In this episode of the Wisdom Lifestyle Money Show, host Scott Dillingham welcomes Saqib Dareshani, founder of RealSwipe, a platform revolutionizing real estate investing. Saqib shares his journey from computer engineering to real estate, starting in 2009 when he sold his stocks to invest in a fourplex multifamily property. He discusses renovating the building, increasing NOI by 50%, and growing its value from $375,000 to over $1 million today. Drawing on skills from teaching app development at Carleton University and contributing to over 500 apps downloaded millions of times, Saqib explains how he merged tech and real estate to create RealSwipe—Tinder for real estate—helping investors find, analyze, and close deals efficiently.
Saqib details RealSwipe's features, including aggregating properties from MLS, WealthGenius, PadSplit, and upcoming foreclosures across Canada, the US, Mexico, and Dubai. The platform provides pro forma cap rates, projected expenses, and market rent data for quick napkin math, enabling investors to filter by buy box criteria like 8% cap rates in specific areas. It simplifies due diligence by pulling from reputable sources for accurate rents and enriches listings beyond basic MLS info. Realtors benefit too, generating PDFs with detailed data in minutes. As of November 2025, RealSwipe remains in beta, focusing on small to medium investors while planning expansions to institutional users and off-market deals.
The conversation touches on gamifying real estate to boost participation amid housing shortages, integrating CRMs with AI bots and voice agents, and building a community for masterminds and deal-sharing. Saqib emphasizes diversifying geographically and using familiar metrics like cap rates globally. Listeners get an exclusive code for a free trial, highlighting RealSwipe's investor-built approach. This episode offers insights for aspiring investors seeking tech-driven tools to streamline property hunting and analysis in a competitive market.
Key Takeaways
- Engineering to Real Estate Transition: Saqib shifted from high-tech to investing in 2009, starting with a fourplex that he renovated to boost NOI by 50% and value from $375,000 to $1 million, focusing on multifamily for risk diversification.
- App Development Expertise: Taught at Carleton University shortly after graduating, contributed to 500 apps with millions of downloads for clients like CRA and DND, now applying tech to real estate via RealSwipe.
- RealSwipe Platform Overview: Tinder-style app aggregates properties from MLS and other sources, provides pro forma cap rates and market data for quick analysis, helping investors match buy box criteria like cap rates and locations.
- Geographic Coverage and Diversification: Covers Canada widely, US pre-foreclosures, Mexico, and Dubai; standardizes metrics like cap rates for global comparison to unlock equity and reduce risk.
- Features for Efficiency: Includes CRM integration with AI bots, voice agents, and community masterminds; gamifies investing to increase participation and address housing shortages through more supply.
- Investor Tools and Beta Access: Pulls accurate rent data from reputable sources; use code OCTEXPAND for free trial, then $9/month in beta (extendable), scaling to $99/month post-beta for full features.
Links to Show References
- RealSwipe Platform: realswipe.ai (Use code OCTEXPAND for free trial)
- LendCity Mortgages (for Pre-Approvals and Financing): lendcity.ca
- Contact Saqib Thibault: Message via RealSwipe platform or website for feedback and inquiries
- (00:05) - Introduction to Saqib Thibault
- (04:04) - The Birth of RealSwipe
- (07:17) - Challenges in Real Estate Listings
- (12:18) - Gamifying Real Estate Investing
- (14:46) - Accessing RealSwipe
- (16:24) - Building a Real Estate Community
