{"id":919095,"date":"2026-07-11T15:11:48","date_gmt":"2026-07-11T20:11:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/11\/theres-a-lucrative-side-hustle-in-the-yard-but-will-buyers-pay-extra-for-it\/"},"modified":"2026-07-11T15:11:48","modified_gmt":"2026-07-11T20:11:48","slug":"theres-a-lucrative-side-hustle-in-the-yard-but-will-buyers-pay-extra-for-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/11\/theres-a-lucrative-side-hustle-in-the-yard-but-will-buyers-pay-extra-for-it\/","title":{"rendered":"There’s a Lucrative Side Hustle in the Yard-but Will Buyers Pay Extra for It?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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But Pulver and her agent argue that her home offers an amenity few else can: a built-in business.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Over the past couple of years, Pulver has rented out use of her home\u2019s pool on Swimply<\/a>, an online marketplace that lets people use private pools by the hour. She\u2019s made good money from the hustle and expects the next owner will do the same.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

But the question remains: Is a pool that can generate significant income truly a selling point?<\/p>\n

A unique home on the market<\/h2>\n

It all began years ago when, after 15 years of living at the property, Pulver\u2019s then-husband wanted to build \u201ca huge pool.” <\/p>\n

\u201cI was, like, absolutely not,\u201d says Pulver. \u201cObviously, that didn\u2019t happen.”<\/p>\n

They ended up building a 25-by-55-foot saltwater pool, complete with a fountain, a grotto with a fireplace, and a waterslide. But by the time it was finished, a lot had changed.<\/p>\n

“We had barely finished the pool in early 2024 when he moved out.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Pulver and her husband began divorce proceedings, and soon, money became an issue. At the suggestion of her pediatrician, she explored renting out the pool on Swimply.<\/p>\n

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The property is expansive, complete with a pool, lounging area, and fire pit.<\/span>Swimply<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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The deck area is included in the rental.<\/span>Swimply<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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The waterslide is a unique feature.<\/span>Swimply<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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The home has a separate entrance for renters to access the pool.<\/span>Swimply<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cI just thought, maybe I\u2019ll make a few hundred dollars here and there to help get me through this time,\u201d Pulver said. But almost immediately after listing it, she started “killing it” with bookings.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt rescued me immediately,” she explains. “The rental got so busy, I couldn\u2019t keep up with it. I made three times as much the second summer as I did the first.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pulver not only maintained a perfect 5-star Swimply rating across 70 reviews, but the pool’s earnings\u2014combined with rent from her finished walkout basement\u2014covered a significant share of her mortgage.<\/p>\n

While her exact earnings are unknown, according to Swimply, top hosts on the platform typically earn over $40,000 per year, with some making over $100,000.<\/p>\n

How do you sell a home with business potential?<\/h2>\n

Pulver put the home on the market<\/a> this spring as part of her divorce agreement. To her, the pool and its earning potential should be a major talking point with buyers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like people need to know that it’s an option,\u201d she says. \u201cI’ve got all my records. I can prove to you that I’ve made this much money.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Pulver, while she did work hard for her five-star reviews, renting the pool out is a straightforward affair that doesn\u2019t wear on your property. Renters have access to a bathroom without entering the home, and she has rented it out both while she\u2019s on the property and away for work.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“If you want to make extra money, put it up for rent one weekend\u2014rent it out for a party or two,” she says. “It doesn’t interfere, and the pool doesn’t take the wear and tear that Airbnb might take. It’s meant to be used, and it’s big.”<\/p>\n

Pulver says that whenever she does cross paths with potential buyers, she mentions the pool\u2019s capacity for revenue. Her agent, Austin Bailey<\/strong>, does the same.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI bring up the Swimply income opportunity during showings because it\u2019s a unique feature of the property,\u201d Bailey says. \u201cI\u2019ve approached this listing a little differently by marketing it as both a beautiful home and an opportunity for buyers looking for an income-producing property.\u201d<\/p>\n

Can the pool business be appraised?<\/h2>\n

While the income potential for the home sounds great on paper, not every buyer will have Pulver\u2019s ability or capacity to turn the pool into the money-making machine she\u2019s created.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The pool, fittingly called The Utah<\/a> Jazz<\/strong> Pool, makes headlines. But according to other agents, that might be all Pulver and her team can ask of it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAppraisers do not calculate residential real estate by commercial capitalization rates. Appraisers calculate on comparable sales,\u201d says Greg Field<\/strong>, a real estate agent and solar energy strategist in Tempe, AZ<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe appraiser values the physical asset: the custom saltwater pool, the grotto, the water slide, and the pickleball court. Appraisers will not bump the price by $100,000 because the current owner is running a successful side hustle on that real estate.\u201d<\/p>\n

But that doesn\u2019t mean the pool business can\u2019t be leveraged.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt will create enormous buzz, media attention and get people through the front door for those open houses,\u201d says Field. And some of those potential buyers, he says, will be a niche group who want subsidized mortgage payments, to help cover high interest rate costs.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In essence, the pool can be a marketing tool, not a pricing tool, especially if liability issues or concerns about maintaining the rental long-term get in the way of the next owner actually using it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The home without Pulver<\/h2>\n

Perhaps the biggest issue with trying to use the pool as a pricing tool is the fact that Pulver will no longer be the one running it. Pulver says Swimply doesn\u2019t allow her to transfer the Utah Jazz Pool account to another person\u2014and she wouldn\u2019t want to.<\/p>\n

\u201cI kind of own these five-star reviews,\u201d she says. \u201cI\u2019d be happy to run it for someone, but I don\u2019t want to turn it over, because I feel like I worked hard for that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The reviews on the pool page speak to that: Many cite Pulver as a \u201cwonderful host\u201d and that \u201ccustomer service and communication was impeccable.\u201d Whoever buys the home next may know that they won\u2019t be able to match Pulver\u2019s acumen.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Bailey, her agent, says the property is priced \u201cvery competitively” for everything it offers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe originally listed the home at just under $1.8 million and have adjusted the price based on market feedback. At the current price of $1.575 million, I think buyers are getting a great deal,\u201d Bailey says.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Pulver, for her part, says the search for the right buyer or investor continues. She’d be interested in staying attached to the pool as the manager. But if she can\u2019t, she wants the right buyer to know that this property is worth more than what they\u2019ll buy it for.<\/p>\n

“I don’t know how to price it like this, but I’m telling you right now, there is value,\u201d she says. \u201cThe financial records are all there. There is incredible value.”<\/p>\n

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Eric Goldschein is a reporter covering real estate, personal finance, and travel trends. He previously served as content lead at Orchard, and his work has appeared in NerdWallet, Fundera, Business Insider, and other outlets. Eric lives in Brooklyn, NY, where he is saving up for a home of his own.<\/p>\n

Read More<\/a>
\n Eric Goldschein<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

But Pulver and her agent argue that her home offers an amenity few else can: a built-in business.\u00a0 Over the past couple of years, Pulver has rented out use of her home\u2019s pool on Swimply, an online marketplace that lets people use private pools by the hour. She\u2019s made good money from the hustle and<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":919096,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29473,63],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-919095","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-lucrative","category-theres"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/919095","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=919095"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/919095\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/919096"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=919095"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=919095"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=919095"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}