Built and deployed a full-stack housing review platform for the University of Waterloo community using React and Firebase, reaching 10,000+ unique visits in under one month of launch. The application serves as a centralized database for both on-campus residences and off-campus apartments, enabling students to navigate the local housing market through community-driven data and honest reviews.
The platform features a specialized sublet page where students can post and manage housing listings with integrated support for rent details, availability dates, and media uploads. The system utilizes secure serverless CRUD APIs with Firebase authentication and role-based access control to handle user-generated content, property reviews, and threaded community Q&A sessions.
To maintain a responsive user experience during active search sessions, the interface leverages React memoization to reduce UI state recomputation by 60% and ensures sub-100ms update latency via real-time Firestore synchronization. Integrated map functionality and faculty-based filtering allow students to calculate commute times and filter properties by rent, location, and helpfulness metrics.