Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy describes how HouseBuyerGuides.com ("HouseBuyerGuides," "we," "us," or "our") collects, uses, and shares information when you use our website (the "Site").
1. Information We Collect
1.1 Information You Provide
We may collect information that you voluntarily provide, such as:
- Contact details (for example, your name and email address) if you contact us or subscribe to updates;
- Information you submit through our eligibility form, including your name, email address, phone number, city and state, first-time buyer status, estimated credit score range, household income range, and purchase timeline;
- Any content you include in messages, feedback, or other communications with us.
1.2 Information Collected Automatically
When you visit the Site, we may automatically collect certain information, such as:
- IP address and approximate location;
- Browser type, device type, operating system, and similar technical details;
- Referring and exit pages and URLs;
- Date, time, and duration of your visits; and
- Pages viewed and other usage information.
This information may be collected using cookies, local storage, and similar technologies, often through third-party analytics services.
1.3 Behavioral analytics (Microsoft Clarity)
We use Microsoft Clarity to understand how visitors interact with our site. Clarity collects behavioral data including mouse movements, clicks, scroll behavior, and page interactions to generate session recordings and heatmaps. This data helps us improve the usability of our content. Microsoft Clarity does not collect personally identifiable information. You can learn more in Microsoft's Privacy Statement at https://privacy.microsoft.com/privacystatement.
1.4 Mortgage Pre-Approval Form (Mortgage Research Center)
Some pages on the Site display a mortgage pre-approval form operated by Mortgage Research Center, LLC ("MRC"), NMLS ID #1907. That form is hosted and operated by MRC, not by HouseBuyerGuides.
Information you enter into that form — including your name, contact details, location, and your answers about your home purchase — is submitted directly to MRC, not to us. MRC uses that information to match you with lenders in its network and may sell or otherwise transfer it to the lender you select and to other participants in its network. Those lenders may contact you by phone, text message, or email, including at the number you provide. MRC displays its own disclosure and privacy policy within the form.
We do not receive the contents of what you submit through that form. We receive limited data from MRC indicating that a submission occurred and the compensation we earned from it. We are paid when MRC sells a lead generated through the form. See our Disclaimer for more about that compensation.
If you have already given us information through our eligibility form, we may pre-fill the MRC form with those answers so that you can review and confirm them instead of entering them again. Pre-filled information is not transmitted to MRC unless you choose to submit the form.
MRC's form also uses consent verification services from ActiveProspect (TrustedForm) and Jornaya (LeadiD), which record your interaction with the form in order to document the consent you provide. If you enter a New York ZIP code, MRC will redirect you to its own website to complete the form.
2. How We Use Information
We may use the information we collect to:
- Operate, maintain, and improve the Site and its features;
- Analyze how visitors use the Site so we can understand which content is most helpful;
- Respond to your questions, requests, or feedback;
- Send you communications that you have opted in to receive, which you may opt out of at any time;
- Detect, prevent, and address technical issues, abuse, or security incidents; and
- Enforce our Terms of Service and comply with applicable laws.
We do not sell the personal information we collect through the Site. Information you submit through the MRC pre-approval form is collected by MRC rather than by us, and MRC may sell or transfer it as described in section 1.4 and in MRC's own privacy policy.
3. Cookies and Similar Technologies
We may use cookies and similar technologies to remember your preferences and to help analyze how users interact with the Site. You can usually configure your browser to refuse cookies or to notify you when cookies are being used. If you disable cookies, some features of the Site may not function properly.
4. Third-Party Services
We may engage third-party service providers to host the Site, provide analytics, send emails, or store data. These providers may process information on our behalf in accordance with their own privacy policies.
Third-party services used on the Site include:
- Google Analytics — website analytics;
- Microsoft Clarity — session recordings and heatmaps (see section 1.3);
- Mortgage Research Center, LLC — mortgage pre-approval form (see section 1.4);
- ActiveProspect (TrustedForm) and Jornaya (LeadiD) — consent verification within the MRC form;
- HighLevel — customer relationship management for eligibility form submissions;
- Vercel — website hosting; and
- Supabase — content database.
The Site may also contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those websites and encourage you to review their privacy policies.
5. Data Retention
We retain information for as long as is reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this Policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law.
6. Data Security
We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect information from unauthorized access, loss, misuse, or alteration. However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
7. Children's Privacy
The Site is not directed to children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us so we can take appropriate steps to remove such information.
8. International Users
If you access the Site from outside the United States, you understand that your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States or other countries where our service providers are located, which may have data protection laws that differ from those in your jurisdiction.
9. Your Choices
You may:
- Opt out of marketing emails by using the unsubscribe link in those emails;
- Configure your browser to manage or block cookies; and
- Contact us to request access to, correction of, or deletion of certain information, subject to applicable law.
10. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. Your continued use of the Site after any changes become effective constitutes your acceptance of the updated Policy.
11. Contact Us
If you have questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy, you may contact us at: