Why location was non-negotiable
After the MVP, the loudest feedback was about geography: time and gas are part of the cost. Flippers wanted alerts that respected where they actually source.
We tested different radii and volume curves and kept bumping into the same pattern: tiny radii were barren, large ones were noisy and unrealistic to drive. Twenty miles landed in the sweet spot, providing enough volume, reasonable drive time, and less junk from impossible commutes.
Bringing the map to life
A list of deals was useful; seeing them on a map was better. We added geolocation so you could drop a pin, then drew a clean radius circle to make the search area obvious.
A small but important change was a loading state while geolocation resolved. It stopped the “is this broken?” feeling and made the map feel alive while it pulled your location and plotted results.
- Geo fields on watchlists (lat, lng, radius)
- Radius-aware filtering that pairs distance with price insights
- Alert groundwork: price vs comps, within radius, and recent enough to matter
What it unlocked
With location baked in, Flipdar shifted from “What’s this worth?” to “Tell me when something underpriced pops up near me.” The default 20-mile circle made it feel like a deal radar instead of a calculator.
The groundwork now feeds the alert system: price relative to comps, distance within your radius, and freshness so you can actually move first.