FOHO – Safer rentals for foreigners in Korea with escrow and AI

Hacker News

We built [FOHO]( https://foreignerhome.com ), a housing platform that helps foreigners safely rent in Korea — without scams, translation issues, or ghosting landlords. --- ### Why we built it: When one of us moved to the US, he got ghosted after sending a deposit for a room. In Korea, it’s worse — most listings are in Korean, deposits are high, and many landlords don’t want foreign tenants. Foreigners are *3x more likely to face fraud* in rental markets (- StatKorea 2025). We interviewed 122 foreign residents in Korea. Two had lost their deposit. From Reddit posts to real-world landlord calls, we found the same pattern: *language barriers, legal uncertainty, no post-move-in help*. --- ### What FOHO does: 1. *AI-matching* based on visa type, lifestyle, move-in dates, etc. 2. *Verified listings* and optional escrow rent protection. 3. *Auto-translated lease terms*, with cultural/legal context. 4. *Post-move-in care* (rent alerts, utility help, multilingual support). 5. *Landlord tools*: rent reminders, issue ticketing, higher yield without added hassle. --- ### Traction: - 1,500+ monthly users, 1,000+ listings - 50%+ organic traffic (up from 9% in Jan) - Partnerships with local institutions (e.g. Korea University) - Preparing expansion to Boston --- ### Tech stack: - Next.js + MongoDB - LangChain + Claude/GPT for translation & contract extraction - Multilingual chatbot built on RAG with custom glossary enforcement --- We’re a team of builders who’ve failed 5 times before, this time shipping daily and talking to every user. Would love feedback on: - Matching logic (should we ask for lifestyle tags or structured inputs?) - Escrow design (would you trust it?) - Expansion: where would this work next? Thanks HN

Visit product View on Hacker NewsJun 28, 2025

Share card

Actual performance

6points

1comments

Did not reach leaderboard

Launch Intel predictions

Analyze your own launch →

Indie HackersFits the IH revenue-focused audience · Missing: supports, reddit linkedin, podcasting

79%79% predicted probability of success on Indie Hackers, based on ML models trained on real launch data.

best fitHighest predicted score across all platforms for this description.

Product HuntOn track for Day 1 leaderboard · Strong signals: claude, user, context · Missing: mac, agents, macos

57%57% predicted probability of success on Product Hunt, based on ML models trained on real launch data.

TrustMRRFits verified-revenue profile · Strong signals: month, monthly, users · Missing: mobile apps, ios, personal

54%54% predicted probability of success on TrustMRR, based on ML models trained on real launch data.

AppSumoMay struggle as an AppSumo deal · Strong signals: platform, host, builder · Missing: plus, intuitive, reviews

43%43% predicted probability of success on AppSumo, based on ML models trained on real launch data.

Hacker NewsMay not resonate with HN audience · Strong signals: ide, 000, io · Missing: https docs, excited, just released

36%36% predicted probability of success on Hacker News, based on ML models trained on real launch data.

nativeThis product was originally launched on this platform.

Acquire.comPre-revenue stage for this audience · Strong signals: arr · Missing: mrr, revenue, profit

20%20% predicted probability of success on Acquire.com, based on ML models trained on real launch data.

BetaListMay not resonate with beta-testers · Strong signals: chat · Missing: web3, crypto, cryptocurrency

0%0% predicted probability of success on BetaList, based on ML models trained on real launch data.

Correct prediction on native model

Similar products

Modifying Clang for a Safer, More Explicit C++70%Launch Intel prediction score: how likely this product is to succeed on its source platform, based on its name, tagline, and description.

Modifying Clang for a Safer, More Explicit C++

Hacker News76

An app for nomads to find motorbike rentals31%Launch Intel prediction score: how likely this product is to succeed on its source platform, based on its name, tagline, and description.

An app for nomads to find motorbike rentals

Hacker News2

TRUEPAUSE47%Launch Intel prediction score: how likely this product is to succeed on its source platform, based on its name, tagline, and description.

Safer Digital Transactions Concept

Indie Hackerscommitment-side-project

Automatebnb55%Launch Intel prediction score: how likely this product is to succeed on its source platform, based on its name, tagline, and description.

Manage your vacation rentals from anywhere!

Indie Hackerscommitment-side-project

Cachekill – A safer alternative to rm -RF node_modules59%Launch Intel prediction score: how likely this product is to succeed on its source platform, based on its name, tagline, and description.

Cachekill – A safer alternative to rm -RF node_modules

Hacker News2

Leasy52%Launch Intel prediction score: how likely this product is to succeed on its source platform, based on its name, tagline, and description.

Your rentals in your inbox

Indie Hackers4ai

GelaTalk – A safer messaging app for drivers59%Launch Intel prediction score: how likely this product is to succeed on its source platform, based on its name, tagline, and description.

GelaTalk – A safer messaging app for drivers

Hacker News6

Digital Streaking – The Safer Alternative to Streaking at the Superbowl48%Launch Intel prediction score: how likely this product is to succeed on its source platform, based on its name, tagline, and description.

Digital Streaking – The Safer Alternative to Streaking at the Superbowl

Hacker News2

Vacation rentals template57%Launch Intel prediction score: how likely this product is to succeed on its source platform, based on its name, tagline, and description.

React template for vacation rentals

Indie Hackers1b2b

Diggz65%Launch Intel prediction score: how likely this product is to succeed on its source platform, based on its name, tagline, and description.

Diggz is a online marketplace to find roommates and rentals

Indie Hackers1community

Browse all products Analyze your launch