Terms of Use

1. Acceptance of these Terms

These Terms of Use (the "Terms") form a legally binding agreement between you and the operator of Discover Firethorne (the "Site," "we," "us," or "our"). By accessing, browsing, or otherwise using the Site, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms, our Privacy Policy, our Cookie Policy, and our Disclaimers, each of which is incorporated by reference. If you do not agree, you must discontinue use of the Site immediately.

2. No affiliation with the HOA, club, or developer

Discover Firethorne is an independent editorial and informational website. It is not the Firethorne Homeowners Association or Community Association, the Country Club of the Carolinas (formerly Firethorne Country Club), the community developer, any builder, any brokerage acting as the community's official representative, or any affiliate, agent, employee, or representative of any of the foregoing. We are not endorsed by, sponsored by, licensed by, or officially connected with any of those entities. Nothing on the Site should be construed as an official communication, governing document, rule, interpretation, approval, or determination of any homeowners association, architectural review committee, club, developer, or governmental body.

For authoritative information regarding association rules, assessments, covenants, conditions and restrictions (CC&Rs), architectural approvals, club membership, amenity access, security, or governance, you must contact the applicable organization directly and rely solely on its official documents.

3. Informational purpose only — no professional advice

All content on the Site is provided for general informational and editorial purposes only. It is not, and must not be relied upon as, legal, financial, tax, investment, insurance, appraisal, engineering, construction, brokerage, or other professional advice. No content creates any fiduciary, agency, brokerage, advisory, or professional relationship between you and us. You should obtain independent professional advice before acting on anything you read here.

Nothing on the Site is an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any real property, security, membership, or service. Property availability, pricing, specifications, dimensions, boundaries, school assignments, fees, dues, tax rates, amenities, and membership terms change frequently and without notice.

4. Accuracy, completeness, and good-faith effort

We compile information from public records, publicly available sources, and good-faith observation, and we make commercially reasonable efforts to present information that is accurate and current as of the date of publication. Nevertheless, we do not warrant, represent, or guarantee that any content is accurate, complete, current, reliable, or error-free. Content may contain typographical errors, outdated figures, omissions, or inaccuracies. We reserve the right to correct, modify, or remove any content at any time without notice and without any obligation to update previously published material.

You agree that you are solely responsible for independently verifying any information before relying on it for any purpose, including any purchase, sale, lease, financing, construction, relocation, membership, or school-enrollment decision, and that we shall have no liability for any decision made or action taken in reliance on Site content.

5. License and permitted use

We grant you a limited, revocable, non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-sublicensable license to access and view the Site for your own personal, non-commercial informational use. All other rights are reserved. Except as expressly permitted, you may not:

• reproduce, republish, distribute, sell, license, or create derivative works from any Site content;
• frame, mirror, or deep-link the Site in a manner that misrepresents its source or affiliation;
• use automated means — scrapers, crawlers, bots, or data-mining tools — to extract content except as permitted by our robots.txt;
• use Site content to train, fine-tune, or ground any machine-learning or generative artificial-intelligence system without our prior written consent;
• remove, obscure, or alter any copyright, trademark, or proprietary notice;
• interfere with, probe, overload, or attempt to gain unauthorized access to the Site, its servers, its administrative areas, or any connected network;
• use the Site for any unlawful, fraudulent, harassing, defamatory, discriminatory, or infringing purpose, or in violation of any fair-housing, advertising, brokerage, privacy, or anti-spam law.

6. Intellectual property

The Site and its contents — including text, editorial copy, page structure, compilations, graphics, logos, wordmarks, brand identity, photography, illustrations, maps, interface design, and code — are owned by us or our licensors and are protected by United States and international copyright, trademark, trade-dress, and other intellectual-property laws. "Firethorne," "Country Club of the Carolinas," and all other third-party names, logos, and marks appearing on the Site are the property of their respective owners and are used solely for nominative, descriptive, and editorial identification purposes under applicable fair-use principles.

7. Third-party sites, businesses, and recommendations

The Site references and links to independent third-party businesses and websites, including recommended real estate, construction, design, and technology professionals. Those references are editorial recommendations and informational references only. We do not control third-party businesses or websites and we make no representation or warranty regarding their content, licensing, insurance, qualifications, availability, pricing, workmanship, conduct, privacy practices, or results.

Any dealings, communications, contracts, or transactions between you and a third-party business are solely between you and that business. We are not a party to those dealings and disclaim all liability arising from them. We may have business, referral, ownership, or other relationships with certain recommended businesses. We receive no compensation from you for using the Site.

8. Fair housing

We support and comply with the federal Fair Housing Act and all applicable state and local fair-housing laws. Nothing on the Site is intended to indicate any preference, limitation, or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, national origin, or any other protected characteristic, or any intent to make such a preference, limitation, or discrimination. Any school, demographic, or neighborhood information is provided for general reference only and must be independently verified.

9. Submissions through the contact form

The Site provides a single contact form as its only inquiry channel. By submitting an inquiry, you represent that the information you provide is truthful and that you have the right to provide it, and you consent to our receiving and responding to it as described in the Privacy Policy. Do not submit sensitive personal information, financial account details, government identification numbers, health information, or confidential information. Submissions are not confidential and do not create any professional or agency relationship. We do not guarantee a response, a response time, or the delivery, security, or receipt of any submission. We may retain, screen, block, or delete submissions at our discretion.

10. Disclaimer of warranties

THE SITE AND ALL CONTENT, FEATURES, AND MATERIALS ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE," WITH ALL FAULTS AND WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, WE DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED, STATUTORY, OR OTHERWISE, INCLUDING IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, ACCURACY, AND QUIET ENJOYMENT. WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE SITE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, SECURE, TIMELY, OR ERROR-FREE, THAT DEFECTS WILL BE CORRECTED, OR THAT THE SITE IS FREE OF VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL COMPONENTS. Some jurisdictions do not allow certain warranty exclusions, so some of the above may not apply to you.

11. Limitation of liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, NEITHER WE NOR OUR OWNERS, MEMBERS, OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, CONTRACTORS, AGENTS, LICENSORS, OR SUPPLIERS SHALL BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR FOR ANY LOSS OF PROFITS, REVENUE, DATA, GOODWILL, BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY, OR PROPERTY VALUE, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO YOUR USE OF — OR INABILITY TO USE — THE SITE OR ANY CONTENT, WHETHER BASED IN CONTRACT, TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE), STRICT LIABILITY, MISREPRESENTATION, OR ANY OTHER THEORY, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. OUR TOTAL AGGREGATE LIABILITY FOR ALL CLAIMS SHALL NOT EXCEED ONE HUNDRED U.S. DOLLARS (US$100). These limitations apply even if any remedy fails of its essential purpose. Some jurisdictions do not allow certain limitations, so some of the above may not apply to you.

12. Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless us and our owners, members, officers, directors, employees, contractors, agents, and licensors from and against any and all claims, demands, actions, liabilities, losses, damages, judgments, settlements, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or related to: (a) your use of the Site; (b) your breach of these Terms; (c) your violation of any law or the rights of any third party; or (d) any content or information you submit through the Site.

13. Assumption of risk and release

You assume full responsibility and risk for your use of the Site and for any decisions you make based on its content. To the extent permitted by law, you release us from all claims, known and unknown, arising from or relating to information contained on the Site, including any inaccuracy, omission, or outdated statement.

14. Governing law; dispute resolution; arbitration and class-action waiver

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of North Carolina, without regard to its conflict-of-laws rules. You agree to first attempt to resolve any dispute informally by contacting us through the contact form and allowing thirty (30) days for good-faith resolution.

If a dispute is not resolved informally, you and we agree that any dispute, claim, or controversy arising out of or relating to the Site or these Terms shall be resolved exclusively by final and binding individual arbitration administered in Union County or Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, under the rules of a recognized arbitration provider, rather than in court, except that either party may bring a claim in small claims court or seek injunctive relief for intellectual-property misuse. You and we each waive any right to a jury trial and to participate in a class, collective, consolidated, or representative action. Any claim must be brought within one (1) year after it arises or it is permanently barred. If the arbitration provisions are held unenforceable, exclusive venue and jurisdiction lie in the state or federal courts located in Union County or Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.

15. Termination and availability

We may modify, suspend, restrict, or discontinue the Site or any portion of it, and may terminate or block your access, at any time, for any reason, without notice or liability.

16. Changes to these Terms

We may revise these Terms at any time by posting an updated version with a new "Last updated" date. Your continued use of the Site after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms. You are responsible for reviewing them periodically.

17. Miscellaneous

If any provision of these Terms is found unenforceable, it shall be limited or severed to the minimum extent necessary and the remaining provisions shall remain in full force. Our failure to enforce any provision is not a waiver. These Terms are the entire agreement between you and us regarding the Site and supersede all prior understandings. You may not assign these Terms; we may assign them freely. Headings are for convenience only.

18. Contact

All legal notices and inquiries — including copyright, privacy, accessibility, and correction requests — must be submitted through our single contact form, which is the only contact channel offered on this Site.