House of Orange — Website Backend
Freelance API layer for the House of Orange public website — lead routing, SuperChat automation, and HOOCRM integration.
Overview
Freelance backend work for the House of Orange public website. Built the full API layer: enquiry and lead routes with Zod validation and rate limiting, SuperChat WhatsApp automation, and CRM proxy integration that routes inbound leads directly into HOOCRM pipelines.
Role
Freelance Engineer
Period
2026
Category
API & Automation
Status
Live
The Problem
The House of Orange website needed a backend API layer to handle inbound enquiries — property requests, project interest, general contact, owner services, and job applications — with automated WhatsApp notifications to agents and direct lead ingestion into HOOCRM.
Approach
Built the API layer in Next.js 15 App Router with a consistent pattern across all enquiry types: Zod schema validation → per-IP rate limiting → forward to HOOCRM → trigger SuperChat WhatsApp notification to the assigned agent. Simple, reliable, done.
Architecture
API Routes
Nine server-side routes handling distinct lead types: property enquiry, project interest, general contact, owner services, private office, job applications, ISR revalidation webhook, WhatsApp edge redirect, and an admin agent-listings export.
SuperChat Automation
SuperChat WhatsApp API integration. When a new lead comes in, the assigned agent receives a formatted WhatsApp notification with lead details and a direct wa.me link. Triggered server-side on successful CRM ingestion.
HOOCRM Proxy
All form submissions are forwarded to HOOCRM via API, creating lead records automatically with source attribution. A resilient proxy layer falls back gracefully if the CRM is temporarily unreachable.
Key Features
Enquiry API Layer
Separate routes per enquiry type — each with Zod validation, per-IP sliding-window rate limiting, and honeypot field checks before forwarding to the CRM.
SuperChat WhatsApp Notification
Inbound leads trigger an automated WhatsApp message to the assigned agent via SuperChat, with the lead's name, contact, and enquiry details formatted for quick response.
ISR Revalidation Webhook
HOOCRM calls a webhook when a listing goes live. The webhook triggers Next.js ISR cache invalidation via revalidateTag so the public site reflects new listings within seconds.
Technology Stack
Engineering Challenges
Agent Routing by Enquiry Type
Owner services enquiries (list / rent out / manage) needed to route to different CRM agents based on the selected service type. Implemented an enquiry-type → agent mapping read from environment config so routing can be updated without a deploy.
Outcome
Live at houseoforange.ae. Inbound enquiries from the public website flow into HOOCRM automatically, with WhatsApp notifications to agents on every new lead. API work is complete.