TokkaTok in the Philippines: How Codica Built a Mobile-First Real Estate Marketplace

Would you search for a rental home through Facebook groups? What if that’s your only option?

When our client temporarily relocated from the U.S. to the Philippines with his family, finding a suitable place to live turned out to be far more difficult than expected. The real estate listings were scattered across Facebook, often outdated, unverifiable, and lacking any real structure.

This frustrating experience exposed a clear gap in the market: the lack of a dedicated, trustworthy platform for finding and listing rental properties in the Philippines.

That’s when the idea for Tokkatok was born: a modern, user-friendly real estate platform tailored to the needs of both renters and property owners.

Partnering with Codica, the client, a first-time tech founder with no background in real estate, went from a rough concept to a fully functional product. Together, we built an intuitive and mobile-responsive platform featuring a smart listing system, powerful search capabilities, and scalable infrastructure.

In this article, we’ll walk you through how Codica helped turn a personal pain point into a working, impactful solution, all in just 4 months.

Rethinking property search in the Philippines: Background and market need

What does it take to bring clarity and trust to a fragmented real estate market, especially in a country where over 110 million people live across thousands of islands?

In the Philippines, finding property to rent or buy is often an informal, disjointed process. Despite growing demand for rentals and increased urban mobility, many property seekers still rely on Facebook groups or word-of-mouth, where listings are frequently outdated, unverifiable, and hard to navigate.

That’s where Tokkatok steps up: a digital real estate stage designed to bring clarity, accountability, and intuitive ease to a cluttered market.

To make it a reality, a first-time founder partnered with Codica, coming with just an idea and no technical background. Together, we turned that vision into a scalable, mobile-first product tailored to the Philippine market. Along the way, the team addressed several key challenges:

• Unstructured market environment. There was no reliable digital platform specifically built for property rentals and sales in the Philippines.
• Non-technical founder. The client needed ongoing support in both product and technology decisions.
• Regional integration barriers. Connecting with services like GCash and Facebook Business required navigating local constraints and international compliance.
• Accessibility-first approach. The platform had to be simple and usable for people unfamiliar with digital tools.
• Distributed team collaboration. The entire project was executed remotely, requiring strong communication and documentation from day one.

Codica assembled a cross-functional team to handle every stage of the project, from product discovery and UX/UI design to backend infrastructure, QA, and DevOps.

Got the vision, but need the team?

We can help.

Contact us

Tokkatok’s feature foundation

Tokkatok is built on three pillars: security, usability, and performance. With Tokkatok, Codica delivered a strong foundation of core features tailored to the needs of both property seekers and listers in the Philippine market.

1. Secure and flexible user management

Trust is a cornerstone of any digital marketplace, and it starts with user identity. Codica implemented a secure and user-friendly system that balances protection and accessibility:

• Email verification;
• Social login options;
• Multi-factor authentication via email;
• JWT-based session handling with refresh token rotation;
• Secure, time-limited password recovery;
• Step-by-step profile setup;
• Profile photo uploads stored in AWS S3 with automatic optimization.

2. Streamlined listing management

For real estate platforms, content is king, and listings need to be easy to create, manage, and verify. To support this, Codica built a listing flow that’s both simple and powerful:

• Multi-step wizard to guide users through property creation;
• Context-aware fields that adjust based on property category;
• Batch drag-and-drop image uploads;
• Map-based address selection with validation;
• Draft mode and publishing controls;
• Admin moderation queue with approve/reject logic;
• Optional paid feature to highlight listings.

3. Advanced search and discovery

Helping users find the right property quickly is essential for engagement and retention. To enable this, we built a fast and relevant search experience:

• Elasticsearch-powered search engine;
• Faceted filters and price range selectors;
• Category-specific filters for precision;
• Proximity-based search by location;
• Recommendations for similar listings on property detail pages;
• Emphasis on featured listings in results.

4. Mobile responsiveness and performance optimization

Smartphones are primary in the Philippines, so Tokkatok’s interface and loading strategy prioritize mobile fluidity above all:

• Responsive layouts for all screen sizes;
• Optimized image loading for faster rendering;
• Stable performance across older devices and slower networks;
• Intuitive mobile UX for non-technical users.

5. Scalable infrastructure and DevOps

Our DevOps practices, incorporating infrastructure as code, automated CI/CD pipelines, container orchestration, and proactive monitoring, ensure that every new feature rollout is reliable and that the platform automatically scales to handle traffic surges without downtime:

• Hosted on AWS with S3 for secure media file handling;
• Redis for high-speed caching;
• Presigned URLs for safe, direct uploads;
• AWS Textract integration for automated document parsing;
• Scalable architecture using NestJS, PostgreSQL, and Prisma ORM.

Codica’s attention to scalable engineering and clear product priorities gave Tokkatok the runway to launch beyond MVP, and grow richer in features without any performance trade-offs.

Product discovery session

No successful product starts with code, it starts with clarity. Especially for first-time founders, aligning business goals with user needs and technical feasibility is essential before any development begins. That’s why Codica kicked off the Tokkatok project with a dedicated project discovery phase, laying the groundwork for everything that followed.

Our product discovery services helped the client move from an abstract idea to a validated, well-scoped solution that could be delivered efficiently and with confidence.

Prototypes development

To visualize the concept early and align expectations, we began by creating interactive high-fidelity prototypes. This allowed the client to quickly test ideas, explore user flows, and identify usability gaps, all before a single line of code was written. These prototypes served as a visual foundation for decision-making across design and development teams.

The prototypes for the homepage and search results page were developed to define the site’s core structure and user flow before moving into visual design. They helped translate the client’s vision of a simple, centralized real estate platform into a functional layout.

The homepage prototype focused on simplicity and immediate access to the main feature search. It also mapped out quick navigation paths for renting, buying, or selling, making it easy for users to start their journey from the first screen.

The search results prototype centered on usability, with a clear filter system and informative listing cards. It aimed to simplify the property discovery process and present all essential information at a glance, ensuring users could quickly browse, compare, and dive into listing details.

The prototype for the listing creation flow was designed to outline a clear and logical structure, guiding users step by step while reflecting the intended interaction flow. It also included a review step to support easy adjustments before submission.

The listing page prototype focused on mapping out how key property details and contact options should be presented, ensuring the page structure supports both clarity and user action.

Branding

The name "Tokkatok" draws inspiration from the familiar local sound of a knock “tok tok”, symbolizing the traditional way of searching for homes by literally knocking on doors. This playful, meaningful name captures the spirit of connection and discovery in the Filipino housing experience.

Visually, the logo incorporates the shape of rooftops and doorways. The doors beneath the roofs reinforce the idea of accessible, open homes waiting to be discovered.

Website colors: Orange symbolizes warmth, energy, and opportunity, emotions tied to finding a new place to live. Deep violet provides a strong, modern contrast, conveying trust, depth, and digital sophistication, reflecting the platform’s tech-forward approach.

Business logic and specification

Codica worked closely with the client to translate their real-world experience into detailed product requirements.

Together, we clarified key user roles, listing workflows, moderation rules, and monetization opportunities. This process ensured a shared understanding of the platform’s functionality and helped prioritize what to include in the MVP.

The result was a well-defined project scope, tailored to both the needs of the Philippine market and the capabilities of a lean startup team.

Tech stack selection

With the core logic in place, our team selected technologies that would ensure long-term scalability, performance, and ease of maintenance.

No tech background?

Count on our experts to simplify every step and bring your vision to life.

Contact us

Codica’s development process

Users may never see the complexity behind Tokkatok, and that’s exactly the point. Just like real estate, a great platform starts with planning, is built on solid ground, and is designed for real people. We approached Tokkatok the same way: make smart choices invisible, and everything else frictionless.

Step 1: Infrastructure & DevOps: Laying the technical groundwork

Every scalable digital product starts with infrastructure. For Tokkatok, we architected a backend environment built for speed, resilience, and future growth.

Our tech lead and DevOps engineer began by configuring a cloud-native setup on AWS, using S3 for media storage, Redis for ultra-fast caching, and Textract for document parsing. We integrated presigned URLs to enable secure, direct uploads from the client side, critical for handling large property images smoothly.

The system was designed with reliability in mind: fast deployments, automated monitoring, and a strong foundation for future features.

This step laid the groundwork for what would become a flexible and secure marketplace engine, a textbook example of effective DevOps service application.

Step 2: Product design: Designing for trust and clarity

User experience in real estate is everything. Visitors want to feel the credibility of the listings, see clarity in layout, and find what they need in seconds.

In fact, 96% of home buyers today begin their search online, so if your platform feels confusing or outdated, you’ll lose nearly the entire market before they even click “contact”.

Our UI/UX design services focused on clean, user-centered layouts with a strong mobile-first mindset. We created responsive design systems that worked beautifully across devices, from low-end smartphones to desktop browsers, with seamless flows for both property seekers and agents.

Design prototypes were shared and iterated on in real time, enabling the client to visualize the platform early and make confident product decisions.

Clear navigation, scalable UI components, and thoughtful hierarchy made sure the experience was intuitive, even for non-tech-savvy users.

Additionally, we took into account various age groups to ensure the interface remained as clear and easy to use as possible, especially since many users were older, as noted by the client.

Step 3: MVP development: Building what matters first

With infrastructure and design in place, we moved fast into execution, building a lean, highly functional MVP using modern technologies like React.js, Next.js, TypeScript, Node.js, and NestJS.

Our focus? Deliver essential value without unnecessary bloat.

Through our MVP development services, we shipped core features that mattered most to early users:

• A secure and flexible user system;
• Multi-step listing creation with moderation workflow;
• Location-aware, faceted property search powered by Elasticsearch;
• A fast, scalable backend architecture using Prisma ORM and PostgreSQL.

Everything was built to evolve, we knew new features would come, and the foundation had to support that from day one.

Step 4: Testing & QA: Making sure it just works

You only get one chance to make a first impression, and it better work.

Our quality assurance services kicked in across every layer: from frontend responsiveness to backend reliability.

We tested across devices, browsers, connection speeds, and user types. Listings, filters, uploads, edge cases, everything was verified to ensure smooth interaction and consistent behavior.

Security testing was also a priority: we implemented password hashing with Argon2, secure authentication flows via JWT, and rate limiting via Express Rate Limit to protect the platform from abuse.

Result? A platform that simply worked, even under stress, even on slow networks.

Step 5: Maintenance and support: Growing beyond launch

Launch is not the end, it’s the beginning of product ownership.

Through our online marketplace development services, we provided post-launch technical support, legal guidance on regional compliance, and ongoing collaboration as the client explored new features and growth opportunities.

After launch, Codica remained closely involved: monitoring performance, resolving issues promptly, and supporting ongoing product improvements. Over time, we became a trusted long-term partner for our client’s business journey.

Have an idea worth launching?

We’re here for it.

Contact us

How to build your own solution with Codica

We build marketplaces the way they should be built: deliberately, collaboratively, and with zero fluff.

No templates. No blind coding. No “let’s see how it goes.” At Codica, we treat your product like it already matters, because it does.

You don’t need to be technical and a roadmap carved in stone. You just need 3 things:

1. A problem worth solving.
2. A market that needs it.
3. The courage to start.

We’ll take it from there.

What happens next?

• We challenge your idea before we build it. If it’s weak, we’ll tell you. If it’s strong, we’ll sharpen it.
• We co-create your MVP like it’s our own. With strategy, design, code, and clarity, all in one stack, all in one team.
• We obsess over usability. Because no one cares how it works if they can't figure out how it works.
• We build for the boring stuff too. Infrastructure. DevOps. Edge cases. Scalability. We do the invisible things right, so you don’t have to worry about them later.

And if you’re serious about launching something real, we’re already interested.

Yours could be next

Tokkatok began as a scattered idea, with no tech stack, no product plan, just one founder’s real-life frustration with finding housing in the Philippines.

Four months later, it became a fully functioning real estate marketplace built for an entire country.

That’s what happens when the right idea meets the right process, and the right team.

At Codica, we specialize in turning early-stage concepts into scalable, usable, and beautifully designed products.

So, what’s your version of Tokkatok?

Maybe a pet services marketplace? A job board tailored to your industry? A platform for eco-friendly products? Or maybe an event planning marketplace that fills a local gap?

Let’s find out. Contact us today!