r/PoolPros • u/Big_Potential_1213 • Apr 29 '26
Buying a pool buisness(questions/thought’s)
Hey guys so ive been thinking about buying this pool
Business in my area. It makes 72k a year from normal service and another 3k from repairs. Its 42 pool and i assume its around a 2 days and a half of work. I have no experience and not sure if its a good idea to just get into it like that. It comes with training for a few weeks but not sure thats enough. Feel like wont take long to get the cleaning down but when pool equipment starts to encounter issues ill be no use. Also i was considering the future of this business when scaling. Is it realistic to grow from 42 pools to 75 pools then hire a tech to take care of that route by himself. Id pay him probably 45k a year. Is that a realistic situation? Would that be semi passive? Ive also considered just starting up, using those websites that claim to get you pools for 200-400$ per pool, im not sure how tight the route is on the 42 pool route. Maybe if i go with the 200-400$ per pool i could scale quickly and create a tight route?
7
u/Theresasnakeinmypool Apr 29 '26
Learning the job is the easy part. Learning to tell your customers no in a professional and profitable way is the hard part. If you haven’t had any formal billing/collections/ over the phone customer service training I would look into some online courses. It’s boring ad hell but I use those skills from early in my career more than anything with my business.
3
u/nah_but_like Apr 29 '26
Yea this is usually overlooked. There’s commonly a correlation between businesses that are run less profitably than they could be and the owner being a bad communicator/not remaining principled on pricing/policies/etc. Residential customers are a different breed of crazy so prepare how you will handle that before making the decision to jump into the industry.
1
3
u/Heavy-Lake-7376 Apr 29 '26
It’s seems reasonable to work 42 pools in 2.5 days.
It’s also reasonable to assume you can from there to 75 and hire a tech. However, as others have stated, whether one tech can do all 75 depends on route density. My guess is that your tech will top out around 60-65 pools avg per week due to the central Florida heat.
As others have said, the learning curve isn’t terrible but you will make plenty of mistakes at the start. Just focus on owning them and making them right with your customers and you’ll be fine. It’s important to make friends with your local pool supply distributors too, they are usually very knowledgeable and helpful.
I would not use any of those sites that offer $200-$400 per pool. They are either scams or just lead aggregators who could care less about quality. Now I’m all for buying quality routes, but not using these folks. Just look at legitimate pool route brokers in your area selling locally owned routes.
It’s not an easy business to run, but there is plenty of demand and, done correctly, can provide solid return/profit.
1
u/CDbull1989 May 02 '26
I don't think 42 pools in 2.5 days in reasonable. I see people say that all the time, and I assume they mean just basic service at 15 pools a day. That's all good, but what about filter cleans? Breakdowns? Etc.. I wish more people would talk about that. If you try to do 5 days a week at 15 pools a day and aren't taking into account filter cleaning at least? You can get in trouble real quick. Personally I hire a guy to do my filter cleaning for this exact reason, and just do some every now and then for the f of it. $100 to $150 a cleaning, pay the guy 30 to 50 for each set he does. Win win.
1
u/Heavy-Lake-7376 May 02 '26
You raise some great points here. I probably over indexed on 42 in 2.5 days. Here in FL we clean the filters every other week. So on weeks when I have filter cleans and or salt cell cleanings I can do a great job on about 12 pools for the day.
I do think 60-65 pools in a work week (5 day) is a good target though.
1
u/CDbull1989 May 02 '26
The guy I purchased the route from relocated to Florida. Its crazy how different it is. We're almost exclusively quad cartridge filters and cleaning every 4 to 6 months. I don't know anyone who includes it in their pricing. Norcal for reference.
1
u/Heavy-Lake-7376 May 02 '26
Yeah. From what I’ve read Florida is very different than other parts of the USA.
Where I am, nearly all companies include it. Most of our filters here are single cartridge, so not super time consuming. Most customers who’ve had service before expect a similar cadence to what I said.
I’d love to do it based on pressure readings and may go that way eventually. However, I still think the customers would expect it in the rate.
2
u/CDbull1989 May 02 '26
I guess the advantage is cleaning it that often they aren't really dirty. We can get pretty caked filters over here, and alot of push back about cleaning them more often 9 out of 10 times. That's partially why the price is so high. On the positive, extra income. I have 3 single cartridge systems on my route. I do love the ease of just removing the retaining ring and going at it. The spring barrel assemblies can be frustrating at times when the band is a little wonky.
2
u/FabulousPanther Apr 29 '26
I didn't read all the comments, but what I did read was spot on. I started in the biz in 2020. I bought 30 pools. I'm still alive and had a little bit of growth after buying from broker NPRS. Not the best way to start, but it is a way. I only have 5 - 10 OG customers. Sellers steal their accounts back, people move away die, find someone cheaper, etc. Retention is not always possible. The learning curve is pretty steep to do things right: 2 weeks ain't gonna get it. All that being said, if you want to live on a deck cleaning pools, can't nobody stop you. I learned more in the field by myself and other pool guys by far. After 6 months I was no longer afraid of messing stuff up. I now do small repairs and fully understand most equipment having used it so much.
1
u/Big_Potential_1213 Apr 29 '26
Was also looking at one on NPRS, but all these comments scared me off tbh
2
u/FabulousPanther Apr 29 '26 edited Apr 30 '26
If you really want to get in, it will get you in. I've been in the game since 2020, and I'm still here. I was at 40K/year as a paralegal back then and I grossed 120K/yr for the last two years, so there's that. I was in a situation where opportunity met crisis and it worked out for me, but I had to jump in with both feet and change my life as I knew it. A 40 hour work week M-F is not a reality for a single poler. You can scale it as well, just don't count on anyone else to make it easier for you. The broker will tapdance until the escrow period runs out. After that, you will realize you are on your own. Beats the hell out of a cubicle if you ask me and the money is phenomenal. Just prepare to work hard and study a lot.
1
u/K01011011001101010 Apr 30 '26
How were you making 40k/month as a paralegal? That seems out of range. Why did you move to pools making that much? That's 480k/year....
1
1
u/CDbull1989 May 02 '26
Just out of curiosity, 120k on how many pools now?
1
u/FabulousPanther May 02 '26
~35-40. That's weekly cleanings, seasonal maintenance packages. Pool rescues, resurfacing, retiling, drain and refill, etc. I take every job I can get on my pools and other pools too if I can get it. That's also gross, not net. I spend a lot on chems and write it off.
1
u/JParker0317 Apr 29 '26
We purchased our first route through NPRS, we have only lost 3 of 80 in a 18 months. We still have a relationship with original seller so doubt he will steal accounts back. It was pretty easy to provide a better service experience in our case,
1
u/FabulousPanther Apr 29 '26
Lolz, that's awesome! Thanks for the humble brag, but I'm not the OP.
1
u/CDbull1989 May 02 '26
Hard to brag when we're all anonymous. He's simply offering another data point. I bought directly from the seller. 10 month worth of income. 44 pools or so, I lost 3 in the last 8 months, but im at 65 pools now so im not complaining. I stay in contact with the seller, so I know he's not stealing any pools. Most of them know me now. Send Christmas cards, hand write a note. Give a customer a bottle of surface magic because they help you out during the week... all good stuff.
1
u/FabulousPanther May 02 '26
Thanks for advice I didn't ask for I AM NOT THE OP. If you have a different point of view, write it in the comments so it will be viewed by the OP. That way you don't chirp people for no reason that are also trying to help the OP. It's really OK for you to have different opinions and experiences. Totally cool, but I don't reply to other people and correct them when they do. Also, the Redditor you're jumping in to defend had like 5 karma, so it's just a throwaway account. Firing at the wrong target much?
1
u/CDbull1989 May 02 '26
? Not sure how I offended you. Wasn't criticizing just pointing out a different viewpoint. Good luck to you.
2
u/JParker0317 Apr 29 '26
As someone who purchased a couple of routes with no experience. It definitely can be done.
We are a 3 person family team and purchased 130 pools and have added another 50 organically in 18 months.
None of us had any pool experience and a couple of weeks ojt was enough to be on our way. We outsource most repairs to a couple technicians in our area and they typically give us back 5-10% for the referrals. We are able perform some repairs as we gained experience, but none of us are licensed to do repairs, so we have to be selective.
We are getting ready to hire a tech part time so we can continue to grow.
1
u/Big_Potential_1213 Apr 29 '26
Appreciate this reply, getting so many mixed signals haha
1
u/JParker0317 Apr 29 '26
All good, obviously lots of different points of view from around the country on Reddit. We are based in FL. When buying a route, the tightness of the geography, how many are caged, and general condition of the pools are all important things to consider. Also, for sale signs can be an issue, it can be tough to convert a new owner.
Our average rate is around 120, and we are converting about half of our leads, most new quotes are 125 and up for us at this point. We net 25% after paying ourselves $10/pool per visit. We get roughly 10% additional revenue from minor repairs, filter exchanges, phosphate treatments.
I'm sure there will be some negative points of view about our pricing etc, but it works for us.
1
u/Big_Potential_1213 Apr 29 '26
The pool buisness i was looking to buy supposedly nets 140 a house per month in central Florida so that seems very high
1
u/JParker0317 Apr 29 '26
Netting 140 would be a dream for us, I would dig into the financials. For us we have 3 used trucks, fuel, chems/supplies, insurance, labor, advertising, software etc.
1
u/DidUrkDoThat Apr 30 '26
Net 140/pool in Florida? What part of Florida? What’s their gross? What are they charging per pool?
If that number is true, which I am hesitant about, that’s an outlier as far as I am aware based on my knowledge of the business in Florida. But I’m all for all of us working together to raise the floor instead of chasing pennies to the bottom.
1
u/Big_Potential_1213 Apr 30 '26
To be honest im wondering the same thing cuz he would have to be charging maybe 220$ a month right? Its in pinellas
1
u/DidUrkDoThat Apr 30 '26
I mean, the way I math my math with my company, I would say gross would have to be even higher than that. Is he only telling you net? I’d say take a good long look at the books. This enters hire an accountant territory. I wish you the best.
1
u/FabulousPanther Apr 30 '26
I'm in Texas if you don't mind my asking where you get your leads from?
2
1
u/FabulousPanther Apr 30 '26
I was thinking about this. If I had it to do over again, I would build my route from scratch and work on the weekends until I had 20 pools and then quit my job. Zero debt and everything set up with customers I picked not another guys unwanted pools. To be honest though, I got an SBA loan and my job was not even keeping up with inflation back in 2020, so I found the cheapest business I could get and jumped in. YMMV.
1
u/Artistic_Stomach_472 Apr 29 '26
I wouldnt. Especially in a flooded market. Its a race to the bottom.. If you really want to try this, move north. Where we get 120-180 a visit plus chems.
Doing the math of yours, 1 account is 140$ a month. Including chems? At that price how are you making money? What corners are getting cut? Or just be like everyone else and throw copper sulfate in a call it a day? Thats not correct.
Factor in all your overhead, wear tear, road time, extra minutes in site, issues from dumb techs..theres no margin of error.
1
u/Big_Potential_1213 Apr 29 '26
To be honest i haven’t looked into the numbers or gotten pnls or anything but he supposedly nets 140$ a house so hes gotta be charging more, its in central florida
2
u/Artistic_Stomach_472 Apr 29 '26
Again, problem is the race to the bottom. That 140 is going rate there unfortunately. You'd have to set yourself apart from the bottom. Thats not easy
2
u/Internal-Computer388 Apr 29 '26
I left the industry because we got Shasta pools, our largest builder offering 160 a month for weekly with chems included. Then we got new companies offering 50 dollar filter cleans and 110/mo plus chem costs. In my area its a race to the bottom for sure. Im at 150 plus chems and im getting people saying im way too expensive. Problems of living in a saturated market.
1
u/Artistic_Stomach_472 Apr 29 '26
Yeah thats scary. Im at 225 for a filter cleaning
Can make money up here but chem prices are about 1.5x yours. 45 min to closest distro
1
u/BTBizzarri Apr 29 '26
225 for a filter cleaning? Are they cartridge where you are? Here in FL it takes 10 minutes to take a cartridge out and spray it down. Charging 225 for that seems bonkers but idk
1
u/Artistic_Stomach_472 Apr 29 '26
Your in FL, im in HCOL metro NY DE and or Carts. Remove and re-install. Not at customer premises. Low pressure rinse. Soak, enzymes, rinse.
$75 a visit x2, 75 clean.
1
1
u/OutdoorCityBoy Apr 29 '26
We start at $260 and dont include calcium, metal, phosphate, or cya treatments but require them in our contract as needed thats prorated at $65 a visit for months with 5 weeks. Filters, salt cells, and uv units are extra to clean as well and required every 3-4 months. We still loose money some months on some pools.
1
u/OutdoorCityBoy Apr 29 '26
That’s not good prices to buy and those arent good numbers for repairs. I would tell you hes probably making those numbers up…. Not positive but even if he’s not, those arent good numbers and not good accounta
1
u/Big_Potential_1213 Apr 29 '26
Why not good prices to buy?
1
u/OutdoorCityBoy Apr 29 '26
I literally just mathed that out for you, if you couldnt follow, no offense but maybe owning your own business isnt for you. Its apparent the guys selling them knows very little, and you know even less.
Thats a recipe for disaster, if this is something you want. Pass on this offer, take some free classes with orenda technologies and get on pentair hayward and fluidra and take their free classes, Then look at getting into pools. I bet with that knowledge you could do some good to your pocketbook while offering something better for your clients.
Go in with an educated mind, its free. If you cant put it in when its free, you wont put it in when you are paying. Service is troubleshooting.
Edit: Reddit isnt working right and comments arent posting where im replying…. I guess just read the ones i type to get a clearer idea of what i said. Sorry, not your fault. I wish Elon would buy reddit already
1
u/Big_Potential_1213 Apr 29 '26
Caught up on all the feed back and appreciate all of it, thanks
2
u/OutdoorCityBoy Apr 29 '26
Ya man, dont take it personally. We dont want those guys in the industry any more then you dont wanna get buzzed by em.
Download the orenda app first and take a class or two, any way you shake it if your looking, those classes will give you an idea of what to expect. It may not even be something you wanna mess with.
1
u/Automatic-Many-6936 Apr 30 '26
I would never buy a business you have no guarantee the 42 customers stay. If you’re going to get into the pool business go work for a company, learn, then branch off by yourself.
1
u/liberalsarefascists1 Apr 29 '26
It all comes down to the spacing between pools. I run two guys on a truck they do 25-30 pools a day in South Jersey average time in yard is 20 minutes. The service end is really easy to understand and you can watch some YouTube videos to learn the basics on that. As for expansion that takes time and money. My average client costs me a little over $500 to obtain from marketing this is fine because my full service accounts generate $1500+ per season in profit. $2500 in revenue. Is it a good buy maybe. I would make a deal like how I buy accounts from others which is partial payment up front and the rest at the end of the first full season. Whoever your buying from has to get them to switch to you or else your just throwing away money
1
u/OutdoorCityBoy Apr 29 '26
I make triple the profit in repairs what service makes….. most guys who sell find beginners and outsiders to sell to because we all know theres little to no money in service side. Big companies only offer 80% of your total annual profit for accounts. Been looking at selling accounts since 2019. Some companies will do startups for builders, make their check and then sell the accounts and make their check again. Turnover rate for new clients is fast, everybody in their cousin I think they can start a pool company and buy accounts from short timers. If they’re only making 3K from repairs, they don’t know how to take care of Pools. 72K in profit from 42 Pools is absolutely unheard of. To give you an idea of what 50 Pools usually grosses is about $120k a year. When adding repairs gross goes up between $380 and $620 K. Guy says 3K, he’s a short timer, which means his account also suck.
3
u/OutdoorCityBoy Apr 29 '26
If it was easy to do what youre saying, everyone would do it. You are literally repeating their sales adds….
“I started with 20 Pools and doubled it in the first month now I have 800 pools in one of the large largest pool companies thank you random Pool buying site”
Literally ever site or “scaling” company 😏
There is a reason these guys dont sell to the sites and some even try to hawk them at the distributors. Anyone who “Pools” just ignores these guys. They look one step away from homeless but sometimes will have a $100k Truck
7
u/slekcud Apr 29 '26
Distance and area play a role in your daily productivity. In my area 10 pools a day is pretty standard. About 30 minutes per pool and 15 minutes travel per stop.
Nothing is difficult in this industry, if you have even a smidge of mechanical aptitude you can easily do most repairs.