Merritt Island Pool Home Neighborhoods

Which Merritt Island neighborhoods have the most pool homes?

In Merritt Island, Woods At Iroquois, Twin Rivers, Riverside, River Grove Trail, New Georgiana Settlement, Mandalay Grove, Bella Capri, Andy Estates and Egrets Cove are effectively all pool homes, with Bridgewater at nine in ten.

There is a week in late May when the afternoon heat stops being pleasant and the back yard becomes something you look at instead of something you use. A screened pool changes that. It is not a luxury item on this island, it is what keeps a yard usable through October.

In a handful of Merritt Island neighborhoods it is what every house has. Target those, because when the pool is standard you are not paying a premium. You pay the neighborhood price and the pool comes with the address.

Why buying a pool usually beats building one

People arrive planning to buy without a pool and add one later. Sometimes that is right. More often it is not.

Sequence. A pool is an excavation, a shell, a deck, an equipment pad, electrical, a barrier and usually a cage, each with its own permit. Months of job site behind your house, starting after you move in. And where nine of ten homes already have a pool, adding one puts you level with the street rather than ahead of it.

The cage. Screen enclosures on existing homes are frequently larger than what current setbacks and lot coverage would let you build today. A wide cage on a modest lot is not always something you can recreate.

Track record. An existing pool has been through storm seasons. The cage held or it was replaced, the deck drains or it does not, and the equipment has a history you can ask about. A new pool has none of that.

Neighborhoods where a pool is standard

Bella Capri

Bella Capri is the least expensive entry here. Bella Capri Drive holds homes of 2,100 to 2,653 square feet on third acre lots, every one with a pool and most screened. No dues, around 206 per square foot, typical value near 546,500.

Bridgewater

Bridgewater runs along Barrow Drive and Woodbine Drive, built 1994 to 2002, homes of 2,249 to 3,071 square feet. Nine in ten have a pool, seven of those screened, and forty percent of the neighborhood is on water. Dues 400 a year, typical value near 638,744.

River Grove Trail

River Grove Trail is the largest all pool pocket in South Merritt Island. Long Sandy Circle and Spanish Cay Drive were built 2001 to 2003 on lots averaging four tenths of an acre, and all eleven homes have a pool, about half screened. Dues 425 a year, typical value near 645,000.

Woods At Iroquois

Woods At Iroquois is a single street, Jillotus Street, with late 1990s homes of 2,369 to 3,051 square feet. Every home has a pool, most screened and most heated. Dues 500 a year, typical value near 650,000.

New Georgiana Settlement

New Georgiana Settlement sits on Old Parsonage Drive, built 1988 to 1992, homes of 2,045 to 3,060 square feet. Every home has a pool. Nothing here is waterfront, which is why the pool matters and why the price stays near 255 per square foot. Dues 400 a year, typical value near 675,000.

Mandalay Grove

Mandalay Grove is the best square footage per dollar on this list. Mandalay Grove Court in North Merritt Island was built 2012 to 2014, houses of 2,746 to 4,568 square feet, three and four car garages, a screened heated salt pool on every one. Around 216 per square foot, dues roughly 100 a month, typical value near 722,450.

Preserve Pointe

Preserve Pointe is the newest construction with a pool as standard, built 2019 through 2024 on one acre lots. Homes run 2,584 to 3,047 square feet with screened salt pools. Dues 240 quarterly, typical value near 732,500. A current build, a current roof and a current pool in one purchase.

Twin Rivers

Twin Rivers on Rebecca Drive and Mercedes Drive was built in the early 1990s. Every home has a pool and every pool is screened, which is unusual even here. Dues 500 to 600 a year, typical value near 744,500.

Riverside

Riverside pairs the pool with the water. Carrigan Boulevard, Granada Avenue and Alhambra Drive hold late 1960s homes, four fifths fronting the Indian River, pools throughout and most of them screened salt. Dues 225 to 250 a year, typical value near 754,000.

Andy Estates

Andy Estates puts a screened salt pool, often with a waterfall, on a full acre. Crispin Street and Davis Court hold homes of 3,041 to 3,825 square feet, no association, typical value near 1,125,000. The deck here has room a quarter acre lot cannot offer.

Egrets Cove

Egrets Cove is one acre lot loop, Utopia Circle, where all eight homes have a pool, most salt and half screened. Quarterly dues 168 to 294, near 1,149,500.

The upper end

Hacienda Del Sol Estates near 1,519,000 puts salt pools on one to two acre parcels, Harbor Point near 1,527,500 gives every home a heated salt pool and Banana River frontage, and Honeymoon Hill near 2,675,000 adds outdoor kitchens and river views.

Pool neighborhoods side by side

Neighborhood	Typical value	Share with a pool	Screened cage	Dues
Bella Capri	$546,500	All	Yes	None
Bridgewater	$638,744	Nine in ten	Yes	$400 a year
River Grove Trail	$645,000	All	About half	$425 a year
Woods At Iroquois	$650,000	All	Yes, often heated	$500 a year
New Georgiana Settlement	$675,000	All	Some	$400 a year
Mandalay Grove	$722,450	All	Yes, heated salt	About $100 a month
Preserve Pointe	$732,500	All	Yes, salt	$240 a quarter
Twin Rivers	$744,500	All	Yes, every one	$500 to $600 a year
Riverside	$754,000	All	Yes, mostly salt	$225 to $250 a year
Andy Estates	$1,125,000	All	Yes, salt	None
Egrets Cove	$1,149,500	All	About half	$168 to $294 a quarter

What to inspect before you buy the pool

The surface. Plaster finishes have a service life, pebble finishes a longer one. Run your hand along the waterline and the steps. Rough patches, hollow spots and staining that will not brush off point toward a resurface, a five figure job. Ask when it was last done.

The pump and plumbing. Turn the system on and stand at the equipment pad. Listen for bearing noise, look for drips at the unions and filter clamp, and check whether the pump is variable speed, which is the current standard and a real difference on the power bill. Salt cells are consumables, so ask that age too.

The heater. A heat pump is cheap to run in shoulder season and slows as the air cools, so a January swim takes longer to reach than people expect. Gas heats fast and costs more per hour. Look for corrosion at the cabinet base and ask the install date.

The cage. The item people skip and later regret. Walk the perimeter looking for rust bleeding at the base of the uprights, backed out screws, sagging panels, standing water in the super gutter, and whether the frame is anchored into the deck. Cages take the direct hit in a storm and are often excluded or sub limited on a wind policy, which is covered in the Florida homeowners insurance explainer and the hurricane prep and insurance guide.

The permit record. Look the property up in Brevard County permit search, where records run from 1990 forward. You want the pool permit, the enclosure permit, the electrical, and anything for a resurface or heater swap. An unpermitted cage does not disappear at closing, it becomes the thing that stalls your sale years later.

The barrier. Florida's Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act sets barrier, gate and alarm requirements in Chapter 515 of the Florida Statutes. Confirm what satisfies it at that house before you close.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I buy a home with a pool or add one later on Merritt Island?

In neighborhoods where a pool is standard, such as Twin Rivers, River Grove Trail, Mandalay Grove or Bella Capri, buy the pool. You skip months of construction, the permits and barrier are handled, and you inherit a cage that may be wider than what you could build today.

Screened or unscreened on Merritt Island?

Screened, in almost every inland neighborhood, because it keeps oak leaves, pine needles and insects out and cuts your skimmer time. Unscreened pools show up on open water lots where the owner traded the cage for the view, which is a fair choice on river frontage.

Is a pool cage covered by homeowners insurance in Brevard County?

Often only partly, and sometimes not at all under the windstorm portion. Get the language in writing during your inspection period, because rescreening a large cage after a storm is a substantial cost when coverage is not there.

Related on the Space Coast

• Luxury Neighborhoods in Merritt Island, FL
• Merritt Island Neighborhoods With Community Lakes, Piers and Parks
• Merritt Island Neighborhoods With No HOA
• Quiet Cul-de-Sac Neighborhoods on Merritt Island, FL
• Merritt Island Boat Access: Which Neighborhoods Reach Open Water
• Merritt Island Neighborhoods With the Easiest Orlando Commute

Let's get you a pool you did not have to build

If a pool is on your must have list, say so and we will work the streets where it comes standard. I will pull permit history on anything you get serious about, and tell you plainly when a cage is at the end of its life. I moved here from Rhode Island in 2022, and the pool is the part of Florida living I underestimated most. Call or text (321) 212-7676 or read the buying a home in Merritt Island guide, and know that my partner Nichole and I got your back.

If you are weighing a Space Coast move and want help running the actual numbers on a specific city, neighborhood, or price point in Brevard County, I can put together a side-by-side comparison for you. My partner Nichole and I got your back. Reach out anytime at (321) 212-7676 or www.livingspacecoast.com.