Privacy Policy
This policy describes how I, Jacob Gregory, an individual, collect, use, and share information when you visit [SITE URL], fill out a form, email or call me, or opt in to text messages. It is written for a small individual practice. It is not legal advice. Have counsel review it before the site goes live, especially if you later add analytics, advertising pixels, or work in states with their own privacy statutes.
I am not a bank, not a law firm, and not a HUD-approved housing counseling agency. Using this site or sending a form does not create an attorney-client, counseling, or lender relationship.
1. Information I collect
Information you give me. Name, email address, phone number, mailing or property city and state, property address if you choose to provide it, the role you select (homeowner, family or friend, agent, attorney, investor, and so on), information about a mortgage situation you describe (including a sale or court date, occupancy, months behind, past-due amounts, loan type, servicer name, and whether junior liens may exist), the name of a referring person or firm, and any message you write. Please do not send Social Security numbers, full loan or account numbers, or copies of statements through the public website form.
Information from professionals. If you are an attorney, agent, investor, or other professional, I may also collect your company or firm name and your role on a file.
Information from later, more secure exchanges. If we continue after the first conversation, you may later provide documents, authorizations, or account details through a method I designate (for example a secure upload or a signed form). Those records become part of the file and are handled as described below.
Information collected automatically. The site may collect standard technical data such as IP address, browser type, device type, pages visited, and the date and time of a visit. If I use a form or customer-relationship tool (including HighLevel) or a hosting provider, those providers may also collect technical logs needed to run the service.
Cookies and analytics. If I use cookies or a basic analytics tool, I will use them to understand how the site is used and to keep the site working. I will not use advertising pixels to target housing ads by protected characteristics. If a cookie-consent banner is added, analytics that are not strictly necessary will wait for your consent.
Text-message records. If you opt in to SMS, I keep a record of your consent, the date and time, the wording you agreed to, and your opt-out requests.
I do not knowingly collect information from children under 18. This site is meant for adults.
2. How I use information
I use the information to:
- Respond to your inquiry and follow up by the methods you agreed to
- Review dates and options and, if we work together, manage your file
- Send weekly email check-ins on the self-service help track, and updates on an active short-sale file
- Send text messages only if you opted in, as described in the SMS Terms
- Refer you, with context you have already shared, to a HUD-approved housing counselor, an attorney, a listing agent, or a licensed local partner when that is appropriate
- Keep records required by law, including federal mortgage-assistance rules that can require records to be kept for 24 months, and any longer period my advisors recommend
- Improve the website and protect it against spam and abuse
- Comply with law, a valid legal request, or a dispute
I do not use your information to guarantee a result, and submitting a form does not enroll you in a paid service.
3. How I share information
I share information only as needed to respond to you and to work a file, or as the law requires.
Service providers. I use vendors to host the website, run forms, and manage contacts, email, and (if you opt in) text messages. That may include HighLevel and similar tools, email delivery, and telecommunications providers that carry SMS. These providers process information on my behalf and are not authorized to use it for their own marketing.
People working on a file, with your permission. If you authorize me to work with your lender or others, I may share relevant file information with your mortgage servicer or lienholders, a title or escrow company, a listing agent you have chosen, a specialist or licensed partner you have been told about, or an attorney you have already retained. I will not contact your lender until you have signed a written authorization.
Professionals who referred you. If an attorney, agent, or other professional referred you, I may update them on status when you have agreed that I may do so.
Legal reasons. I may disclose information if required by law, court order, or a government request, or to protect rights, safety, or the integrity of a file.
Sale of the practice. If I ever transfer this practice, information may be transferred with it, under this policy or a successor policy you are told about.
I do not sell your personal information. I do not share mobile phone numbers or other mobile information with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes. See §5 below.
I do not pay or accept referral fees for sending a client to an agent or an attorney.
4. Email
If you give me your email address and agree that I may contact you, I will use it to reply to your inquiry and, if we stay in touch, to send file updates and the weekly check-in emails described on the site. You can ask to stop non-required email by using an unsubscribe link where one is provided, or by emailing [EMAIL]. I may still send a message that is needed to complete or close a file you asked me to work on, or that the law requires.
5. Text messages and mobile information
Text messages are optional. I will not send SMS unless you have opted in through a separate, unchecked checkbox, or another clear written request, that names Jacob Gregory.
Message frequency varies. Message and data rates may apply. Reply STOP to opt out and HELP for help. Consent to text messages is not a condition of any service or help.
Mobile information will not be shared with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes. Carriers and the platform that delivers the messages may process those messages in order to transmit them, to handle opt-outs, and to meet telecommunications requirements. That is not sharing for marketing.
The full program rules are in the SMS Terms.
6. How long I keep information
I keep inquiry and file records for as long as they are needed to help you, to maintain the relationship you asked for, and to meet legal and recordkeeping duties. Federal mortgage-assistance rules can require certain records to be kept for at least 24 months. I may keep records longer if a file, claim, or legal duty requires it. When information is no longer needed, I will delete or de-identify it in a reasonable way, subject to backups that age out in the ordinary course.
7. How I protect information
I use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards appropriate to a small individual practice, including limited access to files and use of reputable vendors. No website or transmission is completely secure. Please do not put Social Security numbers or full account numbers in the public form or in an ordinary email if a more secure method has been offered.
8. Your choices and rights
You may:
- Ask me what information I have about you, or ask me to correct it
- Withdraw SMS consent by replying STOP, and withdraw email or call consent by telling me
- Ask me to delete information I do not need to keep for a legal or recordkeeping reason
Depending on the state you live in, you may have additional rights. If you want to make a request, email [EMAIL] or write to me at the address on this page. I may need to confirm it is you before I respond. If a consumer-privacy law in your state requires a specific process or a shorter response time, I will follow that law.
You may also stop using the site at any time.
9. Third-party links
The site may link to resources I do not control, including HUD’s housing-counselor pages and a servicer’s own forms. Their privacy practices are their own. A link is not an endorsement and is not an affiliation with the government or with your lender.
10. Changes to this policy
I may update this policy from time to time. The “Effective date” at the top will change when I do. The updated policy will apply to information I collect after it is posted, and to existing information as the law allows. If a change is material, I will try to provide a reasonable notice on the site or by email.
11. How to contact me
Jacob Gregory Staunton, Virginia Email: [EMAIL] Phone: [PHONE] Website: [SITE URL]
For free, independent housing counseling, you can also contact a HUD-approved counselor at 800-569-4287 or hud.gov/housingcounseling. That is a separate service. I am not affiliated with HUD.