Swimming pool company links up with home builders

     Special to Real Estate
      In Las Vegas, where a warm climate means more swimming pools are built than in most other cities, home builders hire pool builders nearly as often as they hire plumbers, electricians and landscapers.
      And many of those pools are built by Anthony & Sylvan Pools and Tango Pools.
      Sandy Rose, marketing director for Capital Pacific Homes, said her company regards its relationship with Sylvan as a partnership. The contractor designed and built the pools for the model homes at Capital Pacific's nine neighborhoods in the Las Vegas Valley.
      "The work they do benefits both of us," Rose said. "We're able to show that our lot size accommodates a beautiful pool, and buyers are able to actually visualize it. They can walk around the pool and start feeling what their home would be like with their yard finished like that.
      "And it benefits Sylvan, too, because they are able to showcase the quality of their work and their fabulous ideas."
      Mitch Martinez, director of home builder development for Sylvan, agreed.
      "We've done top-of-the line pools at models all over Las Vegas, and people have visited them and said, `We want that same pool or spa.' It's like having mini-showcases throughout the valley," Martinez said.
      Rose said Capital Pacific is delighted about its relationship with Sylvan.
      "It's tough to hire contractors in Las Vegas," Rose said. "Pool builders, especially, have come and gone here. But when you think of pools in Las Vegas, you think of Sylvan; they have a great reputation and longevity.
      "We're under deadlines, and when we need to get a pool in, it needs to be done right away; we've got grand openings planned. They always get the pools in on time."
      About a year ago, U.S. Home formed a similar alliance with Sylvan, which built two pools in the Carriage Lane neighborhood in Green Valley Ranch, and two pools at Wellington Estates in the southern valley.
      "Customer service is very important to U.S. Home, and we know customers will get great service from Sylvan," said Mike DeSilva, senior vice president of U.S. Home.
      Martinez said customer service is equally important at his company.
      "We're a national company as well as the largest pool builder in Nevada, and we got here because we offer top-notch service. That means getting pools in quickly, and being here after the sale," he said.
      "Our designers are some of the best anywhere. At some homes, we've built pools or spas with infinity edges, which makes it look like there is no edge to the water when you look out onto the pool. Or, we build spas that cascade into the pools that have a completely natural look and feel. You name it and we can do it."
      When building pools for home builders, the cost of the pool can be financed through the home buyer's first mortgage.
      "With a new home, that's the best time to put in a pool because we don't have to take down walls or destroy landscaping," Martinez said.
      Kirk Vetter, general manager of Anthony & Sylvan Pools and Tango Pools in Las Vegas, said the company believes in its product.
      "The pride we have in our work shines through in the pools we build for the model homes that thousands of people see every year, and in the pools in the back yards of our homeowners," Vetter said. "Our goal is to make every single client happy enough to refer us to a friend.
      "Our philosophy is to mirror the goals set by the company on the national level. That means providing the best products, the best warranty and the best service."