AI vibecoding tools have made it easy for anyone to build custom tools in minutes, but they are always insecure, non-compliant, and off-brand. Cloze’s new Forge platform is a direct answer to that risk.
Choosing software for your real estate business is often fraught with challenges. You either use a pre-packaged platform that may or may not work well for the way you do business, or you “back your truck with money” for a custom solution.
According to Cloze founder and CEO Dan Foody, vibe coding offers the best of both worlds, even though it adds a whole new set of problems of its own.
Dan Foudy (via LinkedIn)
Whether brokerages know it or not, agents are already using AI tools to build apps and software. While their output looks good on the surface, they can expose data, ignore compliance language, and even violate brand standards, creating a nightmare scenario for supervising brokers and broker owners.
That’s why Cloze is rolling out its new Forge product, a platform that allows brokerage firms to build and deploy custom technology solutions with built-in security.
Why Vibe Coding Brings Responsibility to Brokers
Standard vibe-coded applications are often protected by API keys that are not secure by default and expose all of the app’s data if stolen or hacked. Managing access requires custom technology solutions, which most brokerages are not prepared or equipped for.
“You can’t trust AI, can you?” Hoodie said. “You can’t trust someone to hallucinate you. You can’t trust them to do security properly. You can’t trust them to do what’s best for you. You can’t trust them to know what’s important to you.”
Cloze Forge replaces API keys with what we call “declarative security.” This is an auditable external rule that sets limits on the records and fields that each app can access. That means your code doesn’t have to say “trust me,” Foody said, and the security layer ensures that only the necessary data fields are accessible.
What Cloze Forge does
Forge comes with six predefined app types, each with its own built-in security profile. Additionally, Forge Studio is a vibe coding tool powered by Claude Code. Apps built on Cloze’s Forge system are secure, compliant, and fully owned by the brokerage firm.
Data comes from broker listings, MLS data, transactions, clients, and communication history, all powered by the Cloze Intelligence Engine.
“Creating a branded digital experience is no longer a technology project; it’s a business decision,” Foody said. Currently, “brokerage companies are selling branded kits.” [Forge] That way, the apps you build will automatically follow your brand standards. ”
The first Forge app launching today is the Open House app, which is fully vibe-coded and offers a custom-branded check-in experience with QR posters, kiosk mode, and offline functionality. Visitors who check in with the app pull their data into Cloze’s relationship intelligence, agent follow-up, marketing workflows, loan rates, and long-term customer engagement systems.
According to Foody, the Open House app screens a variety of potential interested parties when a visitor checks in. For example, if you’re a brokerage with in-house mortgages, a loan interest screening question will send contact information to your mortgage loan officer.
Meanwhile, unrepresented open house attendees will flow to available buyer agents. At the same time, the listing agent gets a record of all visitors and their information for post-event follow-up.
Compliance stories the industry has yet to address
The Ministry of Real Estate has not yet moved forward with litigation against AI-built agent tools, but that day is coming. Brokers are responsible for what their agents publish under license, so rogue vibe-coded tools create oversight gaps.
By creating an auditable and legally enforceable environment tied to internal policies and procedures, Forge avoids many of the potential objections that regulators and brokers will grapple with over the coming months.
“All security rules are fully auditable and cannot be circumvented,” Foudy said. “Making security well-defined, auditable and reviewable outside of the app [compliance] It becomes a much easier problem to deal with. ”
Cloze already serves Baird & Warner, Brown Harris Stevens, Sotheby’s, William Raveis and Windermere and believes customization is a key part of the new competitive real estate environment. In the era of super apps, brand differentiation becomes increasingly important in both client service and agent recruitment and retention, as tools owned by individual brokerages replace tools.
“In a world where we compete with the ubiquitous Compass brand, the more unique we are, the more we differentiate ourselves,” Foody said. Cloze offers an opportunity to leverage technology to differentiate and solve problems without hiring dozens or even hundreds of engineers, he added.
Foody sees no end in sight when it comes to the level of customization possibilities, saying, “I think we’ve just scratched the surface of what you can do here.”
Troy Palmquist is the founder and president of HomeCode Advisors. Connect with him on LinkedIn.
