Privacy Policy

Effective date: May 21, 2026. Last updated: May 21, 2026.

This Privacy Policy explains how Michael Rulfs, a licensed real estate agent (REALTOR®, CalRE #01832571) affiliated with Coldwell Banker Realty, referred to here as "Michael Rulfs Real Estate," "we," "us," or "our," collects, uses, and shares information when you visit or use the website at rulfsrealestate.com and any related pages, tools, or forms, together referred to as the "Site." This Privacy Policy also serves as our notice at collection under California law.

By using the Site, you agree to the practices described in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the Site. The Site is operated in the United States and is intended for users located in the United States. Coldwell Banker Realty and the multiple listing services that supply property data may maintain their own separate privacy policies, which this policy does not cover.

1. Information We Collect

Information you give us

We collect information you choose to provide, including when you:

• Submit a contact, inquiry, or showing-request form. This typically includes your name, email address, phone number, and the content of your message.
• Request a home valuation or market estimate. This typically includes a property address and your contact details.
• Search for properties, save searches, or save listings, which may include your search criteria and, if you create an account, your account details.
• Sign up for market updates, newsletters, or other communications.
• Communicate with us by email, phone, or text message.

Information we collect automatically

When you use the Site, we and our service providers may automatically collect certain information, including your IP address, browser type, device type and operating system, the pages you view, the links you click, the dates and times of your visits, the website you came from, and general location based on your IP address. We collect this information using cookies and similar technologies, described in Section 7.

2. Categories of Personal Information We Collect

For purposes of the California Consumer Privacy Act, as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (together, the "CCPA"), the following describes the categories of personal information we may have collected about Site visitors in the past 12 months:

• Identifiers. Name, email address, phone number, postal or property address, IP address, and similar identifiers.
• Customer records. Contact details and other information you provide in forms or messages.
• Commercial information. Records of properties you have inquired about, searched for, saved, or expressed interest in, and services you have requested.
• Internet or network activity. Information about how you interact with the Site, such as pages viewed, links clicked, searches run, and the dates and times of visits.
• Geolocation data. Approximate location derived from your IP address.
• Audio and electronic information. The content of emails, text messages, and form submissions you send to us.
• Inferences. Preferences we may draw from the information above, such as the type of property or area you may be interested in.

We collect this information directly from you, automatically through your use of the Site, and from our service providers and analytics tools. We use it for the business purposes described in Section 3 and may disclose it to the categories of recipients described in Section 4.

We do not sell your personal information, and we have not sold or shared personal information, as those terms are defined under the CCPA, in the past 12 months. We do not knowingly collect or process sensitive personal information for purposes that would require us to offer a right to limit its use.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Respond to your inquiries and provide the real estate services you request.
• Send you property information, home valuations, market updates, and other communications you ask for or that relate to your interest in buying or selling.
• Contact you by call, email, and text message about your inquiry and our services, where you have agreed to be contacted.
• Operate, maintain, improve, and secure the Site.
• Understand how visitors use the Site so we can improve its content and performance.
• Comply with legal obligations and enforce our terms.

4. How We Share Your Information

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

• Service providers. We share information with companies that perform services for us, such as customer relationship management (CRM) and lead management, website hosting, email and text message delivery, real estate listing and MLS data, analytics, and home valuation tools. These providers may use the information only to perform services for us.
• Brokerage and real estate professionals. We may share your information with Coldwell Banker Realty or with other licensed real estate professionals as needed to provide the services you request.
• Legal and safety reasons. We may disclose information when we believe it is required by law, to respond to legal process, to protect our rights, or to protect the safety of any person.
• Business transfers. If our business is involved in a merger, acquisition, or transfer of assets, information may be transferred as part of that transaction.

5. SMS and Text Messaging Communications

If you provide your phone number and agree to be contacted by text, we may send you SMS (text) messages related to real estate services. Providing your phone number and agreeing to receive texts is always optional. You can submit any form on the Site without agreeing to receive text messages.

SMS Terms and Conditions

No mobile information will be shared with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes. Information sharing with service providers that help us operate the messaging program, such as customer support and CRM providers, is permitted so that they can act on our behalf. All other categories of sharing described in this Privacy Policy exclude text messaging opt-in data and consent. Text messaging opt-in data and consent will not be shared with any third parties, and your phone number will never be sold.

6. Your Choices and Communication Preferences

You have choices about how we contact you:

• Email. You can unsubscribe from marketing emails at any time using the unsubscribe link in any of those emails.
• Text messages. You can stop text messages at any time by replying "STOP", as described in Section 5.
• Phone calls. You can ask us at any time to stop calling you.
• Cookies. You can manage or disable cookies through your browser settings, as described in Section 7.

Even if you opt out of marketing messages, we may still contact you with information needed to respond to a specific request you have made.

7. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

The Site uses cookies and similar technologies to operate the website, remember your preferences, understand how the Site is used, and measure performance. You can set your browser to refuse some or all cookies or to alert you when cookies are being used. If you disable cookies, some parts of the Site may not function properly.

8. Third-Party Websites and Services

The Site may contain links to websites or services operated by others, including property search tools, the multiple listing service, and social media pages. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those third parties. We encourage you to read the privacy policy of any website or service you visit.

9. Data Retention

We keep your information for as long as needed to provide our services, to respond to your inquiries, to comply with our legal obligations, to resolve disputes, and to enforce our agreements. When information is no longer needed, we take reasonable steps to delete it or remove identifying details.

10. Data Security

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect the information we collect. No method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.

11. Your California Privacy Rights

The CCPA gives California residents certain rights regarding their personal information. Subject to the limits in the law, you have the right to:

• Know what personal information we collect, use, and disclose.
• Request access to the personal information we hold about you.
• Request that we delete personal information we collected from you.
• Request that we correct inaccurate personal information.
• Opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information. We do not sell or share your personal information, and we do not sell or share your phone number.
• Limit the use of sensitive personal information. As noted in Section 2, we do not collect sensitive personal information for purposes that would require this option.
• Not receive discriminatory treatment for exercising any of these rights.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us using the details in Section 15. We will verify your request before responding, and we may need to confirm your identity. You may use an authorized agent to make a request on your behalf, subject to verification. We will respond to a verifiable request within 45 days. If we need more time, we will tell you and may take up to an additional 45 days.

Under California's "Shine the Light" law, California residents may request information about how we disclose personal information to third parties for those third parties' own direct marketing purposes. We do not share personal information with third parties for their own direct marketing.

12. Children's Privacy

The Site is intended for adults and is not directed to children under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 16. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will take steps to delete it.

13. Do Not Track Signals

Some browsers offer a "Do Not Track" signal. The Site does not currently respond to Do Not Track signals because no common industry standard for them has been adopted.

14. Changes to This Privacy 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. We encourage you to review this page periodically. Your continued use of the Site after a change takes effect means you accept the updated Privacy Policy.

15. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your information, contact us:

Michael Rulfs Real Estate
Coldwell Banker Realty
1712 Meridian Avenue, San Jose, CA 95125
Email: Michael.Rulfs@CBRealty.com
Phone: 408-504-0385
Website: rulfsrealestate.com
CalRE #01832571