Pools are worth the most in Los Angeles. See where else pools add a big premium.
How much is a pool worth? The answer depends on where you live.
In Los Angeles, homes with pools sell for $95,393 more than comparable homes without them, making it the metro where pools are most valuable. Austin and Orange County are next on the list, with a pool adding more than $50,000 to a typical home’s value.
For this analysis, we calculated the value of a private pool as a premium to a home’s per-square-foot sale price. For instance, a home with a pool in the Houston metro area can be expected to sell for $16.42 more per square foot than a home without a pool. The ranking is limited to metro areas with at least 5,000 homes sold in 2018 where at least 2 percent of homes sold had pools, and where the results were statistically significant.
| Value of a Pool, Ranked by Average Premium per Square Foot | |||||
| Rank | Metro area | Average pool premium per square foot | Median sale price (Feb. 2019) | Value pool adds to a median-priced home | Percentage of homes sold in 2018 that have a pool |
| 1 | Los Angeles, CA | $56.45 | $600,000 | $95,392.96 | 23% |
| 2 | Austin, TX | $28.67 | $296,000 | $52,228.18 | 4.7% |
| 3 | Orange County, CA | $26.47 | $679,000 | $55,885.37 | 18.3% |
| 4 | Riverside, CA | $24.74 | $366,000 | $44,750.31 | 21% |
| 5 | Fort Lauderdale, FL | $19.57 | $260,000 | $36,964.24 | 45.6% |
| 6 | Oakland, CA | $18.35 | $700,000 | $29,487.12 | 8.7% |
| 7 | Charlotte, NC | $17.33 | $235,000 | $34,917.17 | 2.2% |
| 8 | Tampa, FL | $17.21 | $225,000 | $29,611.08 | 29.6% |
| 9 | Houston, TX | $16.42 | $232,000 | $35,736.25 | 16.6% |
| 10 | Tucson, AZ | $15.56 | $215,000 | $27,285.26 | 2.6% |
| 11 | Las Vegas, NV | $15.47 | $275,000 | $30,169.53 | 25.3% |
| 12 | Cape Coral, FL | $15.02 | $227,000 | $26,115.47 | 6.7% |
| 13 | Sacramento, CA | $12.70 | $385,000 | $20,615.83 | 22.1% |
| 14 | Hampton Roads, VA | $12.28 | $220,000 | $23,570.55 | 8% |
| 15 | Atlanta, GA | $11.95 | $235,000 | $26,482.52 | 3.6% |
| 16 | Orlando, FL | $11.29 | $249,000 | $21,300.36 | 18.7% |
| 17 | San Diego, CA | $11.19 | $555,000 | $20,001.29 | 15.3% |
| 18 | San Antonio, TX | $10.04 | $218,000 | $18,540.88 | 11.6% |
| 19 | Phoenix, AZ | $5.87 | $267,000 | $11,590.71 | 32.1% |
“A pool definitely adds value for Los Angeles homebuyers, especially in the Valley because it’s hot outside most of the time,” said Redfin agent Lindsay Katz. “People use their pools all year round; we have pool parties in the summer and go swimming on Christmas day. It’s ingrained in our culture.”
“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,” Katz continued. “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. It’s important to people.”
In Phoenix, the story is a bit different. A pool adds $11,591 to the value of the typical home in the metro area, the lowest on the list of places where a pool provides a premium. Redfin agent Katie Shook said there are some parts of the Phoenix area where a pool is highly valuable—but in other places, it could detract from the value of a home.
“In affordable parts of the Phoenix area like South Glendale and Tolleson, homebuyers don’t want to pay to maintain a pool. I often find that in homes that sell for less than $200,000, a pool is a negative because it adds so many extra costs for the homeowner,” Shook said.
“But the reverse is true in the luxury market,” Shook continued. “In the $700,000 to $1 million price range, especially in remote areas with more yard space, homebuyers expect a pool and they’ll pay a premium for it.”
Boston was the only metro that both met the criteria to be included in this analysis and has cold, snowy winters. It’s also the only place where a pool meaningfully subtracts from the value of a home. A home in the Boston area with a pool is worth $15,484 less than a comparable home without a pool.
See what these pools are worth
Below, we’ve calculated the value of pools for select homes currently for sale. The calculations are based on each home’s estimated square footage and the local per-square-foot pool premium.
This pool in Los Angeles is worth an estimated $285,806
This home in Studio City, California features five bedrooms and seven bathrooms, not to mention a dreamy outdoor space with a pool-hot tub combo.
List price: $3,199,000
Approximate square footage: 5,063
This pool in Orange County is worth an estimated $48,440
We hope this resort-like four-bedroom, two-bathroom property in Laguna Niguel, California comes with the flamingo floaty.
List price: $999,999
Square footage: 1,830
This pool in Austin is worth an estimated $105,334
This light-filled five-bedroom home comes with a large backyard oasis with a pool, hot tub and covered patio.
List price: $649,999
Square footage: 3,674
This pool in Phoenix is worth an estimated $18,836
Located in a gated community in Cave Creek, this four-bedroom, four-bathroom home comes with updated interiors and a unique pool and spa area, complete with an outdoor shower.
List price: $557,000
Square footage: 3,209
Featured image: Custom-built five-bedroom estate in Henderson, Nevada complete with outdoor area featuring a pool and swim-up bar. List price: $1.3 million.
This post first appeared on Redfin.com. To see the original, click here.