Terms and Conditions

Effective date: September 1, 2026  ·  Last updated: September 17, 2026.

These Terms and Conditions ("Terms") govern your use of the website located at www.balalovski.com (the "Site") and the AI-powered chat assistant available on the Site, operated by Balalovski Real Estate ("we," "us," or "our").

By accessing or using our Site or chat assistant, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the Site.

1. Use of the Site

You may use the Site for lawful purposes only. You agree not to:

• Use the Site in any way that violates applicable local, state, federal, or international law
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to any part of the Site or its systems
• Submit false or misleading information through any form or chat interface
• Use automated tools, scrapers, or bots to interact with the Site without our written permission
• Use the chat assistant to transmit harmful, offensive, or illegal content

2. AI Chat Assistant

Our Site includes an AI-powered chat assistant built on Anthropic's Claude API. By using the chat assistant, you acknowledge and agree to the following:

• Informational purposes only. Responses generated by the chat assistant are for general informational purposes. They do not constitute legal, financial, or professional real estate advice.
• Accuracy not guaranteed. While we strive to keep our listing data, agent information, and website content accurate and up to date, AI-generated responses may occasionally contain errors or outdated information. Always verify details directly with one of our licensed agents before making any decisions.
• No agency relationship. Use of the chat assistant does not create a client-agent relationship between you and Balalovski Real Estate or any of its agents.
• Conversation processing. Your chat messages are transmitted to Anthropic's Claude API for processing. By using the chat, you consent to this transmission. Please do not share sensitive personal information such as financial account numbers or government ID numbers in the chat.
• Availability. We do not guarantee that the chat assistant will be available at all times. It may be interrupted for maintenance, updates, or reasons beyond our control.

3. SMS Communications

These messages are used solely to connect you with a real estate agent in response to your request. Specifically:

• When you request agent contact through the chat, your name, phone number, and a summary of your inquiry are delivered by SMS to one of our agents.
• When you close the chat widget after a conversation of substance, a brief AI-generated summary of your session may be sent by SMS to an agent for follow-up purposes.

Message frequency varies based on your interactions. Message and data rates may apply. You may opt out at any time by replying STOP to any message. For help, reply HELP or contact us directly. SMS communications are facilitated by Twilio. Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages.

We do not use SMS for bulk marketing campaigns. Your number will not be sold or shared with third parties other than Twilio for delivery purposes.

4. Email Communications and Mailing List

If you provide your email address through the chat assistant and check the consent box indicating you wish to receive updates, your email address will be added to our Mailchimp mailing list. You may receive occasional emails about new listings, market news, and agency announcements.

You may unsubscribe from our mailing list at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in any email we send, or by contacting us directly. We will not send you marketing emails without your consent.

5. Intellectual Property

All content on the Site — including property listings, photographs, text, agent profiles, logos, and the design and functionality of the Site — is owned by or licensed to Balalovski Real Estate and is protected by applicable copyright and intellectual property laws.

You may not reproduce, distribute, modify, or create derivative works from any content on the Site without our express written permission.

6. Property Listings and Availability

Property listings displayed on our Site and surfaced through the chat assistant are provided for informational purposes only. Listing information including price, availability, and status is subject to change without notice. Balalovski Real Estate makes no warranty that any listed property is available for purchase, sale, or lease at the time you view it.

All real estate transactions are subject to separate agreements and must be conducted through a licensed real estate agent.

7. Disclaimer of Warranties

The Site and chat assistant are provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis without warranties of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement.

We do not warrant that the Site will be error-free, uninterrupted, or free of viruses or other harmful components.

8. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Balalovski Real Estate and its agents, employees, and affiliates shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising out of or in connection with your use of the Site, the chat assistant, or any information obtained through them — even if we have been advised of the possibility of such damages.

Our total liability to you for any claim arising from your use of the Site shall not exceed one hundred dollars ($100).

9. Third-Party Links and Services

The Site may contain links to third-party websites and integrates with third-party services including Anthropic, Voyage AI, Pinecone, Twilio, and Mailchimp. We are not responsible for the content, privacy practices, or terms of any third-party services. Your use of those services is governed by their own terms and policies.

10. Analytics and Usage Tracking

When you use the AI chat widget on our Site, we collect anonymized behavioral data to help us understand how the widget is used and to improve it over time. This data includes:

• Whether and when the chat widget was opened and closed
• The number of messages exchanged in a session
• Whether a contact form was shown, submitted, or dismissed
• Whether SMS or email consent was given
• Whether a chat transcript was downloaded
• The page on our Site where the widget was used
• A one-way cryptographic hash of your IP address (which cannot be reversed to identify you)

This data is linked to an anonymous session ID generated for each visit and is retained for up to 12 months. It is not linked to your name, phone number, or email address unless you voluntarily submit that information through the contact form.

We may also use Google Analytics 4 to collect aggregated, anonymized data about widget interactions. Google Analytics uses cookies and may transfer data outside of your country. You can opt out of Google Analytics using the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

By using the chat widget, you consent to this anonymized data collection as described above.

11. MLS and IDX Listing Data

Our website participates in the Internet Data Exchange (IDX) program of the Columbus and Central Ohio Regional MLS (CCOR), a wholly owned subsidiary of Columbus REALTORS®. By accessing listing data on this Site, you agree to the following:

Required IDX Notice (NAR/CCOR):

• Brokerage attribution. Listings displayed on this Site that originate from other brokerages are identified with the name of the listing firm as required by CCOR MLS Rules & Regulations, §16.3.1 and §16.3.14. Balalovski Real Estate does not represent listings from other firms unless otherwise stated.
• Personal use only. MLS listing data displayed on this Site is for your personal, non-commercial use only. You may not copy, redistribute, republish, sell, or otherwise use listing data for any commercial purpose.
• No scraping. You may not use automated tools, bots, scrapers, or data extraction software to collect MLS listing data from this Site. Unauthorized data collection may violate CCOR MLS Rules & Regulations and applicable law.
• Accuracy and availability. Listing information including price, status, square footage, and descriptions is subject to change without notice. All information should be independently verified. Balalovski Real Estate makes no warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of any listing data.
• Active listings only. Per CCOR MLS Rules & Regulations §16.3.10, display of expired, withdrawn, and sold MLS listings through the IDX system is prohibited. Our AI chat assistant and IDX search display only currently active, pending, or under-contract listings sourced from the CCOR MLS feed. Historical sold data, where displayed, is limited to publicly accessible sold information maintained by the MLS from January 1, 2012 forward as permitted under §16.3.10.
• Data refresh. Per CCOR MLS Rules & Regulations §16.3.3, MLS listing data displayed on this site is refreshed at least every 12 hours to reflect current status changes.
• Source attribution. Per CCOR MLS Rules & Regulations Section 13, any advertising or public representations based on MLS-sourced data must state: "Based on information from the Columbus Association of REALTORS® for the period [date] through [date]."
• AI chat and IDX data. Our AI chat assistant may retrieve and present MLS listing data in response to your queries. This data carries the same limitations and restrictions as IDX data displayed elsewhere on the Site. The AI may occasionally present outdated or inaccurate information; always verify details with a licensed agent.
• Equal Housing Opportunity. All real estate advertised on this Site is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act, which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation, or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, national origin, or any other protected class. We will not knowingly accept any advertising that is in violation of this law. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised are available on an equal opportunity basis.
• Ohio license law. Real estate transactions facilitated through this Site are subject to the laws and regulations of the State of Ohio and must be conducted through a licensed Ohio real estate broker.

For questions about CCOR IDX compliance requirements, contact CCOR directly at mlshelp@columbusrealtors.com or (614) 475-4000. MLS Rules and Regulations are governed by the Columbus Association of REALTORS® and are subject to amendment. The February 2026 revision of the CCOR MLS Rules and Regulations is the current governing document.

12. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Balalovski Real Estate and its agents, officers, employees, and affiliates from any claims, damages, losses, liabilities, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or relating to your use of the Site, your violation of these Terms, or your violation of any third party's rights.

13. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Ohio, without regard to its conflict of law principles. Any disputes arising under these Terms shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in Ohio.

14. Changes to These Terms

We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. When we do, we will update the "Last updated" date above. Continued use of the Site after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms.

15. Contact Us