Pool homes in Palm Bay.
Palm Bay lots are big enough for a pool, and a lot of them have one. Here is what to check before you fall for it.
Room for a pool
The median Palm Bay lot is 10,019 square feet, and about 31% are a quarter acre or more. That's why so many homes here have a pool and a screen enclosure, and why a pool is a realistic add later if the house you like doesn't have one.
The Florida pool safety law
Florida's Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act, Chapter 515, applies to new residential pools more than 24 inches deep. To pass final inspection, the pool needs at least one of five features: a barrier, a safety cover, exit alarms on doors and windows that open to the pool, self-closing and self-latching doors with the latch at least 54 inches high, or an in-pool alarm.
A barrier has to be at least four feet high, with gates that open outward and latch on their own. A house wall only counts as part of the barrier if it has no door or window opening to the pool.
Insurance
Citizens Property Insurance requires the pool to be completely fenced, walled or screened, and it does not accept removable mesh fencing. Ask your agent for a quote early, since the pool and the enclosure change the policy.
What we look at on a showing
The age of the pump and heater, cracks in the deck, the screen enclosure after a storm season, and whether the pool was permitted. A pool inspection costs little next to a resurfacing bill. Get one.
Questions we get.
Do Florida pools need a fence?
New residential pools over 24 inches deep need at least one of five safety features under Chapter 515, and a barrier is one option. Separately, Citizens insurance requires the pool to be fully fenced, walled or screened.
Want to see the pool homes on the market?
Call or text Dana & Randy and tell us your budget and side of town.