Foreclosure Help · California
You have more choices than
the callers want you to see.
A foreclosure notice starts a clock the law controls — not the people flooding your phone. This page walks the whole timeline in plain words. Then, if you want, you can talk it through with a licensed California real estate professional. Free. Private. No pressure.
See your timeline
Enter the date on your notice. See your estimated dates and which doors are likely still open. Nothing is saved.
Check my datesWatch the 50-second film
The whole clock, in under a minute. Calm, plain words. Made for exactly this moment.
Press playTalk to a person
Gay-Lynn Chavez's direct line: 562-858-7065. A free, private call. If your best move is your lender or a counselor, she will say so.
Call nowThe 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.
Watch · Under a Minute
The whole clock. Fifty calm seconds.
Educational, not legal advice.
What Happens When You Call
No script. No pressure. Here is the whole thing.
You reach a real person — not a call center.
You reach Gay-Lynn Chavez directly, or one of us — Gay-Lynn, Louis, or Francisco, licensed California real estate professionals — gets back to you fast, usually the same day. No intake screener.
We listen, then show you the map.
Your timeline, in plain words. Every choice still open to you. What your property could sell for, if you ask.
You decide. Whatever you decide.
Keep the home? We point you to your lender, a HUD-approved counselor, and a lawyer — first. Sell? Then we go to work.
The honest part, up front: no one can promise to stop, postpone, or prevent a foreclosure — and anyone who does should worry you. If your one goal is to keep your home, your first calls are your lender, a HUD-approved housing counselor (many help for free), and a lawyer. We will tell you that on the very first call.
Go Deeper
Read about your exact situation.
You got a Notice of Default. Here is what it means.
A Notice of Default starts California's foreclosure clock. Learn what it means, the three-month window, and your real choices. Education, not legal advice.
You have an auction date. Here is what it means.
An auction date is set. You still have three choices — sell, pay in full, or catch up. Learn what the notice means. Education, not legal advice.
Facing an auction? A sale can protect your equity.
An auction is built for a discount. A quiet, full-market sale can keep equity an auction would erase. Learn how selling on the clock works in California.
You want to keep your home. Start with these calls.
Want to stay in your home? Start with your lender, a HUD-approved counselor, and a lawyer. Plain steps for California owners. Education, not legal advice.
The words on your notice, in plain English.
Every term on your paperwork — trustee, reinstatement, arrears — explained the way a neighbor would.
Frequently Asked
Your questions, answered.
Real questions from California owners facing a notice.
A Notice of Default starts California's foreclosure clock. By law, at least three months must pass before a sale can be set (Civil Code §2924). Then a Notice of Trustee's Sale is posted at least 20 days before the auction (Civil Code §2924f). So it is at least about 110 days from the first notice to an auction. It is often longer. This is education, not legal advice.
Get in Touch
Start with the truth about your timeline.
Tell us where things stand. We will walk you through the clock and the choices still open to you. No pressure. No obligation. And it costs nothing to find out where you stand.
Gay-Lynn Chavez
Chief Operating Officer · Chavez Group
562.858.7065CA DRE #01433767 · eXp Realty of California, Inc.
The 110-Day Map — free PDF
The whole California foreclosure timeline on one page. Print it. Stick it on the fridge. Know your dates.
Your download link appears right here. We may also send occasional, useful notes about your options — no spam, and you can unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer to read first? Meet the whole team — Gay-Lynn, Louis Chavez, and Francisco Williams, CCIM — on the Chavez + Williams page.
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.