realtors and National Association of Landscape Professionals, 2023 Remodeling Impact Report: Outdoor Features — cost recovery and Joy Score by outdoor project.
- Realtor.com listing analysis, April 2025 — pool-home listing premium and the size difference behind it.
- Redfin metro-level pool value analysis — Austin ranked second nationally at roughly $52,000 added to a typical home.
- Insurance Information Institute — homeowner liability coverage guidance for properties with pools.
- J. Oliver Custom Pools and Design project experience across New Braunfels, Bulverde and Boerne, 2022 to present, for the city and neighborhood observations.
How much value does a pool add to a home in Texas?+
Published estimates for warm-climate markets generally put a well-maintained in-ground pool at roughly 7% to 10% of home value, against a national cost recovery figure of 56% in the NAR 2023 Remodeling Impact Report. The two numbers measure different things: one is market value, the other is what share of the build cost comes back at sale.
Do appraisers add the full cost of a pool to a home's value?+
No. An appraiser adjusts from comparable sales, not from your invoice, and the adjustment is typically a fraction of build cost. It also requires the pool to be permanent, permitted and professionally built, and it is largest where nearby comparable homes also have pools.
Should I build a pool before selling my house?+
Usually not. A custom build takes months, you carry the full cost, you capture none of the use, and a freshly disturbed yard photographs poorly. If you already have a pool, spending on resurfacing, coping, and repairs does more for a near-term listing than a new build would.
Which pool features add the most resale value?+
A permitted gunite pool in good condition, quality decking connected to the house, an attached spa, a durable finish, and an adjacent outdoor living area — which the NAR report rated at 100% cost recovery, higher than the pool itself. Heavily themed rockwork, deep diving wells, and elaborate equipment packages rarely return their cost.
Does a pool raise property taxes in Comal and Kendall counties?+
Yes. A pool increases the improvement value on your appraisal district account, and that increase recurs annually. Homeowner insurance premiums typically rise as well, and the Insurance Information Institute recommends higher liability limits for properties with a pool.
Thinking about the long view?
Tell us where your lot is and how long you plan to stay. We will tell you honestly what makes sense to build — and what doesn't.