Key Takeaways:
– Housle, a real-estate take on the word game Wordle, has gained 200,000 users from over 176 countries in just eight months.
– The game presents players with a listing photo of a house for sale and gives them five chances to guess the correct asking price.
– Feedback from players has been positive, with one high school teacher using the game to teach his students about real estate.
– The game has also brought families closer together, with one family reconnecting by playing the game together every day.
– Housle has been successful in selling advertising space to real estate agents, allowing them to showcase their listings and innovative marketing techniques.
– The creator of Housle, Doug Weitzbuch, plans to expand the game by allowing users to play archived games and reaching a new audience through an advertising campaign.
– Weitzbuch has attracted two investors to work with him on further expansion.
inman:
Eight months after launching real estate’s answer to Wordle, the home price guessing game has drawn 200,000 users from more than 150 countries. Now its creator has plans to grow even more.
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When Doug Weitzbuch launched Housle — the real-estate take on the popular word game Wordle — in January, he saw it as a fun side project, one of the many takes on the now-New York Times-owned game that launched in late 2022 and early 2023.
But in the space of just eight months, Housle has grown to levels Weitzbuch never conceived of, attracting 200,000 users from over 176 countries, with nearly half a million games played as of October, the television producer turned game developer told Inman.
“This a side project for me; it was more of a pet project to see what the feedback is and what not, and the feedback has been really strong,” Weitzbuch said. “People reach out to us all the time giving us really positive feedback.”
The game is played by presenting players with a listing photo of a house for sale and gives players five chances to guess the correct asking price. For each wrong answer, they’re shown another photo of the house and given another detail that might help them guess correctly, such as its location square footage or lot size.
Feedback from regular players has included a message from a high school teacher in Chicago who told Weitzbuch he plays the game every morning with his homeroom class to help teach his students about real estate.
“The teenage-aged person isn’t generally interested or excited about real estate; it’s just not something that’s on their mind. They’re teenagers, they’re focused on other things,” he said. “But our game is completely engaging them. If he forgets to play one day they’ll shout out ‘We didn’t play Housle!’”
Weitzbuch said he has also heard from a family that had been distant for years but — motivated by a shared interest in real estate — were able to reconnect by playing the game together every day.
“They played daily and would connect and share their scores, which would spawn other conversations,” Weitzbuch said. “They’re closer than they’ve ever been over the fact that they’ve been playing this game.”
The game is, unsurprisingly, particularly popular among real estate professionals, and Weitzbuch has found early success in selling advertising space to agents in the form of having their listings featured as the house of the day on Housle. Agents can have their listings featured for $250 a day, with a “few dozen” agents buying ad space so far, according to Weitzbuch.
Weitzbuch says the feature is not only a good way for agents to get more eyeballs on their listings but can be used to show potential clients the innovative marketing techniques they will employ to sell their house, beyond traditional strategies such as mailers.
“You’re getting your listing exposed to thousands and thousands of people, so you’re getting marketing exposure,” he said. “But I think in this day and age, where it’s important to separate yourself and be innovative and try to new things — and to show your client you’re trying new things — I think that’s important as a Realtor, to use that as part of your pitch when you’re marketing yourself for a listing.”
Motivated by this early enthusiasm for his game, Weitzbuch has his eyes on further expansion and has attracted two investors to work with him. His immediate goals with the new capital are to unlock more gameplay by allowing users to play archived games and to reach a new audience of gamers through an advertising campaign.
“We’re going to be iterating on the feature set to expand to unlock the archive and have additional games each day for people to play,” he said. “The biggest piece of criticism was: We want more. The game was fun, but they got in a headspace and they liked it and they wanted to stay in that cycle, so we’re going to try to feed that a little bit.”
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Property Chomp's Take:
Housle: Real Estate's Answer to Wordle
In the ever-evolving world of online gaming, new trends and concepts are constantly emerging. One such game that has recently gained popularity is Housle – a real estate guessing game that has attracted over 200,000 users from more than 150 countries in just eight months since its launch. The creator of Housle, Doug Weitzbuch, is now planning to expand the game even further.
When Weitzbuch initially launched Housle, he saw it as a fun side project, inspired by the popular word game Wordle. Little did he know that it would grow to such unprecedented levels. With nearly half a million games played and users from all around the globe, Housle has surpassed Weitzbuch's expectations.
The game mechanics of Housle are simple yet engaging. Players are presented with a listing photo of a house for sale and are given five chances to guess the correct asking price. For each incorrect answer, they are shown another photo of the house along with additional details that could help them make a more accurate guess, such as the location, square footage, or lot size.
The feedback from regular players has been overwhelmingly positive. One high school teacher from Chicago even uses Housle as a teaching tool with his homeroom class, introducing them to the world of real estate in a fun and interactive way. The game has managed to engage teenagers who typically have little interest in the subject, creating an enjoyable learning experience for them.
Moreover, Housle has also brought families together. Weitzbuch shared the heartwarming story of a family that had been distant for years but reconnected through their shared interest in real estate. Playing the game together every day became a bonding activity, allowing them to connect and share their scores, which sparked conversations that brought them closer than ever before.
Unsurprisingly, Housle has found a significant following among real estate professionals. Weitzbuch has capitalized on this by offering advertising space to agents, allowing them to feature their listings as the "house of the day" on Housle for a fee. This not only increases exposure for their listings but also demonstrates their innovative marketing techniques to potential clients, showcasing that they go beyond traditional strategies like mailers.
Motivated by the positive reception and early success of his game, Weitzbuch has attracted two investors to work with him. With their backing, he plans to unlock more gameplay options by allowing users to play archived games and reach a broader audience through an advertising campaign.
The future of Housle looks promising as Weitzbuch aims to iterate on the game's features, expand its offerings, and fulfill the players' desire for more content. His vision is to keep users engaged and satisfied while continuing to provide an enjoyable and educational experience in the world of real estate.
In conclusion, Housle has proven to be a game-changer in the real estate gaming industry. Its unique concept has captured the attention of players worldwide and has even managed to bridge gaps between people. With plans for expansion and the support of investors, Housle is set to become an even more significant player in the gaming world.
