Enter the dates from your foreclosure papers and see how much time you have — and what to do next.
An estimate for planning, not legal advice — timelines can vary by county and case. Confirm every date with your papers, the court, or your attorney. Free help: find a HUD-approved housing counselor.
California uses a nonjudicial foreclosure process. Key dates come from your own papers — enter them above for your exact timeline.
You can reinstate by paying the past-due amounts plus allowed fees/costs (not the whole balance) from the time the Notice of Default is recorded until 5 business days before the scheduled trustee's sale. Before the NOD can even be recorded, the servicer must contact you (or diligently try) to discuss options, then wait 30 days (Homeowner Bill of Rights). Cal. Civ. Code §2924c(a),(e); §2923.5
Before the sale: Until the moment of the trustee's sale you may redeem by paying the full loan balance plus fees/costs, or reinstate (arrears only) until 5 business days before the sale.
After the sale: NONE after a nonjudicial trustee's sale — the sale is final with no statutory redemption. Post-sale redemption exists only after a (rare) JUDICIAL foreclosure: 3 months if proceeds satisfied the debt, 1 year if there was a deficiency. Cal. Civ. Code §2924c(e) · Cal. Code Civ. Proc. §§729.010–729.030
You can sell the home (and keep your equity) at any time up until the trustee's sale is completed. A sale that pays off the loan stops the foreclosure. After the auction, title passes to the purchaser.
Want the fuller picture beyond the dates? Read the California foreclosure guide — timeline, rights & options.
Property taxes are separate from the mortgage. Residential property cannot be sold at tax sale until tax-defaulted for 5 or more years. You can redeem (pay all back taxes, penalties, costs) until close of business on the last business day BEFORE the tax sale begins. Cal. Rev. & Tax. Code §3691 (5-year rule); §3707(a)(1) (redemption cutoff)
Practitioner estimate: federal law generally bars starting foreclosure until 120+ days delinquent (12 C.F.R. §1024.41(f)); after the NOD, the statutory minimum to sale is ~111 days (3 months + 20 days), so roughly 4 months NOD-to-sale at fastest. California courts' self-help guide describes ~4-5 months from default to sale; in practice the full process commonly runs 6-12+ months. (Practitioner estimate, not a statute.)
If your mortgage predates your military service, the federal SCRA generally requires a court order to foreclose during active duty and for 12 months after (50 U.S.C. §3953). These protections must be raised — tell the court and your counselor.