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Buying and Selling Homes

Selling a house with a koi pond

Vadim Goldstein

2 years ago

Hello,

Thank you for helping me. I have a house with a 4000 Gal inground koi pond. It is the main part of the enclosed artrium (similar to a pool enclosure). I would like to know if the koi pond can increase the attraction to the house. Is there a way to look for a buyer with an interest in this feature?

Thank you for any thoughts and advice.

Vadim

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Comments (7)

nickel_kg
2 years ago
Ideas: visit the premier koi pond and/or garden centers in your area. Talk to their owners about your set up. Take along a few single-page posters showing your house, the real estate listing number, and a few beauty-shots of your koi and pond. Also use social media to find any koi or garden pond enthusiast groups in your area, to let them know of an upcoming opportunity too.

For house showings, print lots of pictures showing your koi and your pond at its best. Leave them on a table or counter, along with a short write up of your pond maintenance routine. Any water garden requires some care, so let a prospective buyer know that it's not rocket science and for a little work they can reap a large reward.

Then, be prepared to walk away and not look back, because once it belongs to someone else it's out of your control. All you can do is attempt to connect with a caring new owner. Good luck!
Elmer J Fudd
2 years ago
There will be potential buyers who will find the pond a plus and others who will find it a minus. Just like other home features that reflect an owner's personal preferences or hobbies.
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Hi. Can you give me the dimensions of your pond? Length, width, depth. Approximate is fine. Koi CAN get up to 3 feet long if given everything they need. Both koi and goldfish breed worse than rabbits. So be prepared to find homes for babies. Ideally when adding new fish to a pond they should be kept in a quarantine tank/pond for at least 3o days before adding to your existing pond. BUT most people don't want to wait that long. Quarantining your new fish helps prevent bringing any parasites to the pond and possibly killing your existing fish and prevent you having to spend a bunch of money on meds to rid your fish of the parasites. Now for the fish in the bucket. I hope they are not still in that bucket now. If so I hope you have a filter and air for them. If you want to keep your fish healthy and happy please get a fresh water test kit and test your water. At minimum you will want tests for Ammonia, PH, Nitrites. There are other test available : KH , GH, Nitrates, salt, ....Those are basics. Ammonia should always be zero PH between 7-8 Nitrites 0 Sorry, I could ramble on all day about the world of ponds, koi & goldfish. If you have more questions just let me know.
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NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sorry for the vehement response but that garden center guy who told you that is perpetuating a myth that is responsible for a lot of fish deaths and a lot of koi and goldfish having miserable short lives when with proper care, they can live 15-20 yrs - OR MORE. He reallly ought to know better. Koi's natural size is 2-3 feet long. You keep them in a cramped space where they cant grow properly - the internal organs will continue grow, the body really can't - the fish becomes physically debilitated, stressed and susceptible to disease. They dont "stay small," its more like the fish die young. That's how they "stay small." Aside from the health and well being of the fish the question comes to mind- WHY? Why even attempt this when there are many comet goldfish with long fins/tails, calico shubunkins with amazing colors..... even a lot of new types of brightly colored goldfish that have been bred for ponds - Ive seen some that are solid metallic blue and some that are a bright clear yellow (might have to look for speciality shops). About 3-5 goldfish is all you want in 150 gals. No koi please! You want to allow enough space to be able to see your fish swimming freely and moving around in a school - very restful to watch. Its so sad when I see large koi having no room to move and just lying there like sardines in a can. For a fish, koi are reasonably intelligent, and need room to dive and excercise - at least 4 feet deep is recommended. More if you got it! I do hope that is helpful info .... and I appreciate you coming to check it out prior to fish purchase. For many of us our fish become beloved pets, not as brilliant and clever as the cat perhaps but a beloved pet nevertheless. They know who theyre owners are and who feeds them and follow people they know around the pond like puppy dogs. If you really have your heart set on koi.... pls, pls research and plan a bigger, expanded koi pond!
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violetsnapdragon
2 years ago
We bought a house with a koi pond (MUCH smaller, though) and we thought it was a plus. When we realized that the upkeep did not appeal to us, we filled it in. So, I would say that the presence of the pond was not a deal-breaker, but an appealing feature at the time we looked at the house.
kudzu9
2 years ago
I like koi ponds, but most buyers have no idea about them and what's required to maintain them. I also suspect that most would not see it as adding value. It's like a swimming pool: some people like them, but others see them as a nuisance and a negative. If you're lucky, buyers will see it neutrally. Do not expect this to be a selling point.
westes Zone 9b California SF Bay
2 years ago
@Vadim Goldstein It would help if you posted some photos that show the scale of the pond and the interior architecture around it.
elcieg
last year
last modified: last year
I'm not into fish, so it would not be a plus for me. Why not investigate the cost to fill it in, so if a potential buyer, like me, loves your house but hates the pond, you could offer to do it.

Don't base your advertising the house on that pond. You would be reaching out to a very, very, small number of buyers.
Connecticut Yankeeeee
last year
No insult intended Vadim - but I’m repulsed by koi ponds and the potential house would have to be pretty darn perfect otherwise to make me interested. I’d not advertise this as a plus. I do wish you well!

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