RoomForge

Verified roommate + housing finder to avoid bad fits and fake listings.

Score: 7.8/10United StatesMedium BuildReady to Spawn
Brand Colors

The Opportunity

Problem

College students waste hours on misleading virtual tours and unverified listings while searching for affordable off-campus housing.

Solution

RoomForge combines off-campus housing search with verified roommate matching, where users create profiles verified by campus peers and listings require mutual verification. It prevents mismatches by scoring roommate compatibility and flagging unverified tours. Students find safe, compatible groups without endless scrolling.

Target Audience

College students seeking off-campus housing near campuses

Differentiator

Integrated housing + roommate matching with peer verification chains.

Brand Voice

edgy

Features

Profile Verification

must-have10h

Verify profile with peer endorsements.

Roommate Matching

must-have12h

Swipe/match based on lifestyle quiz.

Group Housing Search

must-have10h

Search listings for groups with verified status.

Compatibility Scores

must-have8h

AI scores between profiles/listings.

Group Chat

must-have10h

Form chats for potential roommates.

Virtual Group Tours

nice-to-have12h

Schedule verified group video calls.

Lease Split Calc

nice-to-have6h

Auto-calculate shared costs.

Background Check

future20h

Optional paid checks.

Total Build Time: 88 hours

Database Schema

users

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
emailtextNo
campus_iduuidNo
lifestyle_datatextYes
is_verifiedboolNo
created_attimestampNo

Relationships:

  • campus_id -> campuses.id

groups

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
nametextNo
creator_iduuidNo
created_attimestampNo

Relationships:

  • creator_id -> users.id

group_members

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
group_iduuidNo
user_iduuidNo

Relationships:

  • group_id -> groups.id
  • user_id -> users.id

listings

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
titletextNo
group_iduuidYes
is_group_verifiedboolNo

Relationships:

  • group_id -> groups.id

campuses

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
nametextNo

API Endpoints

GET
/api/matches/roommates

Get roommate matches

🔒 Auth Required
POST
/api/groups

Create group

🔒 Auth Required
POST
/api/listings/group

Submit group listing

🔒 Auth Required
POST
/api/chats

Start group chat

🔒 Auth Required
POST
/api/profiles/verify

Peer verify

🔒 Auth Required

Tech Stack

Frontend
Next.js 14 + Tailwind CSS + shadcn/ui
Backend
Next.js API routes
Database
Supabase Postgres
Auth
Supabase Auth
Payments
Stripe
Hosting
Vercel
Additional Tools
Pusher for realtime chat

Build Timeline

Week 1: Auth & profiles

20h
  • User profiles
  • Verification

Week 2: Matching & groups

25h
  • Quiz & swipes
  • Group mgmt

Week 3: Listings & chat

25h
  • Group listings
  • Realtime chat

Week 4: Scores & search

20h
  • Compatibility
  • Search

Week 5: Payments & tours

15h
  • Stripe
  • Video calls

Week 6: Launch

10h
  • Tests
  • Deploy

Week 7: Nice-to-haves

8h
  • Cost calc

Week 8: Iterate

5h
  • Feedback fixes
Total Timeline: 8 weeks • 160 hours

Pricing Tiers

Free

$0/mo

No chat

  • Basic matching
  • 1 group

Pro

$25/mo
  • Unlimited groups
  • Priority matching
  • Chat

Enterprise

$99/mo
  • All Pro + API access
  • White-label for unis

Revenue Projections

MonthUsersConversionMRRARR
Month 14001%$100$1,200
Month 62,0004%$2,000$24,000

Unit Economics

$10
CAC
$220
LTV
4%
Churn
91%
Margin
LTV:CAC Ratio: 22.0xExcellent!

Landing Page Copy

Forge Perfect Roommates & Verified Housing

No more randos—match, verify, and house hunt as a squad.

Feature Highlights

Roomie compatibility scores
Group verification
Shared chats
Lease tools

Social Proof (Placeholders)

"'Found my crew instantly.' - Tyler, UMich"
"'Verified groups saved drama.' - Lena, OSU"

First Three Customers

Seed groups in roommate Facebook groups at top 5 universities. Offer lifetime Pro to first 3 full groups that verify. Cross-post in housing Discords with referral incentives.

Launch Channels

Product Huntr/roommatesr/SaaSTwitter indieBetaList

SEO Keywords

roommate finder off campusverified group housing collegecompatible roommates near [university]

Competitive Analysis

Free + premium
Strength

Matching

Weakness

No housing integration

Our Advantage

Housing + verification

SpareRoom

spareroom.com
Free
Strength

Listings

Weakness

Adult-focused, unverified

Our Advantage

Student groups

🏰 Moat Strategy

Data moat from group verification networks.

⏰ Why Now?

Surge in group living due to affordability crisis.

Risks & Mitigation

executionmedium severity

Low group formation

Mitigation

Matchmaking nudges

technicallow severity

Realtime chat scale

Mitigation

Supabase realtime

markethigh severity

Seasonal usage

Mitigation

Off-season features

Validation Roadmap

pre-build7 days

Interview 50 students

Success: 60% pain match

mvp21 days

Closed beta groups

Success: 10 active groups

launch7 days

Campus ambassador program

Success: 200 users

Pivot Options

  • Pure roommate app
  • Student sublet marketplace
  • Campus group formation tool

Quick Stats

Build Time
160h
Target MRR (6 mo)
$6,000
Market Size
$50000.0M
Features
8
Database Tables
5
API Endpoints
5