After losing his marketing business during the pandemic, Rick Neuhoff began renting out his indoor pool on Swimply. The venture, initially a way for his wife to exercise, quickly became a lucrative full-time job, generating up to $15,000 per month.
This story highlights an innovative approach to generating income by leveraging underutilized personal assets, demonstrating a new facet of the gig economy and the sharing economy in the real estate sector.
Rick Neuhoff, a 65-year-old homeowner in Portland, Oregon, has transformed his indoor pool into a full-time business by renting it out through the Swimply app. Neuhoff's marketing business was severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, leading him to seek alternative income streams. Initially, he drove for DoorDash, but a chance encounter with a Swimply welcome bag inspired him to try renting out his own indoor pool, which he had originally built for his wife's exercise needs.
Neuhoff charges $75 per hour for pool rentals, offering a discounted rate of $60 on weekdays. Within months of starting, his earnings grew from a few hundred dollars a week to over $1,000, with his best months grossing between $12,000 and $15,000. The pool house has become a venue for various events, including film and photo shoots, holiday parties, and even a temporary location for a scuba school. He noted that business typically increases when outdoor pools close for the season, and his facility, being one of the few indoor pools in Portland with ample space, attracts a significant number of bookings.