Privacy Policy

SearchKern.com ("SearchKern," "we," "us," or "our") provides real estate listing search, saved-home, and showing-request tools for buyers in Bakersfield and Kern County, California. This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect, how we use and share it, and the choices and rights you have. By creating an account or otherwise using SearchKern.com (the "Site"), you agree to the practices described here.

1. Information We Collect

Information you give us

When you create a buyer account, save or like a listing, or request a showing, we collect:

• Account information: your name, email address, phone number, and a securely hashed password (we never store your password in plain text).
• Saved & liked properties: the listings you bookmark or favorite while browsing.
• Showing requests: the property you're asking about, your preferred date/time, and any message you include.
• Communications: anything you send us directly, such as a question submitted through a contact or inquiry form.

Information collected automatically

Like most websites, our hosting infrastructure automatically logs standard technical information when you visit — such as IP address, browser type, device type, and timestamps — for security, abuse prevention, and troubleshooting. We also use third-party advertising and measurement tools — currently Google Ads conversion tracking, and we may use the Meta (Facebook/Instagram) pixel — which set cookies or similar identifiers to measure the performance of our advertising and, where applicable, support it. These tools load only after you accept our cookie notice, and do not load if you decline non-essential cookies or if your browser sends a Global Privacy Control signal. Your signed-in session is kept in your browser's local storage, not in a cookie, and is only readable by SearchKern.com. See Section 3 for details and your choices.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Create and maintain your buyer account, and let you sign in securely;
• Show you the homes you've saved or liked, and let an agent follow up on showing requests you submit;
• Connect you with one of our real estate agents so they can respond to your inquiries and, if you choose, help you buy a home;
• Send you account-related messages (like password-reset emails) and, if you opt in, property alert notifications (see Section 7);
• Maintain the security, integrity, and proper functioning of the Site; and
• Comply with legal obligations and enforce our Terms of Use.

3. Cookies & Tracking Technologies

SearchKern.com uses two kinds of client-side storage. First, functional local storage that holds your login token so you don't have to sign in on every page — this is not used for tracking and is cleared when you log out. Second, third-party advertising and measurement technologies — currently Google Ads conversion tracking, and potentially the Meta (Facebook/Instagram) pixel — which set cookies or similar identifiers to help us understand how visitors who click our ads use the Site and to measure and support our advertising.

These advertising technologies load only after you choose "Accept" on our cookie notice. If you choose "Decline non-essential," or if your browser sends a Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal, they do not load — we honor GPC automatically. You can change your choice at any time by clearing your browser's site data for SearchKern.com, which brings the notice back.

4. How We Share Information

We do not sell your personal information for money, and we do not share it with data brokers. We share information only in the following limited circumstances:

• With our own brokerage and agents: when you register an account or submit a showing request, that information is made available to the SearchKern.com real estate agent(s) and brokerage staff who may follow up with you about your inquiry — this is the core purpose of the Site.
• With service providers: we use third-party vendors under contract to help operate the Site — for example, an email delivery provider to send account and password-reset emails, and (if enabled in the future) an SMS provider to send text alerts. These vendors are only permitted to use your information to provide services to us, not for their own purposes.
• With advertising & measurement providers: if you accept our cookie notice, our advertising tools (currently Google Ads, and potentially the Meta pixel) receive limited information — such as the fact that you visited or took an action on the Site after clicking one of our ads — through cookies or similar identifiers, so we can measure and support our advertising. Under California law this may be considered "sharing" for cross-context behavioral advertising; see Section 6 for how to opt out.
• Legal reasons: if required to comply with a subpoena, court order, or other legal process, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of SearchKern.com, our users, or the public.
• Business transfers: if the brokerage is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to this Policy.

Listing data flows the other direction: property information you see on the Site is licensed from the Golden Empire MLS (GEMLS) and its participating brokers — we display MLS data to you, but we do not send your personal information back to GEMLS or the MLS.

5. Data Retention & Security

We keep your account information for as long as your account is active, plus a reasonable period afterward for recordkeeping, fraud-prevention, and legal-compliance purposes, or until you ask us to delete it (see Section 6). Passwords are stored using industry-standard one-way hashing (bcrypt) — we cannot look up or recover your actual password. Account access is protected using signed authentication tokens, and we use reasonable administrative and technical safeguards designed to protect your information. That said, no method of transmission or storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

6. Your California Privacy Rights (CCPA/CPRA)

If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act, as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CCPA/CPRA), gives you the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Right to Know: you can request what personal information we've collected about you, and why.
• Right to Delete: you can request that we delete personal information we've collected from you, subject to certain legal exceptions.
• Right to Correct: you can request that we correct inaccurate personal information we maintain about you.
• Right to Opt Out of Sale/Sharing: we do not sell your personal information for money. However, our use of advertising cookies (Google Ads, and potentially the Meta pixel) may constitute "sharing" for cross-context behavioral advertising under the CPRA. You can opt out by choosing "Decline non-essential" on our cookie notice, or by enabling a Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal in your browser, which we honor automatically.
• Right to Non-Discrimination: we will not deny you services, charge different prices, or provide a different level of service because you exercised a privacy right.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us using the information in Section 10. We'll need to verify your identity (typically by confirming the email address on your account) before processing your request. You may also designate an authorized agent to submit a request on your behalf.

7. Email & SMS Communications

When you create an account, we may send you transactional emails (like password-reset links) necessary to operate your account. If SearchKern.com offers optional saved-search or new-listing alerts by email, we will only send them if you opt in, and every marketing email will include an unsubscribe link, consistent with the CAN-SPAM Act.

If text-message (SMS) alerts are offered in the future, they will require your separate, express opt-in consent, and messages will include instructions to text STOP to opt out and HELP for help, with message-and-data-rates-may-apply disclosures, consistent with the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). We will never sell your phone number, and mobile opt-in information is never shared with third parties for their own marketing purposes.

8. Children's Privacy

SearchKern.com is intended for adults seeking to buy or browse real estate and is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will promptly delete it, consistent with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

9. Your Choices

• Access & update: you can review and update your account details from your account dashboard.
• Delete your account: contact us to request deletion of your account and associated personal information.
• Unsubscribe: use the unsubscribe link in any marketing email, or reply STOP to any marketing text, at any time.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time as the Site evolves — for example, if we add analytics, SMS alerts, or new features. We'll update the "Effective" date at the top of this page when we do. Continued use of the Site after a change means you accept the updated Policy.

11. Contact Us