Most pool routes are valued as a multiple of monthly billing. The common rule of thumb is about 10 times what the route bills each month, so that’s the place to start.
The quick math
Take your monthly billing and multiply it by 10. A route billing $7,875 a month would list near $78,750.
That’s a starting point, not an appraisal. Two routes with the same billing can sell for very different prices. You can run your own numbers in our route calculator.
What routes are listing for
PoolDial looked at 2,893 broker records from across the country. Some of those are asking prices rather than final sales, so treat them as a guide. The median Texas route in that data had 40 accounts, was priced at $84,000 and came in at 11 times monthly revenue, or about $2,057 per account. Nationally, the median was 50 accounts at $70,800, or 10 times monthly revenue. See PoolDial’s full breakdown.
That data didn’t include New Mexico, so we’d look at each New Mexico route on its own.
What moves the number
- Pool count: smaller routes are easier to afford, and that can bring in more buyers.
- How tight the stops are: less driving between pools makes a route worth more to the person running it.
- Account mix: buyers look at what each account pays and what the service includes.
- Billing you can show: buyers will want to see the numbers behind the price.
Size changes how a route sells
Routes of 50 pools or fewer usually sell within 6 months, partly because seller financing is easier to offer. Larger routes can sit longer. If interest stalls, breaking a big route into smaller pieces can help.
Getting a real number
The calculator gets you close. For a real number, we’d want to go over your billing, your stops and your accounts with you. Send us a few details or give us a call.