A pool could potentially boost a home’s sales price by nearly six figures in some locales, according to a new analysis by the real estate brokerage Redfin. In Los Angeles, for example, homes with pools sell for nearly $100,000 more than comparable homes without one.
Swimming pools were found to be most valuable at resale in Los Angeles; Austin, Texas; and Orange County, Calif. All three of these metro areas saw pools add a premium of more than $50,000 to a home’s typical value.
“In some parts of Los Angeles, particularly in the San Fernando Valley, it’s almost a given that a house will have a pool, and the lack of a pool can make it harder to sell,” says Lindsay Katz, a real estate professional with Redfin. “Nearly half of my listings have pools, and when they don’t, potential buyers are constantly asking whether they can add a pool to the property.”
Redfin calculated the value of a private pool as a premium to a home’s per-square-foot sale price and then ranked metros based on the potential payback at resale. The rankings were limited to metro areas where at least 5,000 homes sold in 2018 and where at least 2 percent of homes sold had pools.
The following metros post some of the largest value boost from having a pool (ranked by the average pool premium per square foot):
1. Los Angeles
- Average pool premium per square foot: $56.45
- Value a pool adds to a median-priced home: $95,393
- % of homes sold in 2018 with a pool: 23%
2. Austin, Texas
- Average pool premium per square foot: $28.67
- Value a pool adds to a median priced home: $52,228
- % of homes sold in 2018 with a pool: 4.7%
3. Orange County, Calif.
- Average pool premium per square foot: $26.47
- Value a pool adds to a median-priced home: $55,885
- % of homes sold in 2018 with a pool: 18.3%
4. Riverside, Calif.
- Average pool premium per square foot: $24.74
- Value a pool adds to a median-priced home: $44,750
- % of homes sold in 2018 with a pool: 21%
5. Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
- Average pool premium per square foot: $19.57
- Value a pool adds to a median-priced home: $36,964
- % of homes sold in 2018 with a pool: 45.6%
6. Oakland, Calif.
- Average pool premium per square foot: $18.35
- Value a pool adds to a median-priced home: $29,487
- % of homes sold in 2018 with a pool: 8.7%
7. Charlotte, N.C.
- Average pool premium per square foot: $17.33
- Value a pool adds to a median-priced home: $34,917
- % of homes sold in 2018 with a pool: 2.2%
8. Tampa, Fla.
- Average pool premium per square foot: $17.21
- Value a pool adds to a median-priced home: $29,611
- % of homes sold in 2018 with a pool: 29.6%
9. Houston
- Average pool premium per square foot: $16.42
- Value a pool adds to a median-priced home: $35,736
- % of homes sold in 2018 with a pool: 16.6%
10. Tucson, Ariz.
- Average pool premium per square foot: $15.56
- Value a pool adds to a median-priced home: $27,285
- % of homes sold in 2018 with a pool: 2.6%
Source: “A Swimming Pool Adds Nearly $100,000 to a Typical Los Angeles Home’s Value,” Redfin Real Estate News & Analysis (March 11, 2019)
