Privacy Policy

1 Overview

Gary A. McGowan, REALTOR®, operating homes.realtychatter.com (the "Site"), is committed to protecting your personal information in compliance with:

• Canada's Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), S.C. 2000, c. 5
• Ontario's Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA), R.S.O. 1990, c. F.31
• Ontario's Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA), where applicable
• Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL), S.C. 2010, c. 23
• The Real Estate and Business Brokers Act, 2002 (REBBA) and RECO guidelines on client information handling

By using this Site, you consent to the practices described in this policy.

2 Information We Collect

We collect personal information you voluntarily provide, as well as information gathered automatically through your use of the Site.

Information you provide directly:

• Name, email address, and phone number (via lead capture forms)
• Property preferences, buying or selling timeline, budget range
• Messages or inquiries submitted through contact forms
• Information provided when booking a consultation or requesting a market evaluation

Information collected automatically:

• IP address, browser type, device type, and operating system
• Pages visited, time spent on the Site, and referring URLs
• Cookie and tracking data (see Section 6)
• Geographic location data at the city/region level (not precise GPS)

3 How We Use Your Information

We use the personal information we collect to:

• Respond to your real estate inquiries and connect you with appropriate professionals
• Send you property listings, market updates, and other real estate content you've requested
• Send commercial electronic messages where you have provided consent under CASL
• Operate, maintain, and improve the Site and our services
• Analyze Site usage patterns to better understand what content is most useful
• Comply with legal and regulatory obligations, including those under REBBA and RECO
• Detect, prevent, and address technical issues or unauthorized access

We will not use your personal information for purposes beyond those identified above without your consent, or as required or permitted by law.

4 Disclosure of Your Information

We do not sell your personal information. We may share it in the following circumstances:

With service providers: We may share information with third-party vendors performing services on our behalf, including CRM and marketing automation platforms (such as GoHighLevel), email delivery services, website hosting, and analytics tools. These providers are contractually required to protect your information and use it only for the services they provide to us.

With affiliated real estate professionals: If you submit a lead inquiry, your contact information may be shared with a licensed real estate professional for follow-up purposes. You consent to this sharing when you submit a form on this Site.

As required by law: We may disclose your information if required to do so by law, court order, or governmental authority, including RECO in the context of a regulatory matter, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of our users or the public.

Business transfers: In the event of a sale or transfer of our business or assets, your personal information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you via prominent notice on this Site if such a transfer occurs.

5 CASL Consent & Commercial Messages

When you submit your contact information through a form on this Site, you are providing express consent to receive commercial electronic messages (CEMs) from us, including real estate listings, market updates, event invitations, and promotional content.

Every commercial message we send will clearly identify us as the sender, include our contact information, and contain a functional unsubscribe mechanism.

You may withdraw consent at any time by clicking "unsubscribe" in any email, replying STOP to any text message, or contacting us at homes@garyamcgowan.com. Requests are processed within 10 business days.

6 Cookies & Tracking Technologies

This Site uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your experience and gather usage analytics.

• Essential cookies — required for the Site to function (form submissions, session management)
• Analytics cookies — help us understand how visitors use the Site (e.g., Google Analytics)
• Marketing cookies — used to track leads and measure advertising effectiveness (e.g., Facebook Pixel, Google Ads)

You can control cookie preferences through your browser settings. Disabling certain cookies may affect your ability to use some features of the Site.

7 Third-Party Services

This Site integrates with or links to third-party platforms including:

• GoHighLevel (GHL) — CRM and marketing automation for lead and communication management
• Google Analytics / Google Ads — website analytics and advertising
• TRREB / REALM MLS data providers — real estate listing data
• Mapping services — property and neighbourhood location data

Each third-party operates under its own privacy policy. We are not responsible for their practices and encourage you to review them independently.

8 Data Retention & Security

We retain personal information as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law. Lead and contact information is generally retained for up to 7 years in accordance with real estate industry record-keeping standards under REBBA.

We implement reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards, including:

• SSL/TLS encryption for data transmitted through this Site
• Access controls limiting who can view personal information
• Secure third-party platforms subject to their own security standards

No method of internet transmission or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we use commercially acceptable means to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

9 Your Rights Under PIPEDA & Ontario Law

As a Canadian resident, you have the following rights with respect to your personal information:

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at homes@garyamcgowan.com. We will respond within 30 days.

10 Children's Privacy

This Site is not directed to individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from minors. If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected information from someone under 18, we will delete it promptly.

11 Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or applicable law. The effective date at the top of this page reflects the last update. For material changes, we will make reasonable efforts to provide notice on the Site.

12 Contact & Complaints

Questions, concerns, or requests relating to this Privacy Policy? Contact us:

If you're not satisfied with our response, you have the right to contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada or the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario.