Privacy Policy
Effective Date: January 1, 2026
Last Updated: October 4, 2026
Privacy at a Glance
- What we collect: Usage data, device info, and data you provide (email, calculator inputs)
- Why we collect it: To provide our services, improve user experience, and show relevant content
- Who we share with: Analytics providers (Google), affiliate partners (Foreclosure.com)
- Your rights: Access, delete, correct, or opt-out of data collection
- Geographic scope: United States only
- Contact: Contact us
United States Only
Default Research is intended for users in the United States. Our services, content, and data practices are designed for U.S. audiences. If you access our Site from outside the United States, you do so at your own risk and are responsible for compliance with local laws.
1. Introduction
Default Research ("we," "us," or "our") operates the website defaultresearch.com (the "Site"). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our Site or use our services, including our foreclosure guides, calculators, and tools.
Geographic Scope: Default Research is intended for users located in the United States. Our services, content, affiliate partnerships, and data practices are designed specifically for U.S. audiences. Foreclosure information on our Site applies only to U.S. jurisdictions.
We are committed to protecting your privacy and being transparent about our data practices. Please read this policy carefully. By using our Site, you consent to the data practices described in this policy. If you do not agree with our policies, please do not use our Site.
2. Information We Collect
We collect several categories of information:
2.1 Information You Provide Directly
- Contact Information: Email address when you subscribe to our newsletter or contact us
- Calculator Inputs: Property values, loan amounts, repair estimates, and other data you enter into our tools
- Shareable Results: When you save or share calculator results, we store those calculations
- Communications: Messages you send us via email or contact forms
2.2 Information Collected Automatically
- Device Information: Browser type, operating system, device type (mobile/desktop)
- Usage Data: Pages visited, time spent on pages, click patterns, scroll depth
- Location Data: General geographic location based on IP address (city/state level, not precise)
- Referral Data: How you arrived at our Site (search engine, direct link, referring website)
- IP Address: Your Internet Protocol address (may be anonymized for analytics)
2.3 Sensitive Personal Information
We do not intentionally collect sensitive personal information such as:
- Social Security numbers or government IDs
- Financial account numbers
- Precise geolocation (GPS coordinates)
- Racial or ethnic origin
- Health information
- Biometric data
Our calculators may ask you to input financial figures (property values, loan amounts), but these are user-provided estimates for calculation purposes and are not verified or linked to actual financial accounts.
3. How We Collect Information
We collect information through:
- Direct Input: When you enter information into forms, calculators, or contact fields
- Cookies: Small text files stored on your device (see Section 6)
- Analytics Tools: Google Analytics and similar services that track Site usage
- Server Logs: Automatic logging of requests to our servers
- Third-Party Widgets: Foreclosure.com search widgets embedded on our Site
4. How We Use Your Information
We use collected information for the following purposes:
4.1 Service Delivery
- Provide foreclosure guides, calculators, and educational content
- Generate and store shareable calculator results
- Respond to your inquiries and support requests
- Send newsletters if you've subscribed (with opt-out option)
4.2 Site Improvement
- Analyze usage patterns to improve content and features
- Identify technical issues and optimize performance
- Understand which content is most valuable to users
- A/B test new features and designs
4.3 Marketing & Advertising
- Display relevant affiliate partner content (e.g., Foreclosure.com widgets)
- Track affiliate referral conversions
- Measure advertising effectiveness
4.4 Legal & Security
- Comply with legal obligations
- Protect against fraud and abuse
- Enforce our Terms of Service
5. Information Sharing & Disclosure
We may share your information with the following categories of third parties:
5.1 Analytics Providers
| Provider | Purpose | Data Shared |
|---|---|---|
| Google Analytics | Website analytics | Usage data, device info (anonymized IP) |
| Google Tag Manager | Tag management | Page views, events |
5.2 Affiliate Partners
| Partner | Purpose | Data Shared |
|---|---|---|
| Foreclosure.com | Referral tracking | Click data, referral source (via cookies) |
5.3 Service Providers
- Hosting: Cloud infrastructure providers that store our Site and data
- Email: Transactional email service providers (for newsletters and notifications)
- CDN: Content delivery networks for fast page loading
5.4 Newsletter & Email Communications
When you subscribe to our newsletter, we collect your email address and the page from which you subscribed. This data is shared with MailerLite, our email service provider, to deliver newsletters and lead magnets (such as market reports). You can unsubscribe at any time via the link in any email. Upon unsubscription, your data is retained in our records with an unsubscribe flag but is no longer used for marketing purposes. MailerLite's privacy policy governs their handling of your data.
5.5 Legal Requirements
We may disclose information if required by law, such as in response to:
- Court orders or subpoenas
- Law enforcement requests
- Legal proceedings
- Protection of our rights, property, or safety
5.6 What We Do NOT Do
- We do not sell your personal information
- We do not share your email address with third parties for their marketing
- We do not provide personal data to data brokers
6. Cookies & Tracking Technologies
We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to collect and store information about your interactions with our Site.
6.1 Types of Cookies We Use
| Type | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Essential | Site functionality (sessions, security) | Session / 1 year |
| Analytics | Understand Site usage (Google Analytics) | Up to 2 years |
| Affiliate | Track referrals to Foreclosure.com | 180 days |
| Preferences | Remember your settings (dark mode, etc.) | 1 year |
6.2 Managing Cookies
You can control cookies through:
- Browser Settings: Most browsers allow you to block or delete cookies
- Google Analytics Opt-Out: Install the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on
- Private Browsing: Use incognito/private mode to prevent persistent cookies
Note: Disabling cookies may affect Site functionality and your user experience.
7. Your Privacy Rights
Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal information:
- Right to Know/Access: Request what personal information we have collected about you
- Right to Delete: Request deletion of your personal information
- Right to Correct: Request correction of inaccurate personal information
- Right to Portability: Receive your data in a portable format
- Right to Opt-Out: Opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information
- Right to Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising your rights
To exercise these rights, please contact us. We will respond within 45 days (or as required by applicable law).
8. California Privacy Rights (CCPA/CPRA)
If you are a California resident, you have specific rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA):
8.1 Categories of Personal Information Collected
In the past 12 months, we have collected the following categories:
- Identifiers: Email address, IP address, device identifiers
- Internet Activity: Browsing history on our Site, search queries, interactions
- Geolocation: General location (city/state) based on IP address
- Inferences: Preferences derived from your usage patterns
8.2 Sale or Sharing of Personal Information
We do not sell your personal information for monetary consideration. However, under CCPA's broad definition of "sharing," our use of analytics and affiliate tracking cookies may constitute "sharing" for cross-context behavioral advertising purposes.
You have the right to opt out of this sharing. To do so:
- Disable third-party cookies in your browser settings
- Use the Google Analytics Opt-out Add-on
- Contact us with your request
8.3 Global Privacy Control (GPC)
We honor Global Privacy Control (GPC) signals. If your browser sends a GPC signal, we will treat this as a valid opt-out request for the sale/sharing of your personal information.
8.4 Authorized Agents
You may designate an authorized agent to make requests on your behalf. We may require verification of both your identity and the agent's authorization.
9. European Privacy Rights (GDPR)
If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), United Kingdom, or Switzerland, you have additional rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR):
- Legal Basis: We process your data based on legitimate interests (analytics, site improvement) and consent (marketing communications)
- Right to Object: You may object to processing based on legitimate interests
- Right to Restrict: You may request restriction of processing in certain circumstances
- Right to Withdraw Consent: Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw at any time
- Right to Lodge a Complaint: You may file a complaint with your local data protection authority
International Transfers: Your data may be transferred to and processed in the United States. We rely on Standard Contractual Clauses and other lawful transfer mechanisms.
10. Data Retention
We retain personal information for the following periods:
| Data Type | Retention Period |
|---|---|
| Analytics data | 26 months (Google Analytics default) |
| Email subscriptions | Until you unsubscribe + 30 days |
| Shareable calculator results | 1 year from creation |
| Server logs | 90 days |
| Contact form submissions | 2 years |
We may retain data longer if required by law or to protect our legal interests.
11. Data Security
We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information:
- Encryption: SSL/TLS encryption for all data transmitted to and from our Site
- Access Controls: Limited access to personal data on a need-to-know basis
- Secure Infrastructure: Cloud hosting with industry-standard security practices
- Regular Updates: Timely security patches and software updates
However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.
12. Children's Privacy
Our Site is not intended for children under 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 18. Real estate investing content is intended for adult audiences.
If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us. We will promptly delete such information.
13. Do Not Track Signals
"Do Not Track" (DNT) is a browser setting that requests websites not to track browsing activity. Our Site currently:
- Honors Global Privacy Control (GPC): We recognize and respond to GPC signals as opt-out requests
- DNT Headers: We do not currently respond to DNT browser signals, as there is no industry-wide standard for DNT compliance
14. Third-Party Links & Services
Our Site contains links to third-party websites and embedded content (such as Foreclosure.com widgets). These third parties have their own privacy policies, and we are not responsible for their practices.
We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party services you access through our Site:
15. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make changes:
- We will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page
- For material changes, we may provide additional notice (such as a banner on our Site or email notification to subscribers)
- Your continued use of the Site after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy
We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your information.
16. Contact Us
If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:
- Contact: Contact us and select "Privacy" as the department
For data access, deletion, or correction requests, please include sufficient information to verify your identity. We will respond within 45 days (or as required by applicable law).
Summary: Default Research is intended for United States users only. We collect minimal data necessary to operate our Site (usage analytics, calculator inputs, contact information). We share data with analytics providers and our affiliate partner (Foreclosure.com). We do not sell your personal information. You have rights to access, delete, and control your data. Contact us with any questions.