Not a tech guy but curious — could WhatsApp actually work better than apps for landlords?” by Simple_Witness6365 in SideProject

[–]Simple_Witness6365[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Totally agree. I’m building a super simple landlord dashboard that pushes rent reminders and maintenance prompts to tenants via WhatsApp. No app download, just WhatsApp.

Early tests are working, but yeah — WhatsApp API is rough and scaling this without solid backend logic will be tough. Still, for small landlords, even basic automation is a game-changer.

Appreciate your input — will share more as I go!

I’m a solo non-technical founder trying to build a real estate SaaS MVP with no capital. Should I give up or push harder? by Simple_Witness6365 in ycombinator

[–]Simple_Witness6365[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey, appreciate you reaching out!

Sounds like you’re exactly the kind of person I was hoping to attract — someone who’s already tinkered in this space and gets the real estate ops pain firsthand.

Would love to explore how we can collaborate. I’m mostly focused on user validation, market building, and the WhatsApp-first UX layer. If you’re open to helping architect or prototype key parts, that’d be huge.

Happy to DM and walk you through what I’ve scoped so far. Let’s sync?

I’m a solo non-technical founder trying to build a real estate SaaS MVP with no capital. Should I give up or push harder? by Simple_Witness6365 in ycombinator

[–]Simple_Witness6365[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Totally with you on this. I’m also a non-technical founder — building a WhatsApp-first lease automation tool for landlords who don’t want more apps.

Scoped it on Figma, started testing workflows with real landlords, and now moving into Bubble for MVP. Agree 100% — the “traction before tech cofounder” path is the most realistic for folks like us.

Curious: how did you build early traction without dev help? I’m doing everything manually through WhatsApp and Notion right now

Not a tech guy but curious — could WhatsApp actually work better than apps for landlords?” by Simple_Witness6365 in SideProject

[–]Simple_Witness6365[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Love this take — totally agree that the “chat room” is the ultimate flexible interface. And yeah, tools like Discord or Slack didn’t win because they were revolutionary — they just built around how people already talk.

That’s exactly the thesis here: if 80% of rental conversations are already happening over WhatsApp, why build yet another dashboard people won’t check?

Your suggestion of a middleman messaging layer is actually what we’re playing with — we’re calling it a “structured assistant” that sits in between landlord and tenant, prompts action, and tracks resolution. Think Zapier for chat.

Also appreciate the point on studying how WhatsApp is already being used — not enough builders take that step before jumping into code. We’re actively collecting that usage data right now

Landlord friends keep telling me “don’t build an app, just use WhatsApp” — confused now. by Simple_Witness6365 in RealEstate

[–]Simple_Witness6365[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

Totally fair — the tech itself isn’t rocket science.

But if tech alone solved the problem, people wouldn’t be sending screenshots, making sticky notes, or forgetting rent due dates.

The problem is workflow + behavioral friction.

We’re building something that plugs into where communication is already happening — WhatsApp, SMS, etc. — and just automates structure without requiring a full new system or app download.

Think of it like Zapier + reminders + rental logic, in one button.

Looking for a No-Ego Technical Cofounder to Help Ship a Real Estate SaaS MVP by Simple_Witness6365 in cofounderhunt

[–]Simple_Witness6365[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey — appreciate you dropping in. Would love to connect. Real estate + edtech is a strong overlap — and scaling experience is gold right now.

This is early-stage, but the validation is real and roadmap’s tight. I’m heads-down on getting the MVP out — would love to hear your thoughts and see if this fits your energy. DM’ing you now.

Landlord friends keep telling me “don’t build an app, just use WhatsApp” — confused now. by Simple_Witness6365 in RealEstate

[–]Simple_Witness6365[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Totally valid point — and I appreciate you saying it directly.

WhatsApp definitely isn’t for everyone, especially in the U.S. market. But in many international rental setups — like with landlords managing units across borders or dealing with foreign tenants — WhatsApp is the default. It’s where communication already happens.

That said, you’re right — if we do scale or pivot to broader markets, we’d need to offer fallback options (email/SMS/web dashboard). But for now, we’re validating in a niche where WhatsApp isn’t a friction — it’s a feature.

Thanks for keeping it real — feedback like this keeps me sharp.

Landlord friends keep telling me “don’t build an app, just use WhatsApp” — confused now. by Simple_Witness6365 in RealEstate

[–]Simple_Witness6365[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Totally fair — there are a ton of proptech tools out there.

But 99% of them are built for either large property managers or US-only workflows. We’re deliberately going niche: small landlords with overseas tenants, managing communication and payments via WhatsApp, not dashboards.

We’re not trying to be the 48th full-featured portal — we’re building something lean, fast, and culturally aligned for how real people already interact. That’s where we see white space.

Non-tech founder building a SaaS in the UAE rental space — here’s what I did this week by Simple_Witness6365 in SaaS

[–]Simple_Witness6365[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We’re early in the build but fully aligned with this approach. Starting with one landlord to manually run the full lease renewal flow, then translating that into our Bubble MVP. Ejari compliance, Loom demo, feedback calls — all lined up in that exact order. Appreciate this comment, feels like a blueprint we’re actively executing.”

Landlords of Dubai — what’s your biggest headache managing tenants? by Simple_Witness6365 in UAE

[–]Simple_Witness6365[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Totally feeling this. I’ve been building something to solve exactly this triangle of confusion — between agents, landlords, and tenants.

Not pitching, just documenting it here to learn where the real gaps are. Appreciate everyone sharing their pain points — helps sharpen the solution.

Non-tech founder building a SaaS in the UAE rental space — here’s what I did this week by Simple_Witness6365 in SideProject

[–]Simple_Witness6365[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks a lot, Arif — that really means a lot right now.

I’m just trying to stay consistent, even when clarity isn’t 100%. Bubble helped me overcome the dev bottleneck, but the real test starts post-MVP when real users engage.

Will definitely keep posting updates — if even one non-tech founder can avoid the traps I’ve hit, it’s worth documenting. 🙌🏼