What would you recommend: pool, hot tub or none?

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What would you recommend: pool, hot tub or none?

Kevin Lefeuvre
Los Angeles, CA · Member since 2016 · 565 posts · 391 votes

Any host here with a pool house or hot tub?

For my next 3BR house in LA, I come across pool houses. Obviously they are more expensive and need maintenance. Also a pool house will attract more party guests leading to noise, etc. But do they increase the income significantly? Are they worth the investment and the maintenance burden? It's hard to know the nightly $ value add. Let's say the purchase/construction cost is $5k for a hot tub and $30k for a pool. Would you do it? 

What's your recommendation?

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John UnderwoodPro Member
Investor · Greer, SC · Member since 2014 · 13k+ posts · 17k+ votes
9y

I researched the hot tub option.

First I found out that the 98% of the competition didn't have them and may place already stays full without one.

Second, I talked to some people that have them and they said they wish they didn't have one or didn't need one to be competitive.

If you do you have you need to have a contract with a sauna company to do the maintenance to minimize your liability.

I would the a pool would have the same issues applied to it.

So if you don't need one of these to be competitive them skip the headache. If you do need one of these have it professionally maintained and possibly charge a night deposit.

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  • Kevin Lefeuvre
    OP
    Los Angeles, CA · Member since 2016 · 565 posts · 391 votes
    9y

    @John D. I think you have a pool house in your portfolio. Would love to read from you too.

    0Reply
  • John UnderwoodPro Member
    Investor · Greer, SC · Member since 2014 · 13k+ posts · 17k+ votes
    9y

    I researched the hot tub option.

    First I found out that the 98% of the competition didn't have them and may place already stays full without one.

    Second, I talked to some people that have them and they said they wish they didn't have one or didn't need one to be competitive.

    If you do you have you need to have a contract with a sauna company to do the maintenance to minimize your liability.

    I would the a pool would have the same issues applied to it.

    So if you don't need one of these to be competitive them skip the headache. If you do need one of these have it professionally maintained and possibly charge a night deposit.

    1Reply
  • Kevin Lefeuvre
    OP
    Los Angeles, CA · Member since 2016 · 565 posts · 391 votes
    9y

    Thanks @John Underwood .
    Yes, for sure maintenance is needed. That's why I mentioned it too. I have seen too many negative reviews of pool houses complaining about floating leaves in the pool (yeah!) or that it was cold and they couldn't use it (!). On the other hand it's so appealing when you think of holidays in a pool house. 
    As we know vacancy rate is directly linked to the price (unless the property has a problem or is in the middle of nowhere). So won't you still be full with a +$25 nightly increase thanks to a hot tub? Which roughly means a ROI in less than a year for your purchase?

    0Reply
  • Sandra B.
    Orange County, CA · Member since 2017 · 36 posts · 24 votes
    9y
    Any concerns about liability? Specifically with children and obviously drinking. Might want to investigate that with insurance provider and also make sure all fences and gates surrounding it are to code with the proper gate locks. Hot tub might be more manageable from a risk perspective.
    1Reply
  • Kevin Lefeuvre
    OP
    Los Angeles, CA · Member since 2016 · 565 posts · 391 votes
    9y

    Yes. Existence of the pool increases your insurance premium for this same reason.

    0Reply
  • Thomas S.
    Member since 2016 · 13k+ posts · 12k+ votes
    9y

    Liability issues and nuisance factor due to tenant neglect and abuse make pools and hot tubes a defiant "NO WAY" for rental properties.

    Tenants are simply too irresponsible to ever trust them with anything that high risk.

    Guaranteed when a child drowns the landlord will be facing a lawsuit.

    0Reply
  • Jon Latorre
    Real Estate Broker · Boise, ID · Member since 2017 · 101 posts · 41 votes
    9y

    @Kevin Lefeuvre - Hot tub and pool amenities vary in their % effect on year end revenue. A lot of it depends on what other properties in your market have. If you're the only one in the area with a pool then that is going to set your unit apart. If you are in certain parts of FL where every home has a pool then the amenity will be worth less. 

    That being said, depending on location/seasonality I like to assume that a hot tub can increase year end gross revenue by ~5-15%. Pool even more. Other than ocean front/view, lake front/view, & ski in/out I would say a pool is the most valuable amenity you can have. Of course these numbers do not take into account the cost to maintain. 

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  • Kevin Lefeuvre
    OP
    Los Angeles, CA · Member since 2016 · 565 posts · 391 votes
    9y
    Originally posted by @Jon Latorre:

    @Kevin Lefeuvre - Hot tub and pool amenities vary in their % effect on year end revenue. A lot of it depends on what other properties in your market have. If you're the only one in the area with a pool then that is going to set your unit apart. If you are in certain parts of FL where every home has a pool then the amenity will be worth less. 

    That being said, depending on location/seasonality I like to assume that a hot tub can increase year end gross revenue by ~5-15%. Pool even more. Other than ocean front/view, lake front/view, & ski in/out I would say a pool is the most valuable amenity you can have. Of course these numbers do not take into account the cost to maintain. 

     Thanks @Jon, but how did you come up with that number?

    0Reply
  • Wade Fisher
    Investor · Dade City, FL · Member since 2016 · 18 posts · 7 votes
    9y

    I have no Short Term Rentals, but I do use short term rentals for vacation.  Our group will not even consider renting a house without a pool and hot tub.  Just food for thought.  It is hard to measure what you never see.  As someone earlier stated it is always about vacancy, reducing vacancy is directly (VERY DIRECTLY) related to profitability.

    I am looking at putting a STR in my portfolio right now, which is why I am reading this forum, and I see it as a big plus when considering houses to buy because I have used short term rentals. That said, I am sure it depends also on clientele. I am in FL in an area where it is true vacationers. Who wants to take a vacation in Sunny Florida without a pool?

    Just my two cents. And again.... I do NOT own any STR at this time. But our family has rented houses every summer for the last 15 years for family vacation.

    1Reply
  • Juan Duque
    Orlando, FL · Member since 2014 · 60 posts · 25 votes
    9y

    I prefer pools. They tend to attract more families in more cases which cause fewer issues with neighbors. It really depends on the areas you are looking to rent but I shoot for hosting the highest percentage of families I can on my short term rentals.

    1Reply
  • Jenessa NeSmith
    Investor · Omaha, NE · Member since 2017 · 87 posts · 81 votes
    9y
    It definitely depends on your area. Do some research to find what houses have pools/hot tubs and how booked their calendars are. As an experiment, you could put pictures up of one of your properties with or without a pool/hot tub and see if there is a significant difference in inquiries (just make sure to have instant book off!)
    1Reply
  • Luke CarlPro Member
    Rental Property Investor · Tennessee Florida · Member since 2016 · 4k+ posts · 5k+ votes
    9y

    100% of my market has hot tubs. So we have hot tubs. The houses come with them in our market. They suck. They're gross. They're expensive. Guests can't figure out how to use them and ask stupid questions.  Guests have sex in them and splash water around and complain its not full the next day. 

    I don't get in them when I'm staying in my own places. They're disgusting.  They get professionally cleaned after each check out of course (this is a law and would be really freakin gross if you didn't do it). But still.... too nasty for me to think about getting in one. And they're constantly breaking. Don't do it if you don't have to. And if you do buy the most expensive one you can find with the radio and waterfalls and LED lights and all that stupid crap to entertain the guests. 

    Podcast Guest on Show From Surviving on $30/Day to 30+ Properties Thanks to Blue-Collar Skills
    0Reply
  • Kevin Lefeuvre
    OP
    Los Angeles, CA · Member since 2016 · 565 posts · 391 votes
    9y

    @Luke Carl yes, I'm aware of all the downsides. The questions were: "But do they increase the income significantly? Are they worth the investment and the maintenance burden?"

    I guess they are worth the burden otherwise you would have removed them, right?

    1Reply
  • Luke CarlPro Member
    Rental Property Investor · Tennessee Florida · Member since 2016 · 4k+ posts · 5k+ votes
    9y

    @Kevin Lefeuvre you missed my point. In my market I can't get bookings without a hot tub. So.... I do what I gotta do. 

    Podcast Guest on Show From Surviving on $30/Day to 30+ Properties Thanks to Blue-Collar Skills
    1Reply
  • Neil Henderson
    Specialist · Carolina Beach, NC · Member since 2016 · 390 posts · 496 votes
    9y
    I lean towards none. Less liability, upkeep and guest questions.
    1Reply
  • Julia Bykhovskaia
    Rental Property Investor · New York City, NY · Member since 2017 · 93 posts · 101 votes
    9y

    I think it depends on the area. Hot Tubs are really appreciated by the skiers and if you are on East Coast, families/groups love pools and are willing to pay more for it and you will definitely have higher occupancy.

    1Reply
  • David Song
    Real Estate Broker · Redwood City, CA · Member since 2014 · 679 posts · 888 votes
    9y
    Pool is BAD. Liability, and many people do not like them. Cost too much also to maintain.
    1Reply
  • Paul Sandhu
    Investor · The worst town to live in, KS · Member since 2016 · 4k+ posts · 4k+ votes
    9y

    My biggest STR has a Jacuzzi on the 3rd floor. Yes, it's a big house. 4 baths and sleeps 9. The Jacuzzi gets used maybe 3 or 4 times a year. It's a good selling point, but it's not useful.

    This summer we bought an above ground pool.  It's a real pita to keep it clean, check the chlorine and adjust, check the ph and adjust, add water when necessary, clean the filter, vacuum the inside, remove dead bugs and leaves, and this is only 20 feet from my back door. 

    If it was at a rental property.  It would have been the first and last summer the pool was up.

    1Reply
  • Eric A.
    Rental Property Investor · St. Augustine, FL · Member since 2017 · 189 posts · 127 votes
    9y
    Pools are not a great investment with a STR. Someone earlier mentioned they would not rent a house unless it had a pool. That's a very very small portion of your market. Simple math on this will scare you. Here you go: Families that will rent for one week breaks down to 10 weeks in the summer, one week at spring break, and depending on your climate Christmas week. If you get all those weeks it's 12 - 15 weeks maximum. The rest of the time you will NOT be renting to families. So, you bought a place with a pool that will rarely be used. The STR market is one that can never be based on families in my opinion. Best Regards, Eric
    1Reply
  • John D.
    Rental Property Investor · La Quinta, CA · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 779 votes
    9y

    Pools are basically a requirement in my market.  No one visits in 120 degree weather without a pool.

    Can you get some comps from local property managers (similar homes, pool or no pool, and what their respective gross rents are?).  Off the cuff, my guess is the spa/jacuzzi is worth it, the pool may or may not be, would be need more info on the location and finish quality to speculate.

    1Reply
  • Kevin Lefeuvre
    OP
    Los Angeles, CA · Member since 2016 · 565 posts · 391 votes
    9y

    @Eric A. unless when your STR is close to Disneyland, Universal Studios or 6flags :)

    Like @John D. I'm leaning towards Hot tub only unless the house comes with an exceptional pool. 

    0Reply
  • Akash Y.
    Vancouver , Bc · Member since 2017 · 73 posts · 13 votes
    8y
    I'm actually just renovating a 2400 square foot house near Disneyland right now. It came with the pool but was in horrible condition and I'm putting $30,000 into fixing it. Also considering getting an above ground hot tub. the house I bought came with the pool so I'm just putting money into fixing it. But since not many homes have pools in this area I think it is a huge selling point for me. I am not in Anaheim just outside so once the ban takes place in Anaheim, there definitely won't be many homes with swimming pools around Disney. I've also got short-term rentals in Arizona and they all have swimming pools and they all get used. in Arizona it's needed because everybody has a swimming pool.
    1Reply
  • Bill Cereske
    Investor · South Lake Tahoe, CA · Member since 2017 · 78 posts · 42 votes
    8y

    In my market - South Lake Tahoe, CA, a hot tub is an expected amenity.  To be without one would be detrimental to bookings.  I replaced the 19 year old hot tub with a new one this spring.  It looks terrific and new.  The guests love the waterfall and LED light shows.  I like using about 200 KwH less electricity each month as well.

    1Reply
  • Kevin Lefeuvre
    OP
    Los Angeles, CA · Member since 2016 · 565 posts · 391 votes
    8y

    Thanks for all the replies. 

    Looks like those who have pool/hot tub either consider it necessary to compete or great to stand out which both proves that they are worth the burden. It also looks like it's hard to quantify the above competitive advantages in $s.

    0Reply
  • Matt Ayoub
    Member since 2019 · 65 posts · 48 votes
    6y

    Very much a market specific question. In los Cabos my guests expect a pool and it is a major selling point of my property. This helps me raise my rates and makes guests happy. I pay the pool guy $70 a month to keep it pristine and it can consume some $$$ in gas. But overall critical to my value proposition.

    0Reply
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