The Foreclosure Timeline
What happens from the first missed payment to the trustee's sale, and how much time there is at each step.
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PRE-FORECLOSURE HELP
Behind on payments or facing a sale date? You still have options.
We explain where you are in the process, what dates matter, and what can still be done before the auction.
Your free guides
Two pages each, in plain language. No email required.
5 Options After a Notice of Default
The five ways this usually goes, and how to tell which ones are still open to you.
Download the free guide (PDF) →HOW WE HELP
Clear answers first. Decisions after.
Every situation is different, so we start by understanding yours.
What we do
- Walk through your timeline and the dates that matter
- Explain the options that may be open to you
- Make a direct, as-is offer if selling is right for you
- Work toward closing before the sale date
Options worth asking about
- Catching up the missed payments (reinstatement)
- A loan modification or repayment plan with your servicer
- Selling the home before the sale date
- Free help from a HUD-approved housing counselor
This list is general information, not legal advice. Which options apply depends on your loan and your dates. Contacting us does not stop or postpone a foreclosure.
CALIFORNIA FORECLOSURE TIMELINE
Where are you in the process?
Pick the last thing that happened. You'll see what that stage usually means and what may still be possible.
What this stage usually means
The foreclosure process hasn't formally started. For most owner-occupied homes, the servicer generally has to try to contact you about your options at least 30 days before it can record a Notice of Default.
What may still be possible
This is usually when the most options are open: catching up, a repayment plan, a loan modification, or selling on your own schedule.
A sensible next step
Call your servicer and ask what it would take to catch up. A HUD-approved housing counselor can walk through it with you at no cost.
What this stage usually means
The foreclosure process has formally started. In California, at least three months must pass after the Notice of Default is recorded before a sale can be noticed, and the sale itself generally can't happen sooner than three months and 20 days after recording.
What may still be possible
You can generally still reinstate the loan by paying what is past due plus allowed costs. A sale, listed or direct, is usually still workable if you start soon.
A sensible next step
Ask your servicer for the reinstatement amount in writing. If selling is on the table, start now, because a sale takes time to close.
What this stage usually means
A sale date has been set. In California the notice generally has to be posted, published and recorded at least 20 days before the sale.
What may still be possible
Reinstatement is generally allowed until five business days before the sale date on the notice. If the sale is postponed by more than five business days, that right generally comes back. An attorney can tell you what else is still open to you.
A sensible next step
Confirm the exact sale date with the trustee named on the notice. Talk to an attorney or housing counselor this week, and call us if you want to look at a sale.
What this stage usually means
Very little time is left, and fewer options remain than a few weeks ago.
What may still be possible
A postponement is sometimes granted, and an attorney can tell you what else applies to you. A sale would have to close very fast, which isn't always possible.
A sensible next step
Call an attorney today. Then call or text us at (661) 271-6299 and we'll tell you honestly whether there is enough time.
General information about California's usual process, drawn from Civil Code sections 2924, 2924c and 2924f and the California Attorney General's Homeowner Bill of Rights summary. It is not legal advice. Timelines vary by loan and situation. Confirm your dates with your trustee, an attorney, or a HUD-approved housing counselor. Contacting us does not stop or postpone a foreclosure.
OUR PROMISE
What you can count on.
Six things that hold true for every homeowner who calls us.
01
No cost to talk
A conversation with us is free, whether or not you ever sell.
02
No obligation
You never have to accept an offer, and there's no pressure to sign on the first call.
03
Your business stays private
What you tell us about your situation stays between you and our team.
04
All your options, not just ours
We go over what may be possible, including paths that don't involve selling to us.
05
As-is, no repairs
If we buy the house, we buy it in its current condition.
06
No agent commissions
On a direct purchase there are no commissions, and we cover the ordinary closing costs we agree to in writing.
VERIFIED GOOGLE REVIEWS
In their words.
4.9 out of 5 · 44 Google reviews
I was in danger of losing the house that I had inherited. Adam and John Michael were very professional and courteous and reassuring. They worked their magic in a few weeks and have completed their work for me.
"I was informed that the process could take up to 6 months to complete and they kept their word on that. I was impressed."
"I was told to prepare for a long process, but it was not that way. They did everything and I was very happy with the outcome."