Our postal address is:
Council of Residential Specialists
430 N Michigan
Chicago, IL 60611

We can be reached by e-mail.

You can reach us by telephone at 800.462.8841.

The Council of Residential Specialists TAKES YOUR PRIVACY SERIOUSLY. Please read the following to learn more about our privacy policy. This privacy policy may be updated from time to time, so please check back frequently.

The Council of Residential Specialists is committed to your privacy and security, and wants to provide you with the best possible online experience. To that end, we want you to understand what types of information we gather from you, how this information is used and safeguarded, and how you can control its use.

This privacy policy covers the following issues:
What information is collected from me?
How is my information collected and used (in each of the following contexts)?
Cookies
Referral Directory
Registration
Tools
Solicited Information
User-Initiated Communication
Referrals
Automatically Gathered Data
Collected Data
What choices do I have regarding the use of my information?
How do I "opt-out"?
How can I access and change my information?
How is my information protected?
Use of Member's e-mail Address
Children's Guidelines
Scope of This Privacy Policy: Outside Links
Contacting Us

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What information is collected from me?
The types of information we collect from you will vary, depending on how you use our Web sites. It's possible to browse our sites without submitting any personally identifiable information ("personal information") at all, but if you choose to take advantage of some of our products and services, you may be asked to provide information such as a user name and password, your real name, e-mail address, phone number, address, and-for certain e-commerce transactions-your credit card information. Whenever we ask for this kind of information, we strive to provide a link to this Privacy Policy to help you understand how your personal information will be used before you decide whether to disclose it.

In addition to the information you choose to submit, our systems are set up to gather certain anonymous data to help us better understand how our sites are being used and how we can improve them. This automatically gathered data includes your computer's IP or "Internet Protocol" address, statistics about how visitors navigate through our sites and information provided through the use of "cookies" (which are described in more detail below).

Finally, as you visit our sites, be aware that third parties may at times be able to gather information from you. For example, third-party ad servers and companies that place ads on our sites may use their own cookies, and companies offering products or services through CRS.COM Web site may use their own cookies and may collect and use the information you submit. In these cases, the third parties would use your information according to their own policies, which may differ from this Privacy Policy.

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How is my information used?
The use of your information depends on the context in which it is collected. Therefore, pay special attention to the categories below that relate to the features of our sites that you wish to utilize. Also be aware that CRS.COM may at times be legally compelled to disclose certain information, by means such as subpoenas or court orders.

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Cookies
These are small files that we send to and store on your computer so that we may recognize it as a unique machine the next time you visit our sites. Our cookies are used for three reasons: (1) to keep track of your information for your own convenience; (2) to help us optimize your online experience by altering our content depending on your particular needs or browsing patterns, and to provide you with advertisements, products and services of interest to you; and (3) to help us understand the size of our audience and their traffic patterns within our network. Some of our advertisers and third-party ad servers may also utilize their own cookies. Also, companies offering products or services through CRS.COM may use their own cookies.

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Referral Directory
As a member benefit, the Council of Residential Specialists provides its' members with a referral directory of all CRS Designees. The directory is provided in print and online. The print versions are sent to all members once a year and the online version is accessible to both members and the public at large, without the need to register at www.crs.com. The copyrighted CRS membership directory is provided for your personal use for the exclusive purpose of identifying CRS designees who can provide real estate services. Any other use of the directory or information obtained from the directory, including reproduction, display, downloading or retransmission, in whole or in part, without the express written permission of the CRS is prohibited. The information provided in the directory is believed accurate, but is not guaranteed by the CRS and the CRS disclaims any liability arising out of the use of this directory. CRS Designees may opt-out of having their contact information appear in all versions of the referral directory. To opt-out, please contact a Customer Service Representative at 800.462.8841 or crshelp@crs.com.

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Registration
The information you provide when you become a registered user of our site is used primarily to help us customize your online experience. Your member identification number serves as a unique identifier in our record system, and it is used together with your password to prevent unauthorized access to any information you choose to store on our sites. The data you give us about your personal preferences and demographics (such as age, ZIP code, occupation, or other data) may be used to help us offer content, advertisements, products, and services that are most likely to appeal to you.

Please note that we do not accept or store registration for anyone under the age of 13 under any circumstances.

Unless you specify that you'd prefer not to hear from us, we may also use the e-mail address you provide at registration to contact you for promotional, administrative, or other reasons. You may have these communications terminated at any time. If you indicate that you're interested in hearing from other companies, we may also share your contact information for that purpose.

If you have specified that you would prefer not to hear from us, we may use your email address to contact you, but only in the case of special circumstances as directed by the CRS Management.

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Tools
Our sites allow you to use many helpful tools, such as financial and home improvement calculators, real estate search tools, and others, without disclosing any personal information. These tools are for your benefit, and the information you submit when you use them (typically impersonal data) is not disclosed to anyone or used for any purpose other than to provide you with the service you're seeking.

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Solicited Information
You may occasionally see contests, surveys, and other features of our Web sites that ask you to provide us with information. When you choose to respond to these requests, the information you offer may be used for several reasons. These include the uses set out in the Registration section, above. They also include providing information to third parties as necessary for prize fulfillment and other aspects of any contest or similar offering. If we are going to use your personal information for any other purposes, we will notify you of that purpose and give you a chance to opt out before responding to our survey, contest form, or other request, or to not respond to or participate in the survey, contest or other request.

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User-Initiated Communication
Our Web sites enable you to send e-mail to us or to third parties, and to participate in public bulletin boards and discussion groups. Whenever you choose to initiate these kinds of communication with us, or anyone else, you may expect to be contacted in return. Also remember that our bulletin boards and discussion groups are open to the public-what you post there can be seen by anyone and is not protected by CRS.COM. Please use your own discretion when deciding what to post publicly and whom to contact.

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Referrals
If you participate in any referral service we may offer, we will use the information you submit to determine which of our participating professionals may be able to serve your needs. We may then forward your name, contact information, and other responses to our sign-up form to the selected professional(s), who may then contact you using that information. Any information that you provide may also be used by us in accordance with the uses set out in the Registration section, above.

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Automatically Gathered Data
The information gathered automatically by our system-such as your computer's IP address, the kind of browser you're using, and a record of your navigation through our site-may be used by CRS.COM so we can understand how to make our sites convenient and useful to our audience. In addition, we may share this information, in aggregate form, with our current and potential advertisers so they can know how to present their ads more effectively.

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Collected Data
We may link information collected from you through various means, including information collected automatically and through the use of cookies and registration information, or other personal information you provide to help us offer content, advertisements, products, and services that are most likely to appeal to you, and this information may also be shared among the various Web sites in the CRS.COM family. In addition, we may share this information, in aggregate form, with our current and potential advertisers so they can know how to present their ads more effectively. If you have indicated that you want to be contacted by third parties, we may use this information to select which names to provide to a particular third party in order to present you with products and services that are most likely to appeal to you, but we will not disclose this type of information, other than your contact information, to any such third party.

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What choices do I have regarding the use of my information?
Reading this Privacy Policy should help you understand how any information you share with us might be used. If you feel concerned about any of these uses, you might elect not to participate in certain services, features, or products that we offer. We will never collect personal information about you without your knowledge, so the decision whether or not to share this information is completely up to you.

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How do I "opt-out"?
You also have the ability to terminate e-mail correspondence from us at any time. You will either be given the chance to opt out of direct mailings when you disclose your e-mail address to us, you can simply reply to our e-mail, typing "Unsubscribe" in the subject line or e-mail the appropriate Web master below with your request, and we will promptly remove your address from that e-mail service: CRSWebmaster@crs.com.

If you feel concerned about the cookies that are sent between our computers and yours, you may, through your Web browser, either choose to reject them automatically, or have your computer prompt you before accepting them. Generally, this is done by selecting the appropriate cookies setting on your Web browser, usually found in "Internet Options" or "Preferences." Please note, however, that some of our features and services depend on the use of cookies. Therefore, you will be unable to take advantage of those features if you choose not to accept cookies.

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How can I access and change my information?
If you would like us to delete the personal information we have gathered from you in the other areas described above, please send a request to crshelp@crs.com.

Access to your personal information and the ability to change it are available at the My CRS Advantage section of CRS.com. Your member ID and your password (which has been sent to you in the mail) are required to access this section of the site.

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How is my information protected?
This site has security measures in place to protect the loss, misuse and alteration of the information under our control.

Whenever personal information about you is stored on our computers, that information is password-protected from unauthorized access or use. In addition, this information is kept only on servers that are located behind a "firewall," which makes their contents inaccessible to outside users.

Since your Social Security and financial information is especially sensitive, we take special care to keep it secure. We will only transmit or ask for this information over secure Internet connections, using SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) encryption-the currently accepted standard for online security-and security keys. In addition, we require password authentication from any third parties you've authorized to receive this information. Finally, your Social Security number, credit card number and financial information are never stored on our servers. While this means you may have to enter this information more than once, we believe the added security is worth the extra effort.

Of course, we appreciate your help in safeguarding the integrity of your own and others' privacy. We hope you'll use common sense whenever you disclose personal information over the Internet. Just as important, we encourage you to let us know immediately if you suspect that the information you share with us is being used in any way contrary to this Privacy Policy. To contact us, send e-mail to CRSWebmaster@crs.com.

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Use of Member's E-mail Address
Your e-mail address will only be used within CRS. We do not sell or rent e-mail addresses to anyone outside CRS. If you wish to be removed from our e-mail mailings, please call our Member Service Center at 800.462.8841 or e-mail crshelp@crs.com.

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Children's Guidelines
We at CRS are concerned about protecting children's privacy and follow these guidelines:

CRS.COM DOES NOT:
Collect online contact information without prior parental consent or parental notification, which will include an opportunity for the parent to prevent use of the information and participation in the activity. Without prior parental consent, online information will only be used to respond directly to the child's request and will not be used for other purposes without prior parental consent

Collect personally identifiable offline contact information without prior parental consent

Distribute to third parties any personally identifiable information with out prior parental consent

Give the ability to publicly post or otherwise distribute personally identifiable contact information without prior parental consent

Entice by the prospect of a special game, prize or other activity, to divulge more information than is needed to participate in the activity

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Scope of This Privacy Policy: Outside Links
This Privacy Policy only applies to Web sites owned or operated by the Council of Residential Specialists. Our pages contain links to sites outside our control. Please be aware that these sites may collect information about you and operate according to their own privacy practices, which may differ from this Privacy Policy. Remember that once you're outside our Web site any information you submit is outside of our control.

Contacting Us
If you have concerns about our privacy practices, contact us at:
The Council of Residential Specialists
430 N Michigan
Chicago, IL 60611
Fax: 312.329.8882
E-mail: CRSWebmaster@crs.com

We can be reached by e-mail at: crshelp@crs.com.
You can reach us by telephone at 800.462.8841.