DEL CITY – Chris and Tanika Clack would be happy for you, your family or friends to come for a swim in their newly remodeled swimming pool, complete with poolside amenities – for an hourly rent – to help pay for the renovations.
This is what prompted them to launch into Swimply.com, an online marketplace for the rental of private swimming pools for mini stays. The extra income helps.
Swimply, based in Cedarhurst, New York, has more than 13,000 pools listed and receives nearly 100 requests per day from people wanting their pools offered on the platform, spokeswoman Kristen Marion said.
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The startup, in its third year, has a presence in around 130 markets, most of them in the United States, plus a few in Canada and Australia. It grew rapidly in 2020 – despite its rejection on Shark Tank – and continues to grow after attracting $ 10 million in funding earlier this year.
With public pools and beaches closed due to the coronavirus, Swimply took off, increasing 4,000% as the pandemic unfolded.
“We were the perfect fit for people when the world was on their mind,” founder Bunim Laskin told TechCrunch.com. “It was the perfect, contactless, self-serve experience to go out and be with people you were in quarantine with.
“On the one hand, it was a way for people to have a normal day and on the other hand, it helped give homeowners a way to earn an income, at a time when many people were financially affected.”
Marion said Swimply had registered approximately 122,000 bookings in the past 12 months.
“Most of Swimply’s growth in Oklahoma City is new – 98% of bookings at OKC were between May 1, 2021 and July 12, 2021. We are seeing similar growth in the Tulsa area,” he said. she declared.
Swimply provides a $ 1,000,000 liability insurance policy and $ 10,000 property protection policy to its US hosts, whose pools must pass health and safety inspections.
‘Mr. Bubbly ‘just a pool from the OKC area on Swimply
The Clacks’ pool and backyard setting, nicknamed Mr. Bubbly, is one of a dozen offerings on Swimply in the Oklahoma City area. Rents range from $ 35 to $ 100 per hour, slightly more depending on the size of the group.
When they bought their home at 4306 Sunnylane Circle in Del City in 2019, it was convicted, said Chris, a streetcar technician from Oklahoma City.
The pool was shot. He said it cost $ 20,000 to fix it alone. They envisioned another expensive repair job “in 15 or 20 years”.
“We appreciate it, but we were thinking about how to pay for it,” he said, while allowing others to benefit as well, not just him and his wife; their 9-year-old daughter, Lyric; and his 8-year-old son Anias. Little son Aiden, only 32 days old, will one day become a swimmer.
So far, after swimming with Swimply for six months, they’ve earned around $ 1,000 on 10 bookings ranging from $ 38.25 for one person for an hour to $ 420.75 for a party for 12.
“Mr. Bubbly is an oasis of relaxation. Just refurbished with quartz… and ready to have fun,” reads the Clacks list. “Nestled 1 mile from Tinker AFB and local grocery stores, directly across from Sonic, Braum’s, Pizza Hut, CVS. This is the perfect getaway.”
There is a sound system, fireplace, poolside toilet and grill. Swimply hosts offer more than a dip.
Swimply nicknamed the Airbnb of swimming pools
“It’s like Airbnb for your pool,” said Steve Borden, a Swimply host at 620 Summit Bend in Norman with his wife, Jennifer, and daughter, Rian, 16.
This is the third summer the Bordens have had the pool and their first summer as a Swimply host. They just started in May and have already had several reservations at “Fort Bordendale” (“We love Fort Lauderdale,” Steve said. “We just ran with it.”)
He said poolside parties were popular during the coronavirus pandemic – because the pool is outside.
“ALL-IN !” their Swimply list says. “Garden oasis with pool and hot tub. Bathing deck / sunbathing ledge. Covered gazebo with sofa, chairs and table. Sun loungers on concrete patio for sunbathing. Covered patio with fans and outdoor dining table for dining. BBQ grill. propane and charcoal barbecue. Flat top propane grill. “
Borden, owner of Borden and Associates, an insurance brokerage firm, said the pool rental brought in over $ 500, “but it’s with a lot of rain. We’ve seen the number of bookings go up in arrow over the past week. “
Using an underused pool with Swimply
Genevieve Prieto – with daughter Ryleigh, 9, and son, 7, Quinn – has been hosting Swimply since last August at her home in southwest Oklahoma City.
“Avoid crowded public pools and water parks this summer and head to SW OKC!” his list says. Book a pool party or just a day out with the family, this pool has it all. You also have access to a separate hot tub and if you want to grill up, a gas grill is available in the outdoor kitchen. The oversized backyard is perfect for placing inflatable rentals for your children. “
Swimply is everywhere on social networks. The Clacks and Bordens saw it mentioned on Facebook. Prieto heard about it through word of mouth from someone who heard about it on the radio.
“A friend of mine in Florida was listening to SiriusXM, and an ad for Swimply popped up. He called and said, ‘You should do this. You have your pool, and you and your kids rarely use it.'” she declared. .
So she signed up. She advertised it on Facebook and Craigslist and had 15 bookings, including young people who rented out her pool for a rap video shoot.
So far this year, she said, Swimply has added almost $ 1,000 to the income she also received from her Airbnb rental.
“Not much,” she said. “Advertising is the key.”
At Del City, the Clacks learned Swimply by doing Swimply.
No glass allowed.
“There is a bit of cleaning up after the guests leave,” Chris said.
When grilling some people like charcoal and others like propane, so they can provide either. Some reservations are better than others.
“In the beginning we tried to be easy going with everyone,” Chris said. “People like to bring their dogs to swim with them. It’s hard to clean dog hair from the (pool) pump. So we’ve changed our policy: no dogs.”
But, he said, for any landlord considering Swimply, “My recommendation would just be to be as accommodating as possible” – and realize that some tenants will want hosts to “try to stay away” so that ‘they can imagine that the pool is theirs.
Real estate publisher Richard Mize edits the Oklahoman Real Estate section and covers housing, construction, commercial real estate, and related topics for the newspaper and Oklahoman.com. Contact him at [email protected]. Please support his work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a subscription at http://subscribe.oklahoman.com.
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