Just Two Houses on the Market in SF Have Pools; Buy One Now

Most of the time, having a house with a pool in San Francisco elicits a shrug. The foggy weather and mild temperature usually make such a feature seem like an unnecessary extravagance. But then a week like this comes along and the people who made the uncommon choice to add a pool look like geniuses.

We aren't talking high-rise, luxury condos here (the presence of a swimming pool in such a building is a given). We are speaking of the rare single family house that has a bona fide pool. Right now, there are two on the market in a week where we won't see the daytime temps drop into the 70s until Saturday. Of course, by the time escrow closes, the weather will likely be back to normal; but buy one now and next year around this time you'll be the most popular host in SF.
The only clue that this sweet little Eureka Valley home has a pool in the back is its pale blue exterior color. The interior is very nice, but nothing drops the jaw like the backyard. There, fronted by a nice-sized brick patio, you have an Endless Pool, one of those small pools with an adjustable current (a watery treadmill for swimming). For a city with notoriously small lots, this is a great full-size pool alternative. And, in weather like this, we'll bite. The two-bedroom, one-and-a-half bath home is on the market for $1,298,000.

The next one is a bit of a midcentury time capsule at 160 Gold Mine in Diamond Heights. This pool is surrounded by concrete and glass walls and it's so boss that, at first glance, you'd swear it was a public facility. But no, it belongs to this house alone. In fact, it's centrally located, opening off of the living room, dining room, and back deck. Perhaps it's indicative of what city residents think of such a feature that the real estate agent's brief description mentions the dining room, family rooms (2), and hardwood floors before it gets to the indoor pool. On a week like this, perhaps it should be foremost in the narrative for the four-bedroom, three-bathroom house asking for $2,280,000.

· 4130 21st St. [Redfin]
· 160 Gold Mine [Redfin]