OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — "Lucky Pig Pool" is one of the many pools in the Omaha area available on an app called Swimply.
"I started last year, mid-season and I had like 4 bookings and they were all great," Jackie Crosbie, an Omaha pool owner, said.
Jackie Crosbie is a pool owner on the app. She started using the app in order to help financially maintain her pool and create a community. This is what Swimply co-founder Asher Weinberger said was the goal.
"We are really building authentic communities. We are not a travel company. We are not Airbnb, we are a business that is all about connecting locals with their neighbors," Weinberger said.
Crosbie said she appreciates the control she has on her listing in the app. She can set requirements and rent to who she wants when she wants.
"When you list your pool you are pretty much in control of a lot of things. You set the price. You set the time frames (and) days. You can cross off as like not available, you know time limits," Crosbie said.
In order to keep everyone safe, the app requires extensive background checks and ensures that all hosts maintain a 5-star rating.
"There are user-generated reviews, which means that if you are less than 5-stars, you are getting kicked off the platform. We are very very serious about the quality of our marketplace," Weinberger said.
Crosbie has a 5-star rating on the app and said what keeps people coming to her pool lies within the name.
"Well my pool has a pig, so he comes on-site. I'll bring him out so they can, people can see him and a lot of times that's why they came," Crosbie said.
She said her pig is named Bacon Bits and that's what sets her apart.
"My last renter, he said that's why he came. He said he looked at the pools (and) he said this one has a pig, that's where we are going," Crosbie said.
She added many of her guests tell her they will be back.
Bacon Bits even has his own little pool.
Prices for renting a pool on the app, in the area, range from $30 to $60 an hour.
Crosbie recommends that anyone looking to rent out their pool should check other listings in the area and see how they are advertising their pools on the app.
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