AUSTIN – (By Dale King, Realty News Report) — With summer spreading its intense heat from coast to coast and border to border, Realtor.com has just completed a deep dive into the evolving relationship between swimming pools and home values and released a compilation of its accrued findings.
The real estate website concluded, for one thing, that while the spike in premiums that sent pool home prices soaring during the COVID pandemic due to travel restrictions and stay-at-home mandates has cooled down, pools still add a substantial price advantage to dwellings for sale.
As of April 2025, the price premium for a home with a pool ranked at 54 percent. That uptick dropped from the January 2022 peak when a typical home with a pool boasted a 61 percent price premium. But the presence of a pool just outside the door is still a major financial advantage to the seller.
“During the pandemic, people were looking for ways to get more enjoyment out of their homes, and this surge in demand for features like pools translated into a substantial ‘pool premium,’ where home and pool combos commanded pointedly higher asking prices compared to their no-pool counterparts,” said Hannah Jones, senior economic research analyst for Realtor.com.
“The presence of a pool continues to drive a premium and is a popular item to include in listings as a home or community feature,” she added.
Houston, Austin are Pool-Friendly
The Realtor.com report also gleaned some significant information about the presence of pools at homes in the Austin and Houston metro areas, emphasizing the popularity of these water-filled recreation facilities in Lone Star State locales.
The realty web site’s analysis found that the following 10 U.S. metros boast the highest share of homes with a swimming pool: Miami (61.8 percent), Phoenix (58.4 percent), Orlando (55.3 percent), Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (51.9 percent), Tampa (47.6 percent), Las Vegas (43.1 percent), Riverside, Calif., (41 percent), Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands (38.8 percent), San Diego (37.7 percent) and Los Angeles (36 percent).
Perhaps the more significant statistic for the Space City is Realtor.com’s determination that the Houston area ranks second among the 10 top national metros for posting the largest increase in the share of homes with pool listings since 2019. The number of Houston residences sporting large outdoor swimming sites rose from 20.5 percent six years ago to 38.8 percent this year – an 18.3 percent up bubble.
Other metros with the largest increases in pool listings since 2019 include Las Vegas, Nashville, Tenn., Indianapolis and Miami.
“Many metros that have seen the biggest increases in pool listings also have seen substantial new construction activity over the past six years, suggesting a strong correlation between new development and the increasing availability of homes with pools, either private or within community amenity packages,” says Realtor.com.
Pools push listing prices higher
Both homes with and without pools have seen marked price increases since 2019 when the normal listing price for a home/pool duo was $415,000.
So far in 2025, the typical home with a pool was listed for $599,000, just shy of the June 2024 peak of $599,900. Still, that hike opens the door to anticipated near-record-high prices for homes with a pool that could come later this summer when prices normally hit their annual sweet spot.
This upward path emphasizes the overall appreciation of home values. Dwellings without a pool saw prices climb from $274,000 in 2019 to $389,000 in April 2025 (+42.0 percent), just a shade behind the appreciation of homes with a pool (+44.3 percent).
The report says some of this trend may be attributed to the fact that homes with pools are generally larger than non-pool domiciles. Currently, the typical for-sale home with a pool is about 32.4 percent — or 600 SF — larger than one without. In April 2025, the median price-per-SF of a home with a pool was $247 compared to $204 for a home without a pool.
The Realtor.com report says a shift in market dynamics from a highly competitive seller’s arena in 2022 to a more buyer-friendly environment today has also had a major influence on the pool premium of a house on the market today.
In 2022, buyers were often willing to pay a premium for desirable amenities in a market hemmed in by limited inventory and intense competition. Today, with more options available, buyers can be more discerning and less willing to pay the extra bucks for a domicile with an aquatic accoutrement.
2025 and Beyond – Pools Remain an Asset
“Sellers should be mindful of the evolving market dynamics and avoid overpricing their properties based solely on the presence of a pool,” said Jones. “The market is more sensitive to value today and buyers have more choices.”
“A strategic pricing approach that considers the current, more moderate pool premium, the size and overall condition of the home, and the specific characteristics of the local market is essential for a successful sale.”
June 16, 2025 Realty News Report Copyright 2025
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File: Swimming Pools Make a Splash in Home Values