California Civil Code §§2924–2924f · Educational Estimator
A date on a foreclosure notice is hard to look at. This page helps you see what may come next. Enter one date from your notice. It can be the day your Notice of Default (NOD) was recorded. That is the first recorded notice; it starts the foreclosure clock. Or it can be the auction date on your Notice of Trustee's Sale (NOS). That is the notice that sets your auction date. You will see estimated dates. What you enter stays in your browser. Nothing is sent or stored. Plain answers, no pressure.
Interactive Date Estimator
Not sure of a date? Call the trustee. That is the company that runs the sale. Its name and phone number are on your notice.
These are estimates only. Your papers and the trustee set the real dates. Nothing you enter in this calculator is sent or stored.
The recording date is near the top of your Notice of Default.
If you have a Notice of Trustee's Sale, enter the auction date printed on it.
Enter the dates from your notice. If you don't know them, call the trustee listed on it.
This is a general educational estimate based on the dates you enter and California Civil Code §§2924–2924f. It is not legal advice, not a guarantee of any date, and does not reflect your actual recorded notices. Only your lender, trustee, a HUD-approved housing counselor, or an attorney can confirm your specific dates. Capital Distress Advisors does not stop, postpone, or prevent foreclosure.
Six Stages of the Clock
California Civil Code §§2924–2924f sets the least time that must pass at each step of a trustee sale. A step can take longer than that. It cannot take less.
1. Notice of Default (NOD)
The first notice, recorded with the county. It starts the foreclosure clock.
2. At Least 3 Months
At least 3 months must pass after the NOD is recorded. Only then can a sale notice be posted (Civil Code §2924).
3. Notice of Trustee's Sale (NOS)
It must be posted and published at least 20 days before the sale date (Civil Code §2924f).
4. Catch-Up Ends 5 Business Days Before Sale
Reinstatement means catching up on the missed payments and costs. Then the loan is current again. For some missed-payment defaults, this right generally ends 5 business days before the sale (Civil Code §2924c). Business days are weekdays that are not holidays. If your loan has reached maturity, the rules are different. Maturity is the date the whole loan comes due.
You have missed payments. But no notice is recorded with the county yet. You can talk with your lender's mortgage-help team (loss-mitigation department). Or you can refinance or sell. For a home, you can also call a HUD-approved housing counselor. That is a free counselor approved by HUD, the U.S. housing agency.
Options to check: a payment plan with your lender. A refinance. Or a regular sale.
Find the date your Notice of Default (NOD) was recorded. By law, at least three months must pass after that date. Only then can a sale notice be posted (Civil Code §2924). The three months count from the recording date, not from the day you got the notice. So do not assume you have three months left. Ask the trustee if a sale date is set.
Options to check: find your recording date. Ask the trustee for your payoff and catch-up amounts.
For some missed-payment defaults, you can catch up. This is called reinstatement. You pay the overdue amount plus the fees the law allows. If your loan has reached its maturity date (a balloon payment), the rules are different. Ask your lender and a lawyer of your own what you must pay. You can also sell the property. Or you can ask your lender for a loan modification. That is a change to your loan terms that your lender agrees to.
Options to check: catch up the overdue amount. Ask your lender for a payment plan or a loan change. Or sell.
The Notice of Trustee's Sale (NOS) sets the auction at least 20 days away (Civil Code §2924f). For some missed-payment defaults, you have a right to catch up (reinstatement). That right generally ends five business days before the auction (Civil Code §2924c). If your loan has reached its maturity date (a balloon payment), the rules are different. Ask your lender and a lawyer of your own what you must pay.
Options to check: ask the trustee for the exact catch-up deadline. Pay off the loan. Or sell before the auction.
The right to catch up on overdue payments usually ends five business days before the auction. You can still pay off the whole loan before the auction. Or you can close a sale before the auction. A sale may leave you money after loans and costs are paid. We will show you a written estimate first. The price is not guaranteed. An offer or an open escrow does not stop or pause the auction by itself. Escrow is the neutral company that holds the money and papers until the sale closes.
Options to check: pay off the full loan. Close a sale before the auction. Or talk with a lawyer of your own.
If the sale already happened, we can refer you to a lawyer of your own. Ask them about your options. One may be any extra money left over from the sale.
Next step: ask that lawyer about your rights after the sale.
California has a law called the Homeowner Bill of Rights. It covers a home of 1 to 4 units that the owner lives in. It sets rules on how your loan servicer contacts you. That is the company that collects your loan payments. It also limits moving ahead with a sale while the servicer reviews a complete application for help. Ask a HUD-approved housing counselor or a lawyer of your own how these rules apply to you.
We are real estate licensees, not a law firm, and we don't give legal or tax advice. If you need legal advice, we can refer you to an independent attorney.
How to Check Your Exact Dates
Holidays, a delay your lender asks for, or an earlier notice can change your dates. So always check the real dates and amounts with the trustee.
Each notice has a Trustee Sale Number on it. It also has the trustee's name and phone number.
Call the trustee. Give them your Trustee Sale Number. Ask if an auction date is set. Ask for the exact amount to catch up, or to pay off the loan in full.
We help you compare your choices. They may include catching up or a plan with your lender. They may also include selling before the auction, or a short sale. A short sale is a sale for less than you owe, with your lender's written approval. We base this on the dates on your notice.
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Plain answers, no pressure. Once you hire us as your agent, we represent you — not your lender.
We are real estate licensees, not a law firm, and we don't give legal or tax advice. If you need legal advice, we can refer you to an independent attorney.