What Happened When I Used Vibe Coding to Create an Improved Zillow-Style Tool
Machine-assisted programming has transformed the software creation process, and the latest trend in this area is vibe coding – a technique in which you explain what you want using regular language and have the AI create the code. In one of the PCMag articles, the writer undertook the challenge of trying out vibe coding to create a real-estate listing webpage like Zillow. This experiment revealed the opportunity and difficulty of developing real web tools without much experience in traditional code with little to no AI use.
What Is Vibe Coding?
Before immersing oneself into the story, one should have a hint of what vibe coding is all about. Vibe coding is a form of AI-aided programming where you provide instructions in natural language, that is, you do not write any explicit code, but instead allow a large language model to generate the software. Rather than entering the lines of code one by one, you direct the AI through instructions and questions of what you want the application to accomplish.
This approach is popularized in early 2025 and even became a widely known term in the technologic world as the possibility to reduce the barriers to the creation of software.
The Kick-Off of Zillow-Style Project.
The author started with the project having no experience in programming. They talked about how they would like the real-estate site to operate, such as filters on location, property type, and neighborhood options etc. using vibe coding tools, such as Claude Code or other AI assistants, and resembling a simplified version of Zillow.
The workflow was as shown below:
Instigate the AI into displaying what the site should display.
Connect to real data sources (such as APIs of maps and listings).
Check the results of the tests and correct the errors with backward and forward prompts.
It is this back-and-forth that is common in vibe coding: you don’t write and debug code, you optimize your prompts and the AI writes iterations until something works.
Conquering Real-Life Problems.
The journey wasn’t smooth. The connection of the site with Zillow API was one of the problems. When the site first attempted to fetch listing data there was nothing displayed – and the map data was faulty. The author did not need to write code manually, but gave the description of the issues to the AI, which suggested modifications and adjustments. Eventually, the listings eventually filled in by switching to another data source such as Redfin.
This makes it clear that one of the actual issues of vibe coding is the fact that AI-based tools are sensitive to correct prompts and proper API connections and that in case of malfunctions, you have to verbally instruct the AI to do such corrections as opposed to traditional debugging.
The Strengths and Weaknesses of Vibe Coding.
This experiment demonstrates why vibe coding has been viewed as a breakthrough: a non-coder can create a useful web tool by describing what he or she wants. In case of simple to medium complexity projects, vibe coding can reduce the development time significantly and allow creating bespoke solutions to creators who are not traditional developers.
Nonetheless, it has significant shortcomings. The AI-generated code can be difficult to comprehend and debug without a wider technical background and can still remain difficult to construct without professional supervision, due to its complexity.
A New Way to Build Tools
The author has interacted with vibe coding in order to create a Zillow-type listing site and this has demonstrated the potential and the traps of this new tool. It also shows how AI will help creators to develop real applications without even deep coding knowledge, but also reminds us that modern tools still need to be carefully prompted, experimented with, and that we should be ready to learn in our failures.
Vibe coding is not ideal, but in the case of prototypes, straightforward applications and innovative digital products, it allows people to open the door to the software being more available to all.
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News Source: Pcmag.com