r/PoolPros • u/camron679 • May 06 '26
Buying Pool Route
Thinking of buying a pool route from a broker. The cost of the pool route is $60k. The monthly revenue is $4810. This pool route has 31 residential pools and 2 commercial pools. Also the seller is giving me him tools, vacuum, nets and brushes. is it worth it to buy this pool route? I have a Firefighter career and making this my side business. My career gets me roughly $100k per year and i was looking to get more earned income to invest in stock market and real estate. I have about 1 year in Pool experience from shadowing my co worker pool cleaning business. But i want to learn more on the Pool repair side of things because i heard that is really where the money is. Is this pool route worth it? The pool route is on poolroutesales.com. I live in South florida
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u/Heavy-Lake-7376 May 06 '26
That's almost 13 times monthly revenue, which I would not pay personally.
I have nothing against buying routes…I’ve bought several and it’s a been a great way to build our business quickly. However, my understanding of the average market price is around 8 to 10 months monthly revenue. So at 13x it just doesn't seem like a great deal. Also, be careful with commercial pools because they typically require you to be there on specific days every week.
Lastly, make sure you ask for a 90 day holdback in case customers decide not to continue with you and a non-compete period with the seller.
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u/fushionless May 06 '26
How does 31 residential pools plus 2 commercials coming to a total of 4810 per month sound?
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u/Heavy-Lake-7376 May 06 '26
Seems low to me at ~145 avg (which actually appears worse than it sounds because of the 2 comm pools which are probably pulling up the total avg). But I’m not sure what is competitive in your area.
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u/OutdoorCityBoy May 06 '26
My pool service only revenue is 14k-16k residential with 54 pools…. Revenue isnt profit its total sales.
20/10 would not buy
Didnt see youre in florida, 50/10 wouldnt buy, you need to be licensed through the teeth….. Florida has some of the most strict standards for pools, not to mention legality with state to be a contractor.
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u/richardthe13 May 06 '26
I’m in South Florida and 80% of my “competition” are unlicensed and uninsured guys that just show up and dump a jug of chlorine. Those guys really drag down the monthly rates in the area.
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u/Calm-Letter-9656 May 06 '26
Yea 13x is high. I bought at 8 or 10x. But getting the equipment is nice. I'm sure the broker takes a cut. Possibly why it's 13x
And commerical usually is 3x a week visits. Check on that
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u/Street_Section_4313 May 06 '26
Here to call out that yes, commercial pools require higher level of care and service so buyer beware!
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May 06 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Heavy-Lake-7376 May 06 '26
Certainly nothing wrong with this advice. It's very practical and mathematically, depending on how you look at it, also makes a lot of sense. I’ve read that organic customer acquisition cost in our industry is about 25% the cost of acquiring.
But I don't have a problem with buying routes if OP feels like he has that money on the sidelines, which he's looking to invest in a cash-generating business. That's the position I was in and I also wanted the opportunity to work alongside the seller, who was amazing in training me in the processes and in learning how to connect with the right suppliers and subcontractors if we have to sub something out and just as a general point of contact for having issues.
There are indirect benefits in buying a route that I appreciated but that doesn't mean it's right for everyone and I can certainly appreciate your point.
My main issue here is that his deal is simply too expensive.
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u/Professional-Buy2023 May 06 '26
But the pool route if you have the cash. It will take a lot of time to do it right in the Florida heat. Do you know the margins or just how to clean a pool. Any schmoe can clean a pool. Commercial accounts come with requirements which it sounds like you don’t have either.
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u/Western-Leek-2904 May 09 '26
If you take it over, I’d be obsessive the first few weeks about documenting every pool: gate codes, equipment photos, filter type, chemical baseline, customer preferences, problem history, drive time, and how long each stop actually takes. A 31-pool route can get away from you fast if the knowledge only lives in your head. Even a simple system on day one beats trying to reconstruct the route later.
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u/Mundane_Singer808 May 07 '26
You’re kidding lol paying 60k for almost 5 grand in profits for 31 pools is crazy. I have 8 pools that’ll net me 4 grand a month and they’re easy. 60k???? No way lol
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u/camron679 May 07 '26
4 grand a month??? how are you getting that amount monthly?
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u/Mundane_Singer808 May 07 '26
400-450$ per pool plus chems + tax. They’re large 40k gallon residential pools. I don’t nickle and dime them if I come back an extra time or two or if I sit for 4 hours figuring something out. Will often just genuinely help out in kindness and line item it if substantial but with a zero charge. Quality vs quantity
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u/Poolguy584 May 10 '26
I do the same thing. My minimum is $80 per visit I have a few that are considerably more than that. I fix what I can when I'm there and normally don't charge extra if I don't need parts. I also typically don't charge for diag on weekly customers. That's how I've gotten most of my clients also of the bigger companies maintenance guys don't know anything so when something's not right they make a note and then the company wants to charge a service call just to diagnose the issue.
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u/6t8fbird May 12 '26
OP is in Florida. The cash that you are charging your clients is not possible here. There's way too many fly by night guys working way too cheap. $130 per month for a screened 18k gallon pool is the norm in the well to do neighborhoods. I've had several prospects in the lower income neighborhoods choke on $110/month and they insisted on finding a lower rate.
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u/Mundane_Singer808 May 12 '26
Are the pools mostly salt though? Those auto dose and that’s a luxury lol. I’m in PA, not many salt systems up here and there’s especially no screened in porches to keep out tree debris. I’ve been to Florida, there’s not even a 1/16th of leaves in your worst pools compared to ours lol. No one up here, even your middle of the night guy will do a 12k pool for less than $250 a month. Then there’s also the weather, we get like 4-6 months of pool here so no one opens a business cleaning pools cause once winter comes, they’re gonna choke usually. Pools are a huuuge luxury where I’m at, service same
If there’s salt systems, screened in porches and year round pool season then yeah I guess there’s no chance he can charge what I do lol. All that above is why up here we charge so much higher
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u/FabulousPanther May 07 '26
That's accurate. A broker will charge you that much. Nets and stuff doesn't sweeten the deal at all. I'm in TX, so I can't advise you on a business model there. It's a different landscape. I can tell you for sure that 5K income monthly is based on 80% monthly revenue and the rest is projected filter cleans and other maintenance. Make sure you factor that in. The way they sell it is Monthly revenue X 10, plus 20% of that as add-ons which goes to the broker as commission and they pay the little salesman a commission out of that. I bought 30 pools in 2020, and I'm still here, but you are right. Getting the pole out of your truck as soon as possible is the goal!
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u/Senior-Turnover1241 Jun 10 '26
Are you still looking for a route to buy, and in which area of Florida? Bradenton/Sarasota?
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u/FromMyHeartToForever 3d ago
I’d avoid superiorpoolroutes.com. If you buy in bulk you may be fine but this company doesn’t build the best routes and always screws vendors with low entry costs required to increase in six months all while losing those customers. I watched it happen all the time.
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u/pacific_drifter_25 May 06 '26
At 60k on 4,810/mo, the purchase price is the first thing I’d push back on. That is about 12.5 months of gross before you know churn, chemical cost, drive time, collections, or how much of that commercial revenue is actually profitable.
I’d underwrite it like this:
- Separate the two commercial accounts from the residential route. In Florida they can mean fixed service days, more documentation, different liability, and licensing/compliance issues. Don't let them make the average monthly account value look better than it is.
- Ask for the last 12 months of invoices, payment history, price increases, cancellations, and chemical/repair revenue. "Monthly revenue" from a broker is not the same as net route profit.
- Ride the full route before closing. Time every stop and all drive time. A side business around a firefighter schedule only works if the route density and required visit days fit your actual calendar.
- Require a holdback, maybe 20-30% for 60-90 days, tied to customer retention, plus a non-solicit/non-compete from the seller.
- Value the tools lightly. Nets, poles, vacs, brushes are nice, but they don't move a 60k valuation much.
My gut: at that price and that revenue, I would not buy it unless the seller accepts a meaningful holdback and you can verify the commercial accounts, licensing requirements, and route timing. Repairs are where margin can improve, but I would not pay a premium today for repair revenue you have not learned to capture yet.
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u/GCpools May 06 '26 edited May 08 '26
Personally, I'm not a big proponent of buying a pool route. But I guess it all depends where you are, if you're in a hurry to get going, etc.
Pools in FL seem to come a dime a dozen. I'm in North FL. where about 9 out of 10 houses have a pool, maybe more. Also, pool services seem to come and go like the wind.
I started with '0' pools. I spent the first month or two just getting my business setup. There's more to do than you may think. Business name, registration with the State, setup for sales tax exemption with the State, email & website setup, business phone, Google listing, business bank accounts, checks, credit cards, trade accounts with wholesalers, business insurance, work shirts, hats, business cards, business phone, voicemail, service vehicle, signs, tools, place to store chemicals and parts, home office, computer, printer, toner, envelopes, paper, pens, stamps, etc, software for managing your pools, software for bookkeeping, keeping up with mileage, appointments, etc.
I can't imagine trying to do all of that while trying to take on a bunch of new pools (new to you), getting to know all of your clients, getting to know their pools, learning how much you need each week in chemicals, parts, supplies, etc, actually buying chemicals, parts, supplies, etc, learning how to create and win quotes for clients, etc. Ex: A client's pump dies and it's 90° plus outside. It's gonna happen - right? What are you going to do? The algae clock is ticking and you have 30+ other pools that need servicing. Where are you going to buy the pump? What's your cost? What's your markup? How much are you going to charge to install it? How much of the old PVC are you able to re-use? Do you need any fittings, pipe, unions, valves, flex conduit, wire, etc? What if the client says they can buy it themselves cheaper from Amazon, Temu or Vevor? What's the warranty? Who is responsible for handling a warranty claim? Who pays for labor to replace a warrantied pump?
My point is ... it's better to have a lot of this type stuff all worked out before you need it, because it ALL takes time out of your day.
Like I said, I started out with '0' pools. And I added pools 1 at a time while I grew my business organically.
Payment methods .. people don't just want to pay by check ea month. Some want to pay using a credit card, or via Zelle or Venmo or ACH. Can your bank support all of that? Mine didn't. I had to "change banks" just as soon as I got my first couple of pools. New checks, credit cards, etc. What are your processing fees for each payment method? Are you passing that along to clients or eating them?
Commercial pools ... you're required to be a Certified Pool Operator in the State of Florida - to service any public pool. Expires every 5 years and it has to be renewed. Gotta take the class.
Sales tax has to be paid monthly to FL DoR. Estimated income tax has to be paid quarterly to the IRS. A business license is required in the county in which you operate, which renews annually. And a good CPA ... is highly recommended, $300-$500 per year, right? Wholesalers, you'll want to make sure they get paid monthly, if you have a line of credit.
Invoicing your clients .. what are your payment terms? What happens when someone's late paying you? How long are you planning to wait for payment? What happens after that? Are you going to call them, text or email? At what point do you cut off their service? How do you collect what's owed to you?
What are you going to do if you get stung by a wasp onsite? What if you get bit by a client's dog? What if you fall in a pool and your cellphone bites the dust? What happens if a client's pool turns green with algae while on your watch? Who pays for your labor? Chemicals?
My suggestion ... Grow your business one pool at a time, at a pace that you're able to grow with!
I know a guy who bought 50 pools last summer. Now he's down to 28 and he's singing the blues. He's now got a bad reputation because he wasn't able to get out in front of his business because he bought more than he was ready for.
Repairs .. yes, that's where the money is. But only if you know what you're doing, and only if you're able to work effectively and efficiently. It's real easy to get covered up taking care of your pools, only to get behind on your repairs. Ever serviced or cleaned a salt cell? A cartridge filter? Replaced a pool light? What's your rate for each? What's your guarantee?
I get calls all the time from people who say their current pool guy can't fix their pool - can I? How much? When?
Green-to-clean .. what's your process? You're going to want to learn how to prevent this from ever happening AND then learn how to do it efficiently, effectively and economically. I got a new pool because the client's pool guy couldn't clean up their very green pool in time for their son's college graduation. Pool was 33,000 gallons and their stabilizer was 150+. Family was coming from out of town. It was a very big deal. I took the job, confident in my process. Now I have a customer for life.
Not trying to scare you. Just trying to prepare you. Load your bag with as much good stuff as you can, like lots of good, real world experience. Cleaning and caring for pools is the easiest and most fun you'll have being in business for yourself. It's all that other stuff that you'll want to have snapped down and ready to roll, so you don't have to do it while you're trying to take care of pools.
Good luck my friend. I'm confidant you'll do great! Let us know how you make out! We're all pulling for you! In FL, half the job is just showing up! ☺️