Case Study

How a Solo Agent Closes 30+ Deals a Year With One Platform

Rick Smenner rebuilt his entire business after relocating to a new state — using iHomefinder as his single system for leads, follow-up, and closings.

Rick Smenner
·  Solo Agent · Knoxville, TN 55+ Community Specialist
·  45+ years in real estate · iHomefinder user for 15+ years

30–35

Deals closed per year (solo)

30–50

New registrations per month

1

Platform for everything

1The Challenge

Starting from Zero in a New Market

After 27 years selling real estate in Toledo, Ohio, Rick relocated to Knoxville, Tennessee in 2006. He had no client base, no referral network, and no local reputation. He was starting completely over.

Rick carved out a niche specializing in 55+ communities on Tellico Lake — four communities where retirees relocate from across the country. But building a pipeline of relocation buyers with 12–18 month timelines meant he needed a system that could nurture leads consistently without letting anyone fall through the cracks.

2The Approach

Set It Up, Let It Run

Rick’s morning routine is simple: check for new registrations, review what they were looking at, and set up a saved search so they start getting listing alerts immediately. From there, iHomefinder’s drip campaigns and automated text messages keep the conversation going.

“”

Every morning, if I’ve had two or three people register, I just go into the back end of iHomefinder, look at what they were looking at, and set up a saved search for them right out of the gate.

Rick Smenner

Because his buyers are typically 6–18 months from a purchase, consistent automated follow-up isn’t optional — it’s the entire business model. Rick uses iHomefinder’s behavioral tracking to see what each lead is looking at, takes notes after every call, and lets the system handle the rest between conversations.

His Website

This Is What 30+ Deals a Year Looks Like

Rick’s iHomefinder site ranks #1 for his niche communities — generating every buyer lead organically.

Every site is custom-branded to your business — your domain, your colors, your listings.

3What He Uses

Everything in One Place

Rick used a separate CRM for years before switching fully to iHomefinder. The difference: no more toggling between systems. Website registrations flow directly into the CRM, drip campaigns fire automatically, and every interaction is tracked in one place.

“”

It’s all in one place. I used another CRM for years. It’s not inexpensive. This is all one package rolled into one. When people register, everything is there.

Rick Smenner

IDX Website

Ranks locally for his niche communities via SEO — drives all buyer leads organically.

Automated Drip Campaigns

Keeps 12–18 month relocation leads engaged and nurtured from day one with AI.

Behavioral Tracking

Sees exactly who’s active, what they’re looking at, and prioritizes direct follow-up accordingly.

AI Social Media Tools

Generates Facebook posts to stay visible — no managing self-described ‘weakness’.

4The Result

A Solo Agent Competing With Teams

Rick generates 30–50 website registrations every month — almost entirely through organic search. The quality is high: real names, real emails, real phone numbers. Not Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck.

That pipeline converts to 30–35 closed deals per year as a solo agent with no team, no paid ads, and no purchased leads. Every buyer comes through his iHomefinder website. Every seller comes through referrals from past clients he served well.

“”

I highly recommend it to agents. Your team is very responsive. If there’s something that needs to be changed, they’ll listen to users like myself.

Rick Smenner
GET A DEMO

Ready to Run Your Business From One Platform?

See how iHomefinder brings your website, CRM, and automation together.