How to Create a Smart List in GoHighLevel for Loan Officers
Some days your setup isn’t perfect — laptop on a recliner, sitting on the edge of a bed — but the work still needs to get done. And honestly, that’s fitting, because Smart Lists are one of those simple tools that don’t look flashy but can completely change how you use your CRM.
In this post, I’ll walk you through how to create a Smart List and explain why it’s one of the most powerful features inside your CRM.
What Is a Smart List?
A Smart List is a dynamic contact list that automatically updates based on rules you set. Instead of manually sorting contacts every time, the CRM does the work for you.
For example:
All real estate agents
All past clients
All leads from a specific source
Anyone with a certain tag or custom field
Once the Smart List exists, you can instantly:
Send nurture campaigns
Trigger automations
Send one-off emails or SMS
Add or remove tags
Export contacts
Verify email addresses
Step 1: Navigate to Smart Lists
Log into your CRM
Go to Contacts on the left-hand menu
Click Add Smart List
This is where everything starts.
Step 2: Name Your Smart List
Give your list a clear name so it’s easy to find later.
Example:
Real Estate Agents
Step 3: Use Advanced Filters
This is where the power comes in.
On the right-hand side, you’ll see Advanced Filters. These filters determine who shows up in the list.
In this example, real estate agents are identified using a tag.
Steps:
Choose Tag
Set the rule to Tag is
Select Real Estate Agent
Click Apply
Now your contact list updates to show only real estate agents.
You can also filter by:
Custom fields
Pipeline stages
Lead sources
Opportunity status
Or combinations of multiple rules
Step 4: Choose Which Fields You See
Next, you’ll choose which contact fields appear in the list.
This controls what you can quickly see without clicking into each contact.
Common useful fields:
Name
Email
Phone number
Tags
Important custom fields
You can even add custom fields directly to the view, which is a big time saver.
Step 5: Create the Smart List
Once everything looks good, click Create in the bottom right.
Your Smart List now lives alongside your main contact list and updates automatically as contacts are added or removed based on your rules.
Managing and Sharing Smart Lists
If you ever need to manage access:
Go to Manage Smart Lists
Select your list
Choose whether it’s private or shared
If you want everyone in your sub-account to use it, you can share it with all users.
What You Can Do With a Smart List
Once inside the Smart List, you can:
Select all contacts
Trigger an automation
Send one-off emails
Add or remove tags
Send SMS
Export contacts
Verify email addresses
Manage opportunities
One of the most powerful use cases is triggering an automation.
Sending Campaigns the Smart Way
If you want to push a nurture campaign to everyone in the Smart List:
Select all contacts
Click Trigger Automation
Choose your workflow
If you’re sending to a large list, use Drip Mode:
Send in batches of around 100 contacts
Space batches every couple of minutes
This helps protect your email domain and keeps deliverability healthy instead of blasting thousands of emails at once.
Why Smart Lists Matter
Smart Lists let you:
Work faster
Stay organized
Reduce manual work
Launch campaigns instantly
Scale without chaos
They’re simple to set up, but incredibly powerful once you start using them consistently.
Short setup. Big impact.
