Why I'm building property management software from a spreadsheet
Four months ago I got access to a real Google Sheets system a landlord built to manage 11 vacation rental properties.
My job was to understand it well enough to build software that replaces it. Here's what I found — and why it changed how I'm thinking about this product.
What the spreadsheet got right:
Everything was in one place
The owner knew exactly what tab to go to for any piece of information
It was fast
What it got wrong:
No way to know what obligations (mortgage, insurance, utilities) were coming due
Tax prep required 3 weeks of reconciliation work every April
Any new column was a maintenance burden
What I'm building instead: Estavo — a financial operations platform for self-managing landlords. Not a PM firm tool. Not a generic bookkeeping tool. Something in between that feels like their spreadsheet but thinks like an accountant.
Current status: schema designed, tech stack locked (Next.js 16, Prisma, PostgreSQL), building the first screens.
If you're building in the real estate / proptech space, I'd love to connect.
I like that you started with a spreadsheet instead of a blank canvas. Spreadsheets are often the best documentation of how people actually work. Replacing those workflows thoughtfully is usually much more valuable than inventing entirely new ones.
Yes, I used to work as an Excel expert, and most of my regular clients are involved in spreadsheet-related projects. This experience has helped me understand how business works, how data flows, and how numbers can tell a story.
I still love spreadsheets to solve problems, but unfortunately, they may not be the first choice anymore. It’s much easier to develop custom solutions using AI.
However, I believe spreadsheets will remain the only reliable solution for decades to come.
That's exactly what I was curious about.
Reading your reply, one strategic business decision immediately came to mind that I don't think is obvious yet, but it's probably too much to unpack properly in a thread.
Happy to explain what I mean if it's useful. What's the best email to reach you on?
Sorry man, I am not "not allowed to post links yet."
You can reach me here: hello[at]estavo[dot]net
Just sent it over by email.
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts once you've had a chance to read it.