SOFTWARE · · 7 min read
What we learned designing and building Openy
Taking a real estate SaaS product from idea to launch. Six lessons on scope, design, stack and selling that now shape every software build.
Rhys Telfer · Founder & Creative Director
The problem
Openy started with a simple question: why does every open home end in admin? Every weekend, agents collect buyer details on paper or an iPad, then spend hours chasing feedback, typing names into their CRM and writing updates for vendors. The problem was clear, it happened every week, and every agent we spoke to recognised it. That became the brief for Openy.
Lesson 1: pick a narrow problem
Openy doesn't try to replace an agency's CRM. It does one job: everything from the moment a buyer walks through the door to the moment the vendor reads their feedback. Keeping the scope tight let us design every step properly instead of building a dozen half-finished features.
Lesson 2: design for the person at the door
The most important screen in Openy is the one a buyer sees when they scan the QR code at an open home. They're standing in a hallway, often with a group behind them. So signing in takes seconds, needs no app download, and asks only for what the agent actually uses.
Designing for the real context, not the ideal one, shaped almost every decision in the product.
Lesson 3: build the smallest version that's real
Our first version focused on the core flow: sign-in, the agent dashboard and the vendor report. Rather than building complex messaging infrastructure on day one, we planned to send the first feedback texts by hand while testing at real open homes. If the flow didn't work in person, no amount of automation would fix it.
Lesson 4: connect, don't replace
Agencies already rely on CRMs like Rex, VaultRE, Agentbox and Box+Dice. Instead of asking them to switch, Openy sends buyers to the tools they already use through Zapier, Make, Google Sheets and CSV export. Fitting into an existing workflow is a far easier sell than replacing it.
Lesson 5: a boring stack is a good stack
We built Openy with Next.js, Supabase for the database and sign-ins, Vercel for hosting and Stripe for billing. None of it is exotic, and that's the point. Proven tools let us spend our time on the product, not the plumbing, and it's the same stack we now use for client builds.
Lesson 6: let the product sell itself
The Openy website doesn't just describe the product, it shows it. Visitors can scan a live demo code on their phone, sign in as a buyer and watch themselves appear on an agent dashboard. For a product built around a phone experience, letting people try it beats any amount of copy.
What this means for our clients
Building Openy shaped how we approach every software project. We scope software the same way: one clear job, a lean first version, real-world testing, and integrations over rebuilds. If you're thinking about a product or internal system of your own, that's the process you'll get.
Have an idea for a product or tool? Book a call and we'll help you find the smallest version worth building.
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WRITTEN BY
Rhys Telfer · Founder & Creative Director
Founded Sault Digital in 2018 after years on the client side. Leads strategy and creative on every project.