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Cathy Lai
Cathy Lai

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[MyNextHome] Simple Data Model + Sync Flow

#buildinpublic #reactnative #mobile

This is a quick design note for how my MyNextHome app will handle two things:

  1. Pulling open home listings from Trade Me New Zealand (via my own backend).
  2. Saving my own visiting notes locally on the phone, then syncing them to my server when I’m online.

Nothing here is final — it’s just the first clean version so I can keep building without keeping everything in my head.

1. The Three Tables (Minimal but Enough)

1) users

Very basic — just enough so the server knows who owns which notes.

Fields

  • id – primary key
  • email – optional
  • name – optional
  • created_at, updated_at

I’ll worry about real login/auth later. For now this just lets the server store notes properly.

2) properties

Every time the app pulls a listing from Trade Me and I interact with it (e.g. I save notes), it becomes a “property” in my system.

Fields

  • id – my internal property ID
  • source – "trademe"
  • source_listing_id – Trade Me’s ListingId
  • title
  • location (suburb/city)
  • bedrooms, bathrooms
  • thumbnail_url
  • raw_payload (the whole Trade Me JSON — optional but handy)
  • timestamps

Basically: a simplified snapshot of the listing, enough for the app UI and for attaching notes.

3) visit_notes

This is the star of the project. This is the stuff I own: my comments, impressions, ratings.

Fields

  • id – server-side ID
  • user_id
  • property_id
  • client_local_id – generated by the app (important for syncing)
  • note_text
  • rating
  • tags – JSON list like ["sunny", "quiet street"]
  • photos – probably URLs later
  • is_deleted – soft delete
  • timestamps

Sync uses updated_at for conflict resolution (simple last-write-wins for now).

2. Data Flow: How Listings Move Through the System

A) Trade Me → My Backend → Mobile App

This part is basically me “curating” Trade Me’s raw data into something my app can use.

Step 1: My backend calls Trade Me

  • It asks for open homes, e.g. next weekend.
  • It loops through the results and upserts into the properties table.
  • I can cache these for a few minutes or an hour so the app loads fast.

Step 2: Mobile app calls my API
A super clean endpoint like:

GET /open-homes
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The backend returns a list of properties shaped exactly how my React Native screens want them:

  • internal propertyId
  • Trade Me listing ID
  • title
  • location
  • bedrooms
  • thumbnail
  • open-home times

Step 3: App shows the list
When I tap into a property, the app stores the property locally (just the fields it needs for offline mode + linking notes).

That’s basically it.

3. Data Flow: My Notes → My Backend

This is the part that makes the app actually mine — not just a read-only viewer.

A) Local-first note writing

When I write a note:

  1. The app creates/updates a local note record
  2. It gives it a localId (UUID)
  3. Marks it as isDirty = true
  4. Saves it immediately (offline-friendly)

So I can write notes even in the elevator, at an open home with bad reception, or on a walk.

B) Syncing up to my server

Whenever:

  • I come back online,
  • or I open the app,
  • or I hit a “Sync” button,

the app grabs all the dirty notes and sends them to:

POST /sync/visit-notes
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The request includes:

  • clientLocalId
  • optional serverId
  • the property details (either my own propertyId or Trade Me’s ID)
  • the note text, rating, tags, updatedAt timestamp, etc.

Backend behaviour

  • If the note doesn’t exist → create it
  • If it does exist → update it (compare timestamps)
  • Return the server IDs back to the app

App behaviour

  • Writes back the new serverId
  • Clears isDirty
  • Updates local timestamps

Done.

C) Optional: Sync down (for multi-device later)

If I ever want to use the app on two devices, the app can call:

GET /sync/visit-notes?since=2025-11-20T00:00:00Z
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And the backend returns whatever changed after that.
App merges it.
Pretty simple.

4. Why This Setup Works

  • My server protects my Trade Me keys
  • Caching makes listing loading fast
  • Local DB makes note-taking instant and offline-safe
  • Sync is simple enough for v1 but expandable later
  • The property table lets notes stay attached even if Trade Me hides/archives the listing

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