Foreclosure & Behind on Payments
A foreclosure notice is not the end of your options.
If you’ve fallen behind on payments — or a Notice of Default just landed — take a breath. California gives homeowners real time and real rights, and selling before the auction usually protects far more of your equity than losing the house at a trustee sale. We’re a local family buyer in the Inland Empire, and we’ll give you the honest picture, including the options that don’t involve us.
The one rule that matters most: the earlier you act, the more options you have.
Every stage of California foreclosure closes a few doors. Today you likely still have all of them open — reinstating, refinancing, negotiating with your lender, or selling on your terms. Even close to an auction date, a signed sale can still change the outcome. But waiting is the one move that only ever costs you.
The real California foreclosure clock.
It’s longer than most people fear — typically 200+ days at minimum from the first missed payment to any auction.
Missed payments
Federal rules generally require you to be more than 120 days behind before foreclosure can even start, and California law requires your servicer to contact you about options at least 30 days before filing anything.
Notice of Default
The NOD is recorded with the county — the official start. You then have a 90-day window to catch up, work something out, or line up a sale.
Notice of Trustee’s Sale
Only after the 90 days can the lender schedule an auction, with at least about three weeks’ public notice of the sale date.
Auction — unless you act
You can reinstate (pay just the missed amounts) until 5 business days before the sale, and a sale that pays off the loan can close right up to the auction itself.
Rights most Inland Empire homeowners never hear about.
California quietly strengthened homeowner protections in 2025, and the new rules are powerful if you use them. Under AB 2424, if a listing agreement for your home reaches the trustee at least 5 business days before the auction, the sale must be postponed at least 45 days. A signed purchase agreement for enough to pay off the debt, delivered at least 5 business days before the sale, earns another postponement of at least 45 days. In other words: a real sale in motion legally buys you time.
The same law says your home can’t be sold at a first auction for less than 67% of its appraised fair market value. And long-standing law lets you reinstate the loan — paying only the missed payments and allowed fees, not the whole balance — any time until 5 business days before the sale.
These aren’t loopholes; they’re the Legislature deliberately giving homeowners a fighting chance to keep their equity. Most people just never hear about them until it’s too late. Now you have.
Why selling before the auction usually protects your equity.
If your house sells at a trustee auction, the proceeds first pay the sale’s costs, then the foreclosing lender, then any junior liens — and only whatever remains, if anything, goes to you, after a formal claims process that takes months. Auctions also tend to bring bargain-hunter prices, so the “remainder” is often far smaller than your real equity.
A normal sale that closes before the auction works completely differently: escrow pays the lender off, the foreclosure is cancelled, the missed payments and fees are settled from the proceeds — and the rest of your equity comes to you as cash at closing, on a date you chose, from a home you sold with dignity rather than lost.
That’s the entire reason speed matters in our business. We can make a written offer within days, buy in any condition with no repairs or cleanup, and close through a reputable local title company fast enough to beat a sale date — while the new 45-day postponement rules act as a legal safety net if the calendar gets tight.
Your 5-day right to cancel — in writing, by law.
Here’s something we want you to know before you talk to any investor, including us. When an investor buys an owner-occupied home that has a recorded Notice of Default, California’s Home Equity Sales Contract Act requires the contract to be in writing with every term spelled out — and gives you the right to cancel until midnight of the fifth business day after signing (or 8 a.m. on the day of the trustee’s sale, whichever comes first). No one may even ask you to sign a deed until that window has passed.
We build that cancellation right into every contract, in the exact statutory language, and we explain it out loud before you sign. Any buyer who pressures you to skip it, rushes you past it, or pretends it doesn’t exist is breaking California law — walk away from them, whatever they’re offering.
The honest list of your options — including the ones that aren’t us.
Selling isn’t always the right answer, and we’d rather tell you that on day one than pretend otherwise. Depending on how far along things are, you may be able to reinstate the loan, negotiate a loan modification or forbearance with your servicer (who must give you a single point of contact under California’s Homeowner Bill of Rights), or get free help from a HUD-approved housing counselor — a genuinely free service, and a good first call if you want to keep the home.
If the debt is bigger than the house is worth, a short sale with lender approval may still beat a foreclosure on your record. And if keeping the house isn’t realistic, that’s where we can help directly: a fast, as-is cash sale that ends the foreclosure, protects what equity you have, and lets you move on your own terms.
- Written cash offer within days, any condition
- Escrow pays the lender; foreclosure cancelled
- Your remaining equity in cash at closing
- The 5-business-day cancellation right, honored in full
- Straight answers — including “keep the house” options
- Local, family-owned, and reachable by phone
Local Knowledge
Local buyers who move at foreclosure speed.
We buy houses facing foreclosure across Riverside and San Bernardino Counties — Riverside, Moreno Valley, Fontana, San Bernardino, Hemet, Perris, Victorville, Hesperia, and everywhere between. Because we’re local and buy with cash, there’s no out-of-state committee and no financing that can fall through at the worst possible moment — the two things a foreclosure timeline cannot forgive.
Common Questions
Answers before you even ask.
The auction is only weeks away. Is it too late to sell?
Usually not. A sale can pay off the loan right up to the auction date, reinstatement is possible until 5 business days before it, and under California’s AB 2424 a signed purchase agreement delivered at least 5 business days before the sale generally postpones the auction by at least 45 days. Call us today, not tomorrow — the calendar is the enemy, not the process.
Will I actually get money out of the house?
If you have equity, yes — that’s the point of selling before the auction. The loan, missed payments, and fees are paid through escrow and the remaining equity comes to you at closing. At an auction, you’d wait months for a claims process and often receive far less, if anything.
What if I owe more than the house is worth?
Then a short sale — selling with your lender’s approval for less than the balance — may still be better for your future than a completed foreclosure. It requires lender cooperation and patience, and we’ll tell you honestly whether it looks feasible in your case.
Is selling really better for my credit than foreclosure?
A completed foreclosure is one of the most serious marks a credit report can carry and typically lingers for about seven years. A sale that pays the loan off avoids that mark entirely (late payments already reported will still appear). For the details of your exact situation, a HUD-approved counselor or credit professional can advise you — for free.
How fast can you actually close?
When a sale date is looming we prioritize everything: written offer within days, escrow opened immediately, and closings in as little as two to three weeks through a local title company. Combined with the 45-day postponement a signed contract can trigger, speed plus the law is usually enough.
Have a different question? Ask us directly — a real person answers.
The sooner you call, the more options you have.
One conversation, zero pressure, and you’ll know exactly where you stand — what the timeline really is, what your equity looks like, and every path still open to you.
Free and no-obligation. See how it works or explore all your selling options.
This page is general information for Inland Empire homeowners, not legal, tax, or financial advice. Laws and figures change; always confirm how they apply to your situation with a qualified professional. Foreclosure timelines and rights referenced here reflect California law as of mid-2026, including AB 2424 (effective 2025). If you want to keep your home, a HUD-approved housing counselor is a free resource, and an attorney can advise on your specific case.