Do Pools Actually Add Value in Los Angeles?

The short answer: sometimes. The longer answer: it depends on where you are, what kind of pool it is, and who's buying. I've listed homes with pools that sat longer than comparable homes without them, purely because the buyers in that price range didn't want the maintenance. I've also listed homes where the pool was the single feature that closed the deal. The house, the street, and the buyer pool all determine which version you get.

The short answer for the Valley is: more than ever.

The Valley runs 7 to 10 degrees hotter than the Westside in summer, and that changes the calculation entirely. A pool here isn't a luxury in the way it might be in a cooler part of the city. It's how families survive August. It's how you entertain kids on a Saturday without getting in the car. I have friends who are pool contractors and they have not stopped being busy post covid, because demand has been consistent for years and keeps growing. When I look at aerial views of Valley neighborhoods on Google Maps, the number of pools has visibly increased over the last decade. Buyers know this and increasingly expect it.

Where pools add the most value

South of Ventura Boulevard in Sherman Oaks, particularly in the hillside pockets, pools are essentially expected. Buyers in this price range, usually $1.6M and up, assume there will be one. Not having a pool when comparable homes do can actually work against you because you're offering less than the neighborhood standard.

The same is true for hillside Studio City and the premium streets in Encino. These are warm, private outdoor spaces where pools make obvious sense and buyers factor them in from the start.

In these pockets, a well-maintained pool with proper landscaping and hardscaping can add $50,000 to $100,000 to your sale price, not because the pool itself is worth that much, but because it's what buyers in that market expect. Worth knowing: hillside pools are often hand dug rather than excavated by machine, which makes installation significantly more complex and expensive. I've had clients receive estimates that were substantially higher than a comparable pool in the flats. That cost is real and worth understanding before you build or before you negotiate on a hillside home that doesn't yet have one.

The condition matters more than you think

A sparkling, well-maintained pool with updated finishes, good equipment, and attractive surroundings adds value. A dated pool with old tile, stained plaster, and aging equipment is a liability.

Buyers see a tired pool and immediately start calculating resurfacing costs ($5,000 to $10,000), equipment replacement, and ongoing maintenance. They either walk away or negotiate the price down.

If your pool is more than 15 years old and hasn't been updated, you're better off either resurfacing it before you list or pricing the home to reflect that the pool needs work.

The math of installation vs. resale

As building costs have risen across the board, so has the cost of putting in a pool. A quality installation now runs $60,000 to $100,000, and that's before you factor in any hillside complexity. If you're buying a house without a pool and it matters to you, it's worth understanding early how complicated and costly installation would actually be for that specific property.

I've had buyers get estimates during escrow when a pool was important to them but the house didn't have one. If the numbers work and they love the house otherwise, that's useful information to have before you close. If the lot is complicated, the access is difficult, or the estimate comes back significantly higher than expected, that's also something you want to know before you're committed.

A pool is not always a dealbreaker in either direction. But going in with a realistic sense of what it would cost to add one, or what it would cost to maintain and update an existing one, makes you a much better informed buyer. In the Valley, where summers are genuinely hot and families are genuinely busy, a pool is worth thinking about seriously from the start.

I've had buyers walk away from homes they otherwise loved because the pool felt like too much responsibility. I've had others stretch on price specifically because the outdoor space with the pool was exactly what they wanted. The difference is almost always life stage and lifestyle.

If your pool is in good shape, make sure it looks excellent in listing photos and lean into it. In the Valley, it's a genuine selling point.

If you're in Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Encino, or anywhere in the Valley and want to talk through whether a pool helps or hurts in your specific situation, get in touch.

Anj Catalano, The Agency  |  310.404.6955  |  hello@anjinla.com