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Privacy Policy Last updated 10/5/2000 |
HOMESTORE.COM TAKES YOUR PRIVACY SERIOUSLY. Please read the following to learn more about our privacy policy. This privacy policy may be updated from time to time, so please check back frequently.
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The Homestore.com family of sites, including but not limited to Homestore.com, REALTOR.com®, HomeBuilder.com, SpringStreet.com, Remodel.com, CommercialSource.com, and HomeFair.com, is committed to your privacy and security and wants to provide you with the best possible online experience. To that end, we want you to understand what kinds of information we gather from you, how this information is used and safeguarded, and how you can control its use.
What information is collected from me?
The kinds of information we collect from you will vary, depending on how you use our Web sites. It’s possible to browse our sites without submitting any personally identifiable information (“personal information”) at all, but if you choose to take advantage of some of our products and services, you may be asked to provide information such as a user name and password, your real name, e-mail address, phone number, address, or—for certain financial products or services—your Social Security number and banking information, and—for certain e-commerce transactions—your credit card information. Whenever we ask for this kind of information, we strive to provide a link to this Privacy Policy to help you understand how your personal information will be used before you decide whether to disclose it.
In addition to the information you choose to submit, our systems are set up to gather certain anonymous data to help us better understand how our sites are being used and how we can improve them. This automatically gathered data includes your computer’s IP or “Internet Protocol” address, statistics about how visitors navigate through our sites, and information provided through the use of “cookies” (which are described in more detail below).
Finally, as you visit our sites, be aware that third parties may at times be able to gather information from you. For example, third-party ad servers and companies that place ads on our sites may use their own cookies, and companies offering products or services through a Homestore.com Web site may use their own cookies and may collect and use the information you submit. In these cases, the third parties would use your information according to their own policies which may differ from this Privacy Policy.
The use of your information depends on the context in which it is collected. Therefore, pay special attention to the categories below that relate to the features of our sites that you wish to utilize. Also be aware that Homestore.com may at times be legally compelled to disclose certain information, by means such as subpoenas or court orders.
Cookies: These are small files that we send to and store on your computer so that we may recognize it as a unique machine the next time you visit our sites. Our cookies are used for three reasons: (1) to keep track of your information for your own convenience; (2) to help us optimize your online experience by altering our content depending on your particular needs or browsing patterns, and to provide you with advertisements, products, and services of interest to you; and (3) to help us understand the size of our audience and their traffic patterns within our network. Some of our advertisers and third-party ad servers may also utilize their own cookies. Also, companies offering products or services through a Homestore.com Web site may use their own cookies.
Registration: The information you provide when you become a registered user of one of our sites is used primarily to help us customize your online experience. This information may also be shared among the various Web sites in the Homestore.com family to make your use of each site more convenient without having to register more often than necessary. Your e-mail address serves as a unique identifier in our record system, and it is used together with your password to prevent unauthorized access to any information you choose to store on our sites. The data you give us about your personal preferences and demographics (such as age, ZIP code, occupation, or other data) may be used to help us offer content, advertisements, products, and services that are most likely to appeal to you. In addition, we may share this information, in aggregate form, with our current and potential advertisers so they can know how to present their ads more effectively. Please note that we do not accept or store registration for anyone under the age of 13 under any circumstances.
Tools: Our sites allow you to use many helpful tools, such as financial and home improvement calculators, real estate search tools, and others, without disclosing any personal information. These tools are for your benefit, and the information you submit when you use them (typically impersonal data) is not disclosed to anyone or used for any purpose other than to provide you with the service you’re seeking.
User-Requested Services: You may choose to request products or services of a more substantial or personal nature when using our Web sites. For example, you may apply for a loan, request our help in locating a remodeling contractor, store your preferences for convenience in using our sites, or make an online purchase. The information you provide when seeking these services may be used in the following ways:
Solicited Information: You may occasionally see contests, surveys, and other features of our Web sites that ask you to provide us with information. When you choose to respond to these requests, the information you offer may be used for several reasons. These include the uses set out in the Registration section, above. They also include providing information to third parties as necessary for prize fulfillment and other aspects of any contest or similar offering. If we are going to use your personal information for any other purposes, we will notify you of that purpose and give you a chance to opt out before responding to our survey, contest form, or other request, or to not respond to or participate in the survey, contest or other request.
User-Initiated Communication: Our Web sites enable you to send e-mail to us or to third parties, and to participate in public bulletin boards and discussion groups. Whenever you choose to initiate these kinds of communication with us, or anyone else, you may expect to be contacted in return. Also remember that our bulletin boards and discussion groups are open to the public—what you post there can be seen by anyone and is not protected by Homestore.com. Please use your own discretion when deciding what to post publicly and whom to contact.
Referrals: If you participate in any referral service we may offer, we will use the information you submit to determine which of our participating professionals may be able to serve your needs. We may then forward your name, contact information, and other responses to our sign-up form to the selected professional(s), who may then contact you using that information. Any information that you provide may also be used by us in accordance with the uses set out in the Registration section, above.
Automatically Gathered Data: The information gathered automatically by our system—such as your computer’s IP address, the kind of browser you’re using, and a record of your navigation through our site—may be used by Homestore.com so we can understand how to make our sites convenient and useful to our audience. This information may also be shared among the various Web sites in the Homestore.com family and used for similar purposes. In addition, we may share this information, in aggregate form, with our current and potential advertisers so they can know how to present their ads more effectively.
Collected Data: We may link information collected from you through various means, including information collected automatically and through the use of cookies and registration information, or other personal information you provide to help us offer content, advertisements, products, and services that are most likely to appeal to you, and this information may also be shared among the various Web sites in the Homestore.com family. In addition, we may share this information, in aggregate form, with our current and potential advertisers so they can know how to present their ads more effectively. If you have indicated that you want to be contacted by third parties, we may use this information to select which names to provide to a particular third party in order to present you with products and services that are most likely to appeal to you, but we will not disclose this type of information, other than your contact information, to any such third party.
What choices do I have regarding the use of my information?
How can I access and change my information?
Scope of This Privacy Policy: Outside Links