Privacy Policy

Who this policy covers

This website is operated by Xavier Stephen Cole ("I," "me"), a Massachusetts real estate agent. I'm affiliated with HomeBase, and real estate brokerage services are provided through eXp Realty, 1 Beacon St., Fl. 15, Boston, MA 02108.

This policy applies to this website and to information you send me through it. Other websites I link to, including eXp Realty, HomeBase, my home-search provider, Zillow, and social networks, have their own privacy policies, which apply when you use them.

The short version

My own pages don't use cookies, analytics, advertising pixels, or tracking tools. The home search embedded on some pages is run by a separate service (Ruuster), which has its own practices, described below.
The only personal information I receive is what you choose to send me by phone, text, or email, or through a service you choose to use.
I don't sell your personal information, and I don't share it with anyone for their own marketing.
You can ask me what I have about you, and ask me to correct it, delete it, or stop contacting you.

Information you send me

When you call, text, or email me, I receive whatever you include, typically your name, phone number, email address, and details about what you're looking to buy, sell, or invest in.

Contact form. The contact form on this site doesn't send or store anything. When you use it, it opens your own email app with your message filled in. Nothing is sent until you press send in your email app, and then it travels as a normal email through your email provider to mine.

Please don't send Social Security numbers, bank or credit card numbers, or other sensitive financial details by email, text, or the contact form.

Information collected automatically

No cookies or tracking on my pages. This website's own code doesn't set cookies, and it doesn't use analytics, advertising, or social-media tracking tools. The embedded home search is the exception, and it's described in the next section.

Web hosting. Like any website, this one is delivered by a web server. My hosting provider, Cloudflare (Cloudflare Pages), may automatically record standard technical information in server logs, such as your IP address, browser type, the page requested, and the time of the request, for security and to keep the site running. I don't use these logs to identify visitors.

Other content loaded from third parties. Some pages load content directly from other services, which receive your IP address and browser information when they do:

Home search (homepage, Search, Homes for Sale, and town pages): Ruuster's widget script and search, described in the next section.
Videos page: video thumbnail images load from YouTube (Google). Videos play on YouTube itself.
Instagram posts (Videos page): my latest Instagram posts are loaded through Behold (behold.so), and their images load from Behold's servers. Posts open on Instagram (Meta) when you click them.
Market Map: map images come from OpenStreetMap, and the map code loads from Cloudflare's cdnjs service.

Fonts. This site's typefaces are loaded from Google Fonts. When a page loads, your browser requests the font files from Google's servers, which receive your IP address and browser information as part of that request. Google describes how it handles this in its Google Fonts privacy FAQ and privacy policy.

Home search and other linked services

My online home search is provided by Ruuster via HomeBase. It appears inside the homepage and the Search Homes page as an embedded frame, and town links open it on its own website. When the embedded search loads, it comes directly from Ruuster's servers: Ruuster may set its own cookies, use its own analytics or tracking, and receive your IP address and browser information, even if you don't click anything in it. If you create an account, save a search, or register there, Ruuster collects that information under its own terms and privacy policy, and may share your activity with me so I can help with your search. If you'd rather it didn't load, you can block third-party content in your browser, and you can still reach me directly.

Links to social networks, Zillow, and other sites take you off this website. Those services' own policies apply once you're there.

How I use your information

To respond to you and answer your questions.
To provide real estate services you ask for, such as searching for, pricing, marketing, buying, or selling property.
To keep records of our communications and any transaction, as my brokerage and the law require.
To follow up with information relevant to what you asked about. If I ever send you marketing emails, each will include a way to unsubscribe.
To comply with legal obligations and to protect my rights and the rights of others.

I don't sell personal information, and I don't share it with other companies for their own marketing. I share it only:

With my brokerage. eXp Realty supervises my real estate activity and may keep records of communications and transactions. Where relevant, information may also be shared with HomeBase.
With tools I use to run my business, such as email, phone, calendar, and contact-management software, which store information on my behalf.
With people involved in your transaction, at your direction, such as lenders, attorneys, inspectors, other agents, and closing professionals, when you've asked me to work with them or it's needed to complete your transaction.
When required by law, such as to respond to a subpoena, court order, or government request, or to protect against fraud or harm.

Your choices and requests

You can contact me at any time to:

Ask what personal information I have about you.
Correct information that's wrong.
Ask me to delete your information, except records I'm required to keep for legal or brokerage reasons.
Stop calls, texts, or emails from me. You can also reply "STOP" to a text or use the unsubscribe link in any marketing email.

Depending on where you live, you may have additional rights under state privacy law. I'll respond to reasonable requests from anyone, wherever they live. I may need to confirm your identity before acting on a request.

Security and retention

I take reasonable steps to protect the information I receive, including using secured accounts for email and business tools. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, which is another reason to keep sensitive financial details out of email and text.

I keep personal information as long as it's needed for the purpose you provided it, and longer where records must be kept for legal, tax, or brokerage requirements.

Children

This website isn't directed to children under 13, and I don't knowingly collect personal information from them. If you believe a child has sent me personal information, contact me and I'll delete it.

Changes to this policy

If the way this site handles information changes, for example by adding a form service, analytics, or a new home-search tool, I'll update this policy and the effective date above before the change takes effect.

Contact

Questions or requests about your information:

Email: xavier.cole@exprealty.com
Phone: (978) 539-9512
Mail: Xavier Stephen Cole, c/o eXp Realty, 1 Beacon St., Fl. 15, Boston, MA 02108