Case study · Carmel, California

From 5 agents to 90+

How Kyle Chernetsky built C2 Realty & Property Management into a California powerhouse, with Driven Leads running Google, YouTube, Meta and recruiting for more than three years.

3-year partnership185% ROI in 202472 YouTube leads a month

Kyle ChernetskyC2 Realty & Property Management · client for 3+ years Watch the full interview with Kyle · YouTube

Overview

Executive Summary

Kyle Chernetsky partnered with Driven Leads three years ago with five agents. Today C2 Realty runs more than 90 agents, manages 1,700+ units and is expanding into Colorado, with a 185% return on Driven Leads services in 2024 after agent splits.

Kyle ChernetskyC2 Realty & Property Management · client for 3+ years

185%ROI in 2024, after agent splits

5 → 90+agents in 18 to 20 months

72YouTube leads in one month

~$10cost per YouTube lead

1,700+units under management

$65,000marketing salary eliminated

3+ yearspartnership and counting

2 statesCalifornia, now expanding into Colorado

Figures as reported by the client in the recorded interview. Results vary by market.

The story

How It Happened

The challenge

High Volume, Low Quality, No Predictability

Before Driven Leads, prior PPC vendors sent C2 Realty a flood of low-quality leads from campaigns nobody optimized. Cost per lead could quadruple without warning, the Carmel and Pebble Beach market never scaled reliably, and a $65,000-a-year in-house marketing manager was carrying the load.

"We had high volume of low-quality leads. We were wasting money on campaigns because they weren't optimized. And the cost per lead was just always completely getting out of control."
Kyle Chernetsky, on life before Driven Leads

BeforeUnoptimized campaigns, budget wasted every month

BeforeCost per lead that quadrupled without warning

BeforeCould never scale in Carmel and Pebble Beach

The strategy

Full-Stack Marketing Under One Roof

Google Ads became the foundation and cracked the expensive Carmel and Pebble Beach market where prior vendors failed. YouTube, originally dismissed as branding only, turned into the breakout performer. Meta runs alongside both as part of Market Premier, and paid recruiting campaigns grow the agent roster.

Google AdsFoundation. Consistent, predictable lead flow

YouTube72 leads last month at about $10 each, scaling statewide

MetaFull-funnel coverage inside Market Premier

RecruitingPaid digital campaigns that grow the team

The breakthrough

YouTube: the Surprise Performer

Kyle thought of YouTube as dark social, hard to measure and unlikely to produce direct leads. The reality: 72 leads in a single month at about $10 per lead, high-intent buyers actively looking for listing information. He now tells his agents to skip the portal upsells and put that money into YouTube ad spend.

"Some of my agents have asked me, hey, should I start doing Zillow Showcase? And I tell them, just don't bother with all of it, because we can just put that money into the YouTube ad spend."
Kyle Chernetsky, on YouTube versus Zillow

ExpectedBranding only, hard to measure

Reality72 leads a month at about $10 each

NextScaling YouTube across all of California

The ROI decision

Replace the Marketing Manager, or Don't

When his in-house marketing manager left, Kyle compared what she had been doing with what Driven Leads already provided: Google, YouTube, Meta and recruiting managed by a team that only does real estate, with a real-time dashboard instead of periodic reports. He left the seat empty.

"We just left that position empty and we haven't noticed a difference really."
Kyle Chernetsky

$65,000+Salary and benefits, now zero

4 platformsManaged for a fraction of that cost

Real timeCustom dashboard, no monthly call required

Why he stays

A True Marketing Partner Who Understands Real Estate

Next up: scaling YouTube statewide, opening Colorado, and new campaign tests with Driven Leads. A follow-up interview is planned once those tests prove out.

"2024 we are at 185% ROI on the service after agent splits. And so it's been one of the best marketing investments we've made in our business for sure."
Kyle Chernetsky, on 2024 ROI

185%ROI after agent splits, 2024

ColoradoNext market

StatewideYouTube across California

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