Above Ground Pool For Sale

by Dee Ann Schroeder
(Plymouth, Indiana)

My husband and I want to sell our 12 year old above ground pool. The pool needs a new liner, but everything else is excellent condition. A new pump was bought last year. How much do you think our pool is worth?

Hi Dee. Off the top of my head I would say 3-5 hundred. The price depends on many factors. The market in your area for above ground pools and the time of year are big variables. The demand increases the hotter it gets, so the summer months are the best time to sell.

The condition of the pool is a big factor. At 12 years old it could be in good condition or it could be a rust bucket ready for the garbage. The soil conditions that might cause rust, the care it has received for 12 years and the quality of the pool have a lot to do with this. A top brand pool could easily be in like new condition. An inexpensive pool might have parts that are rusted beyond further use. In certain types of soil, even the best pools deteriorate rapidly. I have seen Doughboy bottom rails falling apart from rust in less than two years. I have also moved, and reinstalled, Doughboy pools that were over 15 years old, and they were almost like new.

The care given a pool makes a difference also. If a leaky liner was allowed to stay in a pool the walls could be much rusted on the inside. If a skimmer leak was not fixed, rust could have eaten away the entire skimmer opening.

One of the biggest factors in selling a used above ground pool is whether or not it is up and operating. If it is up, is it clean and inviting? A pool full of clean water is worth a lot more than a stack of pool parts or a filthy cesspool.

I would let the buyer know that a used liner cannot be reused and that you have a brand new one, in box, that goes with the pool. This really is a big plus if you want any kind of money out your pool.

This 12 year old pool, full of water, sparkling clean, new liner in a box next to it, no signs of rust and in the middle of summer might bring 700 to a 1000.