This privacy policy explains how Michael Kies, Broker / Realtor® BRE# 01525228, and AdvantageFirst Realty, along with authorized representatives, collect, use, and disclose personal information about our customers, prospective customers, and visitors to our website at https://www.michaelkiesrealtor.com/. This Privacy Policy includes and incorporates by reference the California Privacy Addendum (below). By using our Website (as defined below), you accept and consent to the practices described in the Privacy Policy.
This Privacy Policy applies to information we collect when you interact with us in person or online via our website. It does not apply to information collected by any third party (including our affiliates and subsidiaries), including through any application or content (such as advertising) that may link to or be accessible from or on our Website. By interacting with us online, you are accepting the practices described in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with our policies and practices, please do not interact with us online or use our Website. This policy may change from time to time. Your continued interaction with us online after we make changes is deemed to be acceptance of those changes, so please check the policy periodically for updates.
The information we learn from customers helps us personalize and continually improve your experience on our Website and provide you with real estate and mortgage-related services. Here are the types of information we gather:
We receive and store any information you enter on our Website or give us in any other way, which might include your name, username, password, email address, physical address, billing address, phone number, fax number, employer name, financial information (e.g., income, credit history, account details), employment and property details, government-issued identifiers (e.g., Social Security number), other demographic information (e.g., gender, age range), and social media information (e.g., username, profile picture). In some cases, we may also collect information you provide about others, such as if you provide information about members of your household. You can choose not to provide certain information, but then you might not be able to take advantage of many of our features.
We collect this information through phone conversations, forms, and other communications. Any personal information you provide to us when applying for a job position with us will be used solely to consider and act upon your application. We may retain your personal information for a period of time, but only for as long as necessary for such purposes.
By submitting your information to us, you are providing your express written consent to be contacted by telephone, mobile device (including SMS and MMS text messages), and/or email in connection with your inquiry, application, or real estate transaction. This includes both informational and marketing communications related to products, services, or promotions offered by Michael Kies and AdvantageFirst Realty.
You acknowledge and agree that such communications may be made using an automatic telephone dialing system, artificial or prerecorded voice, or other automated technology, even if your telephone number is listed on any corporate, state, or federal Do-Not-Call registry.
When you opt-in to our SMS messaging service, we collect your mobile phone number and any other information you provide us during the opt-in process. This information is used to send text messages regarding our products, services, and promotions. By using our SMS service, you agree to receive text messages from us, which may be sent by an automated system. You can opt-out of receiving text messages at any time by replying STOP to our message or calling us at (949) 356-6510.
You also represent and warrant that you are the current subscriber or authorized user of the phone number(s) you provided and have the authority to provide this consent for communication at those number(s). You understand that consent is not a condition of purchasing any goods or services from us.
We automatically collect and store certain types of information whenever you interact with our Website, emails, or advertisements and other content such as searches completed, properties viewed, properties saved, searches saved, emails opened, and login history. Like many websites, we and our service providers may use cookies, web beacons, and other technologies to collect such information, which may include but is not limited to the type of browser/device/hardware you use, access times, pages viewed, your IP address, and any referring links through which you access our Website.
We might receive information about you from other sources and add it to information we collect about you.
Cookies are unique identifiers that we transfer to your device to enable our systems to recognize your device and to provide personalized advertisements on other websites and storage of preferences between visits. For example, we use tracking features from services such as Google AdSense, Google AdWords, and Bing Ads that set a cookie in your browser when you visit our Website or click on one of our advertisements. We also use certain features of Google Analytics to collect data about web traffic, such as Remarketing with Google Analytics, Google Display Network Impression Reporting, DoubleClick Platform integrations, and Google Analytics Demographics and Interest Reporting.
We may also use Facebook Custom Audience Pixels ("Facebook Pixels"), a tool that permits third parties, including Facebook, to use cookies, web beacons, and other storage technologies to collect or receive information from our Websites and elsewhere on the internet and use that information to provide measurement services and target ads.
Most web browsers are set to accept cookies by default. If you prefer, you can usually prevent your browser from accepting new cookies, have the browser notify you when you receive a new cookie, or disable cookies altogether through the browser's Help feature. Additionally, you can disable or delete similar data used by browser add-ons, such as Flash cookies, by changing the add-on's settings or visiting the website of its manufacturer. For more information about disabling Flash cookies, see http://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/security. Because cookies allow you to take advantage of some of our Website's essential features, we recommend that you leave them turned on. For instance, if you block or otherwise reject our cookies, you may not be able to use our products and services that require you to sign in to an online account.
Many web browsers support Do Not Track technology, which allows you to automatically transmit a Do Not Track signal or preference to websites you visit indicating that you do not wish to be tracked. We do not currently respond to Do Not Track browser settings or signals on our Website. For more information about "Do Not Track," please visit https://www.allaboutdnt.com.
We may use information about you for various purposes, including, but not limited to, the following:
We share customer information as described below.
Aggregated or De-Identified Information: We may disclose aggregated information about our customers, and information that does not identify any individual, without restriction.
Affiliated Businesses: We work closely with affiliates, including AdvantageFirst Lending, Inc. (NMLS #1209177), that follow practices at least as protective as those described in this Privacy Policy. We may share your information with our affiliated company for the purpose of offering mortgage products and related financial services. Such sharing will be conducted in compliance with applicable privacy and consumer protection laws. You are under no obligation to apply for or use any mortgage product as a result of this information sharing.
Third-Party Service Providers: We are committed to protecting your privacy and maintaining the trust you place in us. We do not sell your personal information. However, we may share your data with non-affiliated third parties who assist us in providing real estate and mortgage-related services, such as processing, brokerage-related services, or servicing your loan. These service providers are required to protect your data and use it solely for the purposes for which it was provided. Mobile opt-in and SMS consent is not shared with third parties or affiliates.
Business Transfers: As we continue to develop our business, we might sell or otherwise transfer certain of our assets including to international partners. In such transactions, customer information generally is one of the transferred business assets, and you agree that your information may be transferred in these circumstances; however, information about you remains subject to the promises made in any pre-existing Privacy Policy (unless you consent otherwise).
Protection of Company and Others: We release account and other personal information when we believe release is appropriate to comply with the law, to enforce or apply our Terms of Use and other agreements, to facilitate the financing, securitization, insuring, sale, assignment, bankruptcy, or disposal of all or part of our business or assets, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of our company, our customers, or others. This includes exchanging information with other companies and organizations for fraud protection and credit risk reduction. Obviously, however, this does not include selling, renting, sharing, or otherwise disclosing personally identifiable information from customers for commercial purposes in violation of the commitments set forth in this Privacy Policy.
With Your Consent: We may also share information about you in other ways and for other purposes, with your consent.
We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this policy, or as required by applicable law, including recordkeeping obligations under federal lending and financial regulations. Certain regulations issued by state and/or federal government agencies may require us to maintain and report demographic information on the collective activities of our customers. We may also be required to maintain your personal information for at least seven years in order to be in compliance with applicable federal and state laws regarding recordkeeping, reporting and audits.
We use industry-standard practices to protect your personal information, including the use of Transport Layer Security (TLS), which protects the data transmitted between you and our Website. We maintain physical, administrative, and technical safeguards designed to protect your personal information from unauthorized access or disclosure. These measures are in line with the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) and other applicable financial privacy regulations.
Unfortunately, no website, database, or system is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee the security of your personal information. It is important for you to protect against unauthorized access to your account and to your computer. Where we have given you (or where you have chosen) a password for access to certain parts of our Website, you are responsible for keeping this password confidential. We ask you not to share your password with anyone. Be sure to sign out of your account when you are finished using a shared computer. Any transmission of personal information is at your own risk. We are not responsible for the circumvention of any privacy settings or security measures contained on our Website.
Our services are not directed to individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect or store information from minors. If we become aware that personal data has been submitted by a minor, we will delete it promptly.
If you do not wish to receive promotional communications from us, you can opt out of such communications at any time by following the instructions provided in those communications or contacting us via email or phone. Unless otherwise provided by law, this opt-out does not apply to information you provide to us or we send to you as a result of a service experience or other interaction you have with us.
We respect your privacy rights and provide you with reasonable access to the personal data that you may have provided through your use of our services. If you wish to access or amend any personal data we hold about you, or to request that we delete any information about you, you may contact us as set forth in the "Contact Us" section.
California residents may have additional rights regarding their personal information. Please see our California Privacy Addendum for more details.
If you have any questions regarding this privacy policy or our use of your information, please contact us at:
This California Privacy Addendum (this "Addendum") is part of and supplements the information contained in the Company's Privacy Policy (above). This Addendum applies solely to all visitors, users, and others who reside in the State of California (each, a "consumer," or "you") who access our website or otherwise interact with us as described in our Privacy Policy. We adopt this Addendum to comply with the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 ("CCPA"). Any terms defined in the CCPA have the same meaning when used in this Addendum.
Our Website collects information that identifies, relates to, describes, references, is capable of being associated with, or could reasonably be linked, directly or indirectly, with a particular consumer or device ("personal information"). In particular, our Website has collected the following categories of personal information from our users within the last 12 months:
| Category | Examples | Collected |
|---|---|---|
| A. Identifiers | A real name, alias, postal address, unique personal identifier, online identifier, Internet Protocol address, email address, account name, Social Security number, driver's license number, passport number, or other similar identifiers. | Yes |
| B. Personal information categories listed in the California Customer Records statute | A name, signature, Social Security number, physical characteristics or description, address, telephone number, passport number, driver's license or state identification card number, insurance policy number, education, employment, employment history, bank account number, credit card number, debit card number, or any other financial information, medical information, or health insurance information. | Yes |
| C. Protected classification characteristics | Age, race, color, ancestry, national origin, citizenship, religion or creed, marital status, medical condition, physical or mental disability, sex, sexual orientation, veteran or military status, genetic information. | No |
| D. Commercial information | Records of personal property, products or services purchased, obtained, or considered, or other purchasing or consuming histories or tendencies. | Yes |
| E. Biometric information | Genetic, physiological, behavioral, and biological characteristics, or activity patterns used to extract a template or other identifier or identifying information. | No |
| F. Internet or other similar network activity | Browsing history, search history, information on a consumer's interaction with a website, application, or advertisement. | Yes |
| G. Geolocation data | Physical location or movements. | No |
| H. Sensory data | Audio, electronic, visual, thermal, olfactory, or similar information. | No |
| I. Professional or employment-related information | Current or past job history or performance evaluations. | No |
| J. Non-public education information | Education records directly related to a student maintained by an educational institution. | No |
| K. Inferences drawn from other personal information | Profile reflecting a person's preferences, characteristics, psychological trends, predispositions, behavior, attitudes, intelligence, abilities, and aptitudes. | No |
We obtain the categories of personal information listed above from the following categories of sources:
Personal information does not include:
We may use or disclose the personal information we collect for one or more of the following purposes:
We may disclose your personal information to a third party for a business purpose including with international partners. When we disclose personal information for a business purpose, we enter a contract that describes the purpose and requires the recipient to both keep that personal information confidential and not use it for any purpose except performing the contract.
The CCPA provides consumers (California residents) with specific rights regarding their personal information. This section describes your CCPA rights and explains how to exercise those rights.
You have the right to request that we disclose certain information to you about our collection and use of your personal information over the past 12 months. Once we receive and confirm your verifiable consumer request we will disclose to you:
You have the right to request that we delete any of your personal information that we collected from you and retained, subject to certain exceptions. Once we receive and confirm your verifiable consumer request, we will delete your personal information from our records, unless an exception applies.
If you have any questions or comments about this Addendum, please contact us at:
Phone: (949) 356-6510
Website: https://www.michaelkiesrealtor.com/
Address: Michael Kies, Broker / Realtor® BRE# 01525228, AdvantageFirst Realty, Orange County, CA
Last updated: September 22, 2025
