Swimply
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Rajaa Chraibi, a 35-year-old real-estate agent and broker in Los Angeles who also has a side hustle as a host on Swimply. It’s been edited for length and clarity.
Since 2016, I’ve been a real-estate agent and broker at High-End Estates in LA. My side hustles include flipping houses, and, since 2021, working as a host on Swimply at the properties I own.
Through Swimply, I rent out the pools in the backyards of the house I live in and other properties (one of which is currently for sale) and make some money on the side.
In 2021, while driving through LA, I saw a billboard ad for Swimply
The concept of renting your pool by the hour immediately resonated with me. Several of the properties I owned at the time had pools, so when I got home, I downloaded the app and used some of my existing listing photos to list my first pool.
Given my background in real estate, the entire process was very intuitive for me. My first listing went live in less than a day. Now I use Swimply to rent out five pools and beautiful backyards across LA.
I rent out the pools for $75 per hour, and Swimply takes a 20% cut. My backyard pool at my home brings in $5,000-$6,000 a month, and all my pools combined bring in around $22,000 a month.
Most of the time, when guests are using the pool at my home, I leave the house.
Building my side hustle with Swimply was a very simple and easy process
From the beginning, I outsourced pool maintenance, property management, and cleaning to various vendors. I spend about 5% of my earnings on automating management.
My teams check my pools before and after each booking, restock any disposable items, and clean everything. Guests can book instantly through the app.
I’ve found that clear communication with guests, a well-maintained property, smart pricing, and great photos lead to success. You need to respond to guest questions quickly. I’m usually able to respond within minutes.
There are certainly improvements they could make to the Swimply app
For example, automated messages for check-in/check-out would make my life much easier. Airbnb, where I’m also a host, offers this feature, and it’s so helpful.
Overall, my Swimply side hustle is a great way to maintain any property I purchase. My earnings pay for the mortgages, so I don’t have to stress.
Because of my Swimply earnings, I can invest in other properties, travel, and enjoy life. I love that it’s basically passive income.
This pool-renting gig doesn’t require a lot of work on my end
Each day, I make sure that the listings are up-to-date and inquiries are answered. That’s really it. I put maybe three hours a week into this, but outsourcing and automating the majority of the work has been so helpful.
During the first year, the work felt a bit more seasonal, but today it’s always on — people book for professional events, baby showers, and even winter parties. We’ve seen a lot of productions and commercials shot in my backyard. A lot of movies, music videos, birthdays, weddings, and even proposals have happened there, too.
This summer has been very busy — nearly every weekend has been booked and will be until October, and because we offer discounts during the week, weekdays have also been fairly busy.
My best advice for those looking to rent their pools on Swimply would be to have great photos
Photography matters, so I always recommend investing in professional photos. Lighting is key as well, and everything looks better at sunset, so we typically shoot during twilight hours.
Communicate well and promptly. Have a simple listing. Some listings can be confusing — it’s unclear what’s included. Is it just the backyard? Do they get access to the house and kitchen, too?
At the pools I rent out, every guest has access to the pool, backyard, and bathrooms. They can also add the kitchen or a bedroom (to change or give a baby a nap).
It’s very important for guests to have a great experience. Over time, you’ll see that not only will you have return guests, but the friends they bring with them will book with you, too. It’s a business where success breeds success.
This side hustle has even helped with networking
Recently, we hosted a great event attended by Swimply’s CEO, Bunim Laskin, and Zillow CEO Jeremy Wacksman. I was not only hosting but also invited to the party.
I didn’t expect real estate networking opportunities to come from this side hustle, but events at my listings have given me face time with huge industry players.
One of my Swimply guests became a client, and I helped her purchase a single-family home here in LA. Funny enough, it has a pool, too. They really liked the idea of Swimply and saw a pool as an investment opportunity because of it.
The post I make $22,000 a month renting out backyard pools through an app. It’s an easy side hustle that only takes a few hours a week. appeared first on Business Insider.
