California Foreclosure Timeline: Every Step From Notice of Default to Trustee Sale (Shasta & Tehama County)

The whole process

The California Foreclosure Timeline at a Glance

This is the standard path for a home loan secured by a deed of trust, which is how most California home loans are set up. The required notice warns that a home in foreclosure "may be sold without any court action" (Civ. Code §2924c(b)). Because no judge sets the schedule, the dates in your notices are what matter.

For most home loans, adding up the minimums (more than 120 days behind, at least three months after the Notice of Default, and at least 20 days' notice of the sale) puts the earliest possible auction about 7 to 8 months after the first missed payment. In real life, postponements often stretch it longer. For a broader look at every option before the auction, see what pre-foreclosure means and all your options.

Step by step

Each Step, in Plain English

Before the Notice of Default: the first 120 days

Under the federal mortgage servicing rule, a servicer generally can't make the first notice or filing for a foreclosure until your loan is more than 120 days delinquent. There are narrow exceptions, such as a due-on-sale violation (12 CFR 1024.41(f)).

California adds a contact rule for a first mortgage on an owner-occupied home with one to four units. The servicer must contact you in person or by phone, or try with due diligence, to assess your finances and explore ways to avoid foreclosure. It must tell you that you can ask for a second meeting, which then has to happen within 14 days. It also has to give you HUD's number for finding a housing counselor. It can't record a Notice of Default until 30 days after that contact or those attempts (Civ. Code §2923.5, §2924.15).

This is the best time to call a free HUD-approved housing counselor. HUD's line for finding one is (800) 569-4287 (hud.gov).

The Notice of Default: what it says and how you get it

The Notice of Default is the first public step. It identifies your deed of trust, says a breach has happened, describes the default, and says the lender has elected to sell the property (Civ. Code §2924(a)(1)). It's recorded at the county recorder, and a copy must be mailed to you by registered or certified mail within 10 business days of recording (§2924b(b)(1)).

On the notice, look for:

• The recording date. Every later deadline counts from it.
• The amount needed to cure "as of" a date. The required wording says the amount "will increase until your account becomes current" (Civ. Code §2924c(b)(1)).
• The trustee's name and phone number, and the trustee sale (TS) or loan number. You'll use these to get payoff and reinstatement figures.

The three-month waiting period

At least three months must pass after the Notice of Default is recorded before the sale process moves forward (Civ. Code §2924(a)(2)). Your right to reinstate starts when the Notice of Default is recorded. Reinstating means paying what's past due plus allowed costs and fees, which puts the loan back in good standing (§2924c(a)(1), (e)). Ask the trustee for a written reinstatement quote with a good-through date, and expect the number to grow each month.

The Notice of Trustee Sale

After the three months, the trustee gives notice of the sale. It may record that notice up to five days before the three months end, but the sale date can't be earlier than three months and 20 days after the Notice of Default was recorded (Civ. Code §2924(a)(3)–(4)). At least 20 days before the sale, the notice must be:

• posted in one public place in the city where the sale will be held (or at the county seat), and on the property itself, on a door of a single-family home where possible;
• published in a newspaper of general circulation once a week for three consecutive calendar weeks, with the first publication at least 20 days before the sale;
• recorded with the county recorder (Civ. Code §2924f(b)(1)–(4)); and
• mailed to you by registered or certified mail (§2924b(b)(2)).

The notice lists the trustee's name, address, and phone number, the property address or parcel number, and the total unpaid balance plus reasonably estimated costs, expenses, and advances (Civ. Code §2924f(b)(5), (7)). That figure is an estimate of what the lender is owed, not the value of your home. For 1–4 unit homes, the notice must also give a phone number or website, with your case file number, where you can check whether the sale was postponed (§2924f(b)(8)).

The last five business days

The right to reinstate ends five business days before the scheduled sale. If the sale is postponed by more than five business days, the right to reinstate comes back until five business days before the new date (Civ. Code §2924c(e)). After reinstatement ends, you can still redeem, meaning pay off the entire loan plus fees and costs, up until the sale (California Courts Self-Help Guide). Filing bankruptcy creates an automatic stay, and the trustee can't hold the sale until that stay ends (Civ. Code §2924g(e)). Talk to a bankruptcy attorney about whether that fits your situation.

Sale day: how the auction works

The sale is a public auction to the highest bidder in the county where the property is, on a business day, Monday through Friday, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. It starts at the time and place in the notice (Civ. Code §2924g(a)). The trustee can require bidders to show they can pay the full bid in cash, a cashier's check, or another cash equivalent named in the notice (Civ. Code §2924h(b)). The lender often bids what it's owed.

For a first mortgage on a home with one to four units, there's a price floor at the first sale. The lender must give the trustee a fair market value, and the trustee can't sell at the first auction for less than 67% of it. If the home doesn't sell there, the sale is postponed at least seven days, and then it can go to the highest bidder (Civ. Code §2924f(f)).

After the sale

• The 45-day window (1–4 units). The sale isn't final right away. An "eligible tenant buyer" can match the winning bid, and other "eligible bidders," including prospective owner-occupants and certain nonprofits, can beat it. They must get a notice of intent to the trustee within 15 days and a bid within 45 days after the sale (Civ. Code §2924m, §2924f(b)(8)).
• Moving out. Once the buyer's title is perfected, a former owner who stays can be served a 3-day written notice to quit, and then the buyer must go through an eviction case in court (CCP §1161a(b)(3)). Most tenants who rent the home get at least 90 days' written notice, and a tenant with a qualifying fixed-term lease can generally stay until the lease ends (CCP §1161b).
• Surplus funds. If the sale brings in more than the costs and the loan being foreclosed, the extra goes to junior lienholders in order, then to the former owner (Civ. Code §2924k). Within 30 days after the trustee's deed, the trustee must mail a notice to everyone who may have a claim, explaining how to submit one (§2924j). Keep your mailing address current with the trustee.

Doing the math

Worked Example: One Hypothetical Calendar

Moving dates

Postponements: Why Your Sale Date Moves

Lender or trustee postponements

A sale can be postponed by court order, by a stay (like bankruptcy), by agreement between you and the lender, or at the trustee's discretion. The postponements can add up to 365 days from the date in the notice of sale. Past that, the trustee has to give a brand-new notice of sale (Civ. Code §2924g(c)). Each postponement is announced publicly at the time and place set for the sale, along with the new date, time, and place (§2924g(d)). For owner-occupied 1–4 unit homes with a first mortgage, if a sale is postponed for at least 10 business days, you must get written notice of the new date and time within 5 business days (Civ. Code §2924(a)(5), §2924.15).

The 45-day listing-agreement postponement (AB 2424)

For homes with one to four units, the trustee can't hold the sale until 45 days after the scheduled date if it receives, at least five business days before the sale, a listing agreement with a California-licensed real estate broker for a listing on a publicly available marketing platform. It must be sent by certified mail or by an overnight courier with tracking that confirms the recipient's signature and the date and time of delivery. Regular mail and email don't qualify. This can only be used once (Civ. Code §2924f(e)(1)). If the sale is postponed this way, your right to reinstate is recalculated from the new date (§2924f(e)(2)).

A second postponement is possible once. If the trustee receives a copy of a fully executed purchase agreement at least five business days before the sale, sent the same way, it must postpone the sale to at least 45 days after it received the agreement. The price must be at least the total of all recorded loans on the property, and the agreement must name the buyer, the price, and the closing date, and show that escrow accepted it (§2924f(e)(3)–(4)).

Loan modification applications and "dual tracking"

For a first mortgage on an owner-occupied home with one to four units, if you submit a complete first-lien loan modification application at least five business days before a scheduled sale, the servicer generally can't record a Notice of Default or Notice of Sale, or hold the sale, while the application is pending. If you're denied, you get at least 30 days to appeal, and the sale can't happen until at least 31 days after the written denial (Civ. Code §2923.6(c)–(e)). "Complete" is the key word, so ask the servicer to confirm it in writing.

How to confirm your current sale date

Call the trustee with your TS number, or check the sale-information phone line or website printed on your Notice of Trustee Sale. The law requires that information to be free and available 24 hours a day (Civ. Code §2924f(b)(8)). The notice itself warns that very short or last-minute postponements may not show up right away, so get the date in writing.

Different rules

Other Kinds of Foreclosure in California

Judicial foreclosure

A lender can also foreclose through a court case instead of the trustee process. The timeline and your rights are different, and a court sets the schedule. If you've been served with a lawsuit, talk to an attorney right away.

HOA assessment foreclosure

A homeowners association can't foreclose on unpaid assessments of less than $1,800 (not counting late charges, fees, collection costs, attorney's fees, or interest) unless the assessments are more than 12 months delinquent (Civ. Code §5720). Below that level, it has to use other ways to collect, such as small claims court.

Property-tax default

Unpaid property taxes follow a separate, slower process run by the county tax collector. For a home, the tax collector gets the power to sell once the property has been tax-defaulted for five years or more (Rev. & Tax. Code §3691). If you're behind on property taxes in Shasta or Tehama County, call the county Treasurer-Tax Collector for your payoff and options.

Local details

Finding Your Foreclosure Documents in Shasta and Tehama County

The state rules above are the same whether your home is in Redding, Anderson, Shasta Lake, Cottonwood, Red Bluff, or Corning. What's local is where the notices are recorded and where you can look them up.

Search by the owner's name to find a recorded Notice of Default or Notice of Trustee Sale. The notice names the trustee, and the trustee is the one to call for the current sale date and the exact place of sale, which is printed on the Notice of Trustee Sale.

Free help

HUD-approved housing counselors are free or low-cost. Call HUD's line at (800) 569-4287 or search online at hud.gov. For legal advice, talk to a California real estate or bankruptcy attorney.

Watch out for "rescue" offers

A Notice of Default is public, so the letters and knocks start soon after it's recorded. Some are legitimate and some aren't. Vet anyone who contacts you, including us. Our guide on how to spot a fake house buyer covers the warning signs.

Your next step

What to Do at Each Stage

1. Behind, but no notice yet: call your servicer and ask about forbearance, a repayment plan, or a modification. Call a HUD-approved counselor. Read what pre-foreclosure means and all your options.
2. Notice of Default recorded: write down the recording date and do the math above. Get a written reinstatement quote from the trustee. If you might sell, start now, because a sale takes time to close. See why selling gets harder after a Notice of Default.
3. Notice of Trustee Sale received: confirm the sale date in writing. If you're listing with a broker, send the listing agreement the way §2924f(e) requires, at least five business days before the sale. If you want a cash offer, request one here or use the form on this page.
4. Owe more than the house is worth: ask about a short sale. Read what a short sale is and how it works.
5. Sale is days away: call the trustee, a housing counselor, and an attorney today. Your remaining options may be paying off the loan, a sale that can actually close before the auction, or bankruptcy.

Local reading: what happens if you do nothing in Shasta County · Anderson: cash sale vs. listing timeline · Red Bluff foreclosure options

If selling is on the table

How a Sale Before the Auction Works With Us

Selling is one option, not the only one. If you have equity, a sale that closes before the auction pays off the loan through escrow, and you keep what's left after the loans, liens, and costs. Whether a sale can close in time depends on your sale date, your title, and your lender's payoff, so I can't promise any particular timeline. I'll tell you honestly if a listing, a modification, or a short sale looks better for you.

• As-is. No repairs, no cleaning, no showings.
• No commissions, and we pay both the buyer's and the seller's closing costs.
• Neutral escrow. We close through a local title company, so a third party handles the payoff and the money.
• Local. BBB A+ Rated, with an office at 940 Merchant St in Redding. When you call (530) 999-7694, you talk to me.

See how we buy houses, or read about selling in Redding, Shasta County, Red Bluff, and Tehama County. If you just want a fast cash number, our cash offer page for homeowners behind on payments has a short form.

Talk to Derek

Get a No-Pressure Offer, or Just Ask a Question

Tell me where things stand. I'll call you back, go over your dates, and, if selling makes sense, give you a written offer. No obligation.

Sources We Checked (September 28, 2026)

• California Civil Code §2924 (Notice of Default, three-month wait, earliest sale date, postponement notice)
• Civil Code §2923.5 (contact at least 30 days before a Notice of Default; meeting within 14 days)
• Civil Code §2923.6 (complete loan modification applications, "dual tracking", appeals)
• Civil Code §2924.15 (which borrower protections apply to owner-occupied 1–4 unit first mortgages)
• Civil Code §2924b (mailing the Notice of Default within 10 business days and the Notice of Sale at least 20 days before the sale)
• Civil Code §2924c (reinstatement until five business days before the sale)
• Civil Code §2924f (Notice of Sale posting, publication and recording; 45-day postponements; 67% first-sale rule)
• Civil Code §2924g (time and place of sale, postponements up to 365 days, bankruptcy stay)
• Civil Code §2924h (bidding and payment at the trustee's sale)
• Civil Code §2924j (notice to surplus claimants within 30 days)
• Civil Code §2924k (order in which sale proceeds are paid)
• Civil Code §2924m (eligible tenant buyers and eligible bidders, 1–4 unit homes)
• Civil Code §5720 (HOA foreclosure thresholds)
• Code of Civil Procedure §1161a (3-day notice to quit after a foreclosure sale)
• Code of Civil Procedure §1161b (90-day notice for tenants after foreclosure)
• Revenue and Taxation Code §3691 (tax-defaulted property sales)
• 12 CFR 1024.41(f), federal 120-day pre-foreclosure review period (eCFR)
• California Courts Self-Help Guide: nonjudicial foreclosure
• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development: find a housing counselor, (800) 569-4287
• Shasta County Assessor-Recorder
• Tehama County Clerk-Recorder

Not legal advice. This page is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Foreclosure laws and deadlines change, and the dates in your own notices control. Talk to a California real estate attorney, a HUD-approved housing counselor (free), or your servicer about your situation. NorCal Home Offer is a home buyer, not a law firm or foreclosure consultant.

Last reviewed: September 28, 2026.