You got a notice. You still have time. You still have choices.
You are not out of time.
Let us show you where you really stand.
Your notice is public record. That is why your phone will not stop ringing. We are licensed California real estate professionals — not a “we buy houses” crew. On the first call, we show you your real timeline and your real choices, while the best ones are still open.
A Cross-Brokerage Alliance
At a glance
Chavez + Williams is a team of three licensed California real estate professionals. Gay-Lynn Chavez is COO of Chavez Group / LC Commercial Invest Group. Louis Chavez is CEO and Founder, and a Certified Foreclosure Specialist. Francisco Williams, CCIM, is with KW Commercial Beverly Hills. Together they help owners, lenders, and note-holders with distressed homes and commercial property. That includes a sale before the auction, a short sale if your lender says yes, note and REO services, and holding an asset steady during the handoff. They have served Southern California since 2004.
Watch · Under a Minute
See where you are on the clock.
The whole timeline, in plain words. Fifty calm seconds. Press play.
Educational, not legal advice.
The Chavez + Williams Alliance
Serving Southern California
LA, Riverside, San Bernardino, Orange & San Diego counties
In Commercial Real Estate
Our CEO has spent two decades in commercial and distressed-property work
Licensed Principals
From eXp and KW Commercial. Each one is licensed on their own.
We Cover Both
From the house you live in to large commercial and portfolio deals
Who You Will Actually Talk To
Three licensed people. Two brokerages. One honest talk.
This is a team of two firms. Chavez Group / LC Commercial Invest Group works next to Williams Capital Advisors (KW Commercial). Each of us is licensed on our own. Each of us has our own firm and DRE number. So you always know who is advising you, and under whose license.
Chavez Group / LC Commercial Invest Group — eXp Realty of California
Gay-Lynn Chavez
Chief Operating Officer · Chavez Group
Gay-Lynn has worked in Southern California real estate since 2004. She covers Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, Orange, and San Diego counties. She went to U.C. Berkeley. She has been named to NAHREP's Top 250 (per Chavez Group). Her work covers REOs, short sales, BPOs, corporate moves, property management, and bulk and portfolio sales. That is the full range a hard situation can call for. She also mentors new agents and gives time to the Chilo Foundation. When you call, hers is often the calm voice that walks you through what the paperwork really means — before anyone talks about a listing.
- Serving Southern California since 2004, across five counties
- Deep work in REOs, short sales, BPOs, and bulk / portfolio sales
- U.C. Berkeley graduate · mentors new agents · Chilo Foundation volunteer
Chavez Group / LC Commercial Invest Group — eXp Commercial of California
Louis Chavez
Chief Executive Officer & Founder · Chavez Group
Louis founded Chavez Group. He has more than twenty years in commercial real estate. He holds a Certified Foreclosure Specialist credential. He is licensed in California and in North Carolina (NC #363738, since 2025). His focus is the workout side — REOs, short sales, bulk and portfolio buys, syndications, corporate-owned assets, BPOs, and bank repos. That is the side both lenders and owners lean on. He was named #1 Commercial Agent by the Greater Downey Association of Realtors (per Chavez Group). He also founded the Chilo Foundation, a nonprofit that serves homeless and at-risk children in Los Angeles. When a lender or servicer sits on the other side of your file, Louis has spent twenty years in that room.
- 20+ years · Certified Foreclosure Specialist credential
- Licensed in California; North Carolina since 2025
- REOMAC · REO Network · NAHREP · AIR · RESNET · EQUATOR
KW Commercial — Beverly Hills
Francisco Williams, CCIM
Senior Vice President · Founder, Williams Capital Advisors
Francisco has advised on more than $100 million in commercial real estate. He was a Vice President at Kidder Mathews. Before that he was a Capital Markets Senior Associate at Cushman & Wakefield. He is a CCIM designee. He is Secretary and past President of the CCIM Greater Los Angeles Chapter. On distressed deals, his lane is the money side. He values commercial assets, structures workouts, and — when a loan is the right answer — arranges it through WCA Mortgage Brokerage (NMLS #1858674). For a commercial owner or a note-holder, that means your number holds up. The exit is built, not guessed.
- $100M+ CRE advised · prior Kidder Mathews & Cushman & Wakefield
- CCIM designee · Secretary & past President, CCIM Greater LA Chapter
- Financing lane via WCA Mortgage Brokerage (NMLS #1858674)
Why This Team
Built for property in transition.
A whole bench, not one agent
Most owners in default get one caller who does one thing. But a hard file rarely stays in one lane. It moves between a home and a business. It moves between selling and refinancing. It moves between your side and the lender's side. Here, the whole team sits on the same file.
Honesty before commission
The people flooding your phone want to be your only call. On our first talk, we tell you plainly what a licensed real estate professional can and cannot do. We also tell you when a housing counselor or a lawyer should come before us. That costs us some listings. It earns us the ones worth having.
We know how the lender thinks
We work both sides. We help owners sell before an auction. We also help lenders sell off notes and REO. So we can read your file the way the bank reads it. Knowing what a servicer will really approve is what turns a short sale or workout from a hope into a plan.
The Clock
Where you are on the clock — and what you can still do at each stage.
California foreclosures follow a set calendar. The law sets it — not us, and not anyone pushing you. Below are the stages, in plain words. This is education, not legal advice. One thing matters most: the sooner you act, the more choices stay open. From a recorded Notice of Default to an auction is at least about 110 days. It is often longer.
Before any notice
You are behind. But nothing is recorded yet. This is the most open stage. You may be able to catch up with your lender, refinance, or sell quietly on your own clock. If you want to keep the home, call your lender and a HUD-approved housing counselor now.
What you can still do: almost everything. This is the widest door.
The Notice of Default is recorded
Now the clock starts for real. By law, at least three months must pass before a sale can be set (Civil Code §2924). This is a window, not an alarm. It is also when the pushy calls begin, because the notice is now public. Use the time on purpose.
What you can still do: catch up, sell, or refinance — with time on your side.
The three-month window
You can usually catch up by paying what is past due, plus fees. You still have the right to sell or refinance. This is the best stretch to bring a home to market quietly. You sell with time on the clock, not under an auction date. An honest value matters most right here.
What you can still do: sell on your terms, with room to breathe.
The Notice of Trustee's Sale is posted
Now a sale date exists. By law, it is posted at least 20 days before the auction (Civil Code §2924f). But you still have moves. You can sell, pay the loan off in full, or catch up until five business days before the sale (Civil Code §2924c).
What you can still do: sell, pay off, or catch up — a real date, but real options.
The final days before the auction
The right to catch up by paying past-due amounts usually ends five business days before the sale. But you can still sell, or pay the loan in full, right up to the sale itself. A sale that closes before the gavel can save equity an auction would wipe out. The door is narrow now. It is not shut.
What you can still do: close a sale, or pay off, before the gavel.
After the sale — or you hold the asset
If the property sells, the focus turns to a clean, orderly move-out. If you are a lender or servicer holding the asset, this is where REO, BPOs, and getting it steady begin. Either way, there is a clear next step. We can help you with it.
What you can still do: plan an orderly transition — or, for lenders, begin disposition.
For an owner-occupied home of 1 to 4 units, California's Homeowner Bill of Rights adds more protections. It sets rules on how a servicer must reach you and limits “dual tracking.” Ask us — or your housing counselor — how those may fit your case.
The Plan
Three simple steps. That is the whole plan.
Call us. It is free.
One call. No cost. No pressure. Just tell us where things stand.
We show you the map.
You see your real timeline. You see every choice you have, in plain words. You learn what your home could sell for.
You pick. We do the work.
The decision is yours. Once you choose, we carry the load.
If we are not the right call for you, we will tell you — and point you to who is.
Your Options
More paths than the callers want you to see.
Sell before the auction
A quiet, full-market sale that closes before the auction can save equity an auction would erase. Selling with time on the clock usually means a better price. And the choice stays yours.
Short sale (if your lender says yes)
Owe more than the home is worth? A short sale lets you sell for less than you owe. Your lender has to say yes — that call is theirs, not ours, and never a sure thing. Knowing what lenders actually accept is what moves these from stuck to done.
Want to keep the home? Start here.
If your goal is to keep the property, your first calls are your lender, a HUD-approved housing counselor, and a lawyer. We will tell you that on the very first call. If a sale ever becomes the better path, we are still here.
Commercial workout or note sale
For commercial owners and note-holders: workouts, sales before an auction, and note or loan sales. Francisco leads the value work and the deal structure. That means a clear read on what the asset is worth today, and what a lender will really take.
REO and lender services
For banks and servicers: REO sales and BPOs. We draw on ties across REOMAC, the REO Network, and EQUATOR. Bulk and portfolio sales are a specialty, not a one-off.
Keep the asset steady
A property in transition still needs to be safe, insured, and — if it has tenants — managed. We help set that up and run it through the handoff. So the asset holds its value while the next step gets decided.
For Lenders, Servicers & Note-Holders
Disposition handled end to end.
Note & loan-sale advisory
REO disposition & BPOs
Bulk & portfolio sales
Bank repos & corporate-owned assets
CCIM-led valuation & workout structuring
Stabilization & management through transition
The Straight Answer
Who we're not for — and who to call first.
Here is who we are not for. If your one goal is to keep the home and stay in it, we are not your first call. We will tell you that straight. Call three people first: your lender or loan servicer, a HUD-approved housing counselor (many help for free), and a lawyer. Their job is to help you keep the home. No real estate professional should pretend to be that first call.
We are licensed California real estate professionals, each under our own firm. When the right answer is a sale, a short sale, a workout, or a clean handoff — that is where we are genuinely good. No one can promise to stop or postpone a foreclosure. Anyone who does should worry you. What we can do is give you a clear read on selling — and tell you the truth when selling is not your best path.
We would rather be the honest call than the loudest one on your phone.
Frequently Asked
Your questions, answered.
Real questions from owners, lenders, and note-holders facing a notice or a distressed asset.
We are two firms working as one team. Chavez Group / LC Commercial Invest Group works through eXp Realty of California, Inc. and eXp Commercial of California, Inc. Williams Capital Advisors works through KW Commercial Beverly Hills. There are three licensed California principals: Gay-Lynn Chavez (COO, CA DRE #01433767), Louis Chavez (CEO & Founder, Certified Foreclosure Specialist, CA DRE #01949822), and Francisco Williams, CCIM (CA DRE #01979442). We help owners, lenders, and note-holders with distressed homes and commercial property. We have served Southern California since 2004. Each of us is licensed on our own, under our own firm and DRE number.
Get in Touch
Start with the truth about your timeline — not a sales pitch.
Tell us where things stand. We will walk you through the clock and the choices still open to you. If your best move is to call your lender or a counselor first, we will say so. If a sale, short sale, or workout is right, you will work with three licensed principals who have served this market since 2004. No pressure. No obligation. And it costs nothing to find out where you stand.
Gay-Lynn Chavez
Chief Operating Officer · Chavez Group
Louis Chavez
CEO & Founder · Chavez Group
CA DRE #01949822 · NC #363738 · eXp Commercial of California, Inc.
Francisco Williams, CCIM
Senior Vice President · Founder, WCA
Gay-Lynn Chavez, CA DRE #01433767 (eXp Realty of California, Inc.), and Louis Chavez, CA DRE #01949822, NC #363738 (eXp Commercial of California, Inc.) — Chavez Group / LC Commercial Invest Group. Francisco Williams, CA DRE #01979442, NMLS #1858674 — KW Commercial Beverly Hills / Williams Capital Advisors. Information on this page is educational and not legal, tax, or financial advice.
Chavez Group · eXp Commercial · Williams Capital Advisors · KW Commercial
Explore all services