Does a pool add value? The sold prices say yes, with a catch.
2,837 pool homes sold in St. Johns, Duval, Nassau and Clay from October 2025 to October 2026. Here is what they brought against homes without one in the same subdivision, at the same size and age.
By Krista Fracke — Broker Associate, Christie's International Real Estate First Coast · 20+ years in Northeast Florida · 500+ closings · client reviews
The matched gap, county by county
I’m Krista Fracke, and when I price a pool home I compare it with pool homes, because the gap is real. In St. Johns County, pool homes sold for a median $114k more than homes without one in the same subdivision, size band and age group: 18%, with the middle half of the gaps between 10% and 29%. Duval’s gap is smaller, $48k (11%).
| County | Sales | With a pool | Median, pool | Median, no pool | Matched gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Johns | 5,385 | 19% | $906k | $517k | +$114k (18%) |
| Duval | 10,222 | 12% | $550k | $322k | +$48k (11%) |
| Nassau | 1,062 | 12% | $670k | $444k | +$91k (23%) |
| Clay | 2,948 | 15% | $450k | $354k | +$48k (13%) |
| All four counties | 19,617 | 14% | $660k | $375k | +$71k (15%) |
Closed single-family sales from the MLS, October 2025 to October 2026. Matched gap: each pool sale against the homes without a pool that sold in the same subdivision, within the same 400-square-foot size band and age group (built before 2015, or 2015 and later); the figure is the middle of those gaps, shown once a county has 15+ matched pool sales. Recomputed daily.
Why the simple comparison misleads
The median St. Johns County pool home sold for $906k and the median home without one for $517k. That gap is mostly the house. The pool homes had a median 3,050 square feet against 2,230, and they sit in older, pricier subdivisions, while a lot of the no-pool sales are new construction out west. Holding the subdivision, size and age steady shrinks the gap to the matched figure above.
Hub by hub
Each hub read through its own page’s boundaries. Where too few pool homes had a match in the same subdivision, the share is shown and the gap is left blank rather than guessed.
| Hub | Sales | With a pool | Matched gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nocatee | 728 | 19% | +$130k (15%) |
| Ponte Vedra Beach | 479 | 44% | +$117k (16%) |
| SilverLeaf | 200 | 5% | too few to match |
| Julington Creek | 159 | 39% | +$104k (19%) |
| World Golf Village | 1,071 | 9% | +$120k (24%) |
| St. Augustine | 321 | 10% | too few to match |
| Southern St. Johns County | 358 | 15% | too few to match |
| Jacksonville Beach | 268 | 31% | +$100k (18%) |
| Mandarin | 827 | 25% | +$38k (10%) |
| San Marco | 30 | 33% | too few to match |
| eTown | 124 | 8% | too few to match |
| Southside Jacksonville | 756 | 14% | +$44k (9%) |
| Amelia Island | 154 | 18% | too few to match |
| Yulee | 440 | 5% | too few to match |
Pools follow price
Share of St. Johns County sales with a private pool, by sale price. Below $600k a pool is the exception; above $1.2M it is the norm. Among the county’s pool sales, 44% listed a screen enclosure, 49% a heated pool and 46% salt water.
Under $400k
2%
of 832 sales
$400k to $600k
7%
of 2,135 sales
$600k to $800k
21%
of 1,152 sales
$800k to $1.2M
39%
of 726 sales
$1.2M to $2M
54%
of 342 sales
$2M and up
70%
of 198 sales
The part nobody tells you: the gap is not the pool’s price tag
A matched gap measures what buyers paid for pool homes, and pool homes tend to come with more: a bigger lot, a deeper yard, newer finishes, an owner who spent money elsewhere too. So the gap is a ceiling on what the pool itself is worth, not a promise that adding one returns its cost. I don’t publish what a pool costs to build or keep; that is a bid from a pool contractor and a quote from your insurance carrier, home by home.
For a seller, the useful fact runs the other way: a pool home priced against no-pool sales leaves money on the table, and one priced against the neighborhood’s best pool sale may sit. I price against pool sales in the same subdivision first.
Adding a pool: the safety rule
Under Florida Statutes 515.27, a new residential pool needs at least one of these before it passes final inspection:
- A barrier that meets 515.29: at least 4 feet high on the outside, with outward-opening, self-closing, self-latching gates.
- An approved safety pool cover.
- Exit alarms on every door and window that opens straight to the pool.
- Self-closing, self-latching doors to the pool, with the release at least 54 inches above the floor.
- A pool alarm certified to ASTM F2208 that sounds when someone enters the water.
A house wall can be part of the barrier only if no door or window in it opens to the pool. Buying a home with an existing pool, ask which feature it passed with; the answer tells you what to keep working.
Pool homes for sale in St. Johns County
Newest first, live from the MLS.
Pool homes for sale in Nocatee
The newest listings, live from the MLS.
Pool homes for sale in Ponte Vedra Beach
The newest listings, live from the MLS.
This is the work I do every week. Selling a pool home? I'll price it against the pool sales in your own subdivision, not the neighborhood average.
Work with Krista (904) 709-7917 TextSave contact
By texting Krista you agree to receive conversational SMS text messages from Krista Fracke about your home search or sale. Message frequency varies. Message and data rates may apply. Reply STOP to unsubscribe, HELP for help. Terms: www.kristafracke.com/terms. Privacy: www.kristafracke.com/privacy.
Broker Associate · Christie's International Real Estate First Coast · 20+ years · 500+ closings
Common questions
Does a pool add value to a home in St. Johns County?
In sold prices, yes. Over October 2025 to October 2026, St. Johns County pool homes sold for a median $114k (18%) more than homes without a pool in the same subdivision, the same size band and the same age group, across 419 matched pool sales. That gap covers the whole pool-home package, not the pool alone.
Why not compare the median pool home with the median home without one?
Because they are different houses. In St. Johns County the median pool home that sold had 3,050 square feet against 2,230 for homes without one, and pools cluster in pricier subdivisions. The raw gap ($906k against $517k) is mostly size and place.
Do pool homes sell faster?
In St. Johns County, the median pool home sold in 31 days on market against 46 for homes without one. That is a raw comparison, and new construction without pools pulls the no-pool figure up.
What safety features does Florida require for a new pool?
Florida Statutes 515.27 says a new residential pool must have at least one of: a barrier that meets 515.29 (at least 4 feet high on the outside), an approved safety cover, exit alarms on every door and window with direct pool access, self-closing and self-latching doors with the release at least 54 inches up, or a pool alarm certified to ASTM F2208.
How common are pools in Northeast Florida homes?
14% of the single-family homes that sold in the four counties over October 2025 to October 2026 had a private pool: 19% in St. Johns, 12% in Duval. In St. Johns it climbs with price, from 2% under $400k to 70% at $2M and up.
Pool homes in St. Johns County →
Every listing with a private pool, live.
Screened lanai pool homes →
Pools under a screen enclosure.
How long homes take to sell →
Days on market and price cuts, community by community.
Watering days →
The drought order, your day by address, and reclaimed water.
Thinking about a pool home?
Buying or selling, tell me the neighborhood. I’ll pull the pool sales there and show you where a home sits.