How I Built 2 Sites (in 2 Weeks): Proptech Pals and Landlord Leaks

Hey Indiehackers!

I wanted to share my experience of building two sites within a week and the motivation behind them. As an entrepreneur of one prop-tech company, I figured I could leverage some of my data and findings to assist others in building theirs. Sometimes this is crucial when you want to generate some income to continue building. I am sure you've been there. Although there is much more to develop, good is better than perfect. I will continue to develop, but if I wait to perfect it, I know after building WXLLSPACE, I won't launch 😅.

After hearing about WhoRaised.io, I figured it was the right time to develop my idea. I always thought about leveraging the thousands of contacts I’ve had that have helped me generate up to $120k ARR for WXLLSPACE. In doing so, I started ProptechPals.com, which is essentially a lead website for prop-tech founders, and real estate professionals who want to pitch business or products to real estate developers. As a previous asset manager and broker in the space, I understand the difficulties in doing so. The other site is called Landlordleaks.com, to which was created out of frustration of my management company and background in real estate development.

The Stack

I’ve been playing around with Webflow a bunch over the past 6 months and figured I could put this together pretty easily as a no-code stack. All I needed was Airtable, Whalesync and Webflow and the field mapping was pretty easy. I spent a few hours each day building these sites. The process was smooth and efficient, allowing me to complete both sites within a week with the same tech-stack.

The Ideas

Both of these projects were created as side hustles while working on my main startup.

Site 1: Proptech Pals

The idea for Proptech Pals came to me while browsing through Indiehackers, Linkedin and Reddit. I saw an opportunity to help other proptech founders find and source leads for their products. I sold the list once to a founder pitching sustainable composting bins for NYC rental landlords. They recently emailed me and said they connected and sold their product to 8 developers which made me super excited for them and slightly validated my idea. With the prices of CoStar being so expensive($2,000+ per month on average), I could provide the same data WITH actual verified contact info to others for literally a fraction of the price.

Site 2: Landlord Leaks

Landlord Leaks was born out of my personal frustration with my current building's management company. They have consistently neglected to handle basic issues, and I wanted to create a platform where other tenants can post their grievances. I live in Atlanta and pay over $3k for a nice apartment in a brand-new building and the management company fails to handle basic tasks, let alone with urgency. I spoke with a new tenant 2 weeks ago when he was moving in, and it was hard to not share the things I find annoying when he asked me how I like living here. When I saw him a week later, we spoke about some issues he noticed and we both agreed that we would not have moved here had we known about these issues. By sharing these issues, I hope to have Landlord Leaks save future tenants from headaches and force management companies to make changes as their vacancy rates increase due to this public knowledge. Let’s be honest, for anyone who’s rented in a building before, the leasing agent is not showing you specific things on purpose. Maybe, just maybe, if an owner realizes how much they are missing out on, they will take initiative and handle these issues to increase their occupancy rate and prioritize tenant satisfaction.

Plans for Growth and Scaling

I have plans to grow and scale both platforms to reach more users. For Landlord Leaks, I plan to generate ad revenue as the site gains traction. Although I would want to generate revenue, my main goal is to provide value to future renters.

For Proptech Pals, I intend to generate subscription revenue. The subscription model will enable founders to access the list in its entirety (1k+ companies) and the updated list. The list will provide founders or agents with the immediate contacts needed of the decision-makers at these properties.

Next Steps

Both Proptech Pals and Landlord Leaks were born from personal experiences and challenges which makes them relatable to others facing these issues. These side projects have not only allowed me to explore new ideas and opportunities but also serve as a testament to the power of the Indiehackers community. I enjoy building and taking some mind space away from the struggles of building the main startup. For Proptech Pals, I hope to gain 20 paid users and for Landlord Leaks, I hope to have 50 “stories shared” on the platform in Q2’23 respectively.

My final note, is don’t be afraid to leverage existing data to generate some income and don’t be afraid to take time away to avoid burnout. That creativity will resurge and channel that energy into building something. I hope to learn something from each of these side projects that will ultimately help me grow WXLLSPACE and be a better founder overall.

Feel free to share your thoughts, questions, or experiences with building side projects. I'd love to hear your stories and learn from your insights!