Inspiration
As Berkeley students who have been through the housing search process, we were inspired by the shortcomings of existing apartment search sites such as Apartments.com and Zillow. While large, luxury complexes had detailed websites displaying availability and prices, smaller apartments are incredibly difficult to find if not for word of mouth from friends. Thus, we envisioned an apartment listing site designed for Berkeley students to post leases to pass on, as well as candid reviews about their landlords and honest thoughts on their property.
What it does
There are two actions students can take after accessing the JustRight website. They can either post a listing, sharing details on address, price, ratings, and other notes, or they can browse existing posts. These posts can be sorted by Landlord Ratings, Price, Rental Rating, and more.
How it works
Upon submission of a post, the API is called to add the information to the backend databases. From there, the site gets the information from the database and displays it according to the selected sort settings when the user navigates to the listings page.
How we built it
First, I created mockups for the site, including graphics, themes, and features specifications, detailing what information should be submitted and displayed on the site. Then, Francisco used firebase for data storage, connecting it using a simple python script with commands to add listings and order them. Additionally, he used Flask to connect the frontend to the database script. For the frontend, Christian used React to port the UI and add functionality, as well as a Fetch API to allow the React frontend to send and retrieve data from the database.
Challenges we ran into
Most of the challenges we ran into were due to lack of familiarity with tools such as React and Flask, and especially how to actually run the app and servers. But, we were able to debug and collaborate to get it running properly for all users.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
We’re proud of creating a working app connecting the frontend and backend elements in such a short amount of time. The app is also visually appealing with a consistent theme including icons, fonts, and color palettes. Most importantly, the functionality of posting, sorting, and viewing listings works as planned, properly displaying the information without bugs.
What we learned
We learned how to connect different frontend and backend elements, as well as how to use APIs, web design, Flask, React, and more. There were also good teamwork lessons, as all group members completed their respective tasks in a timely manner.
What's next for JustRight
Additional functionality could be added to the site, such as authentication, photo uploads, additional webpages, and more. The concept of an apartment listing site specifically for Berkeley students to help each other out can be expanded upon, and additional filter and sorting features to navigate through posts can also be added.
Installing and running
By accessing and cloning into the repository on a local device, running “npm start” and “flask run,” anyone can interact with the site locally and make API calls and use the features built.
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