California’s foreclosure process and timeline
The great majority of residential foreclosures in California are non-judicial: they do not go through the courts, but are carried out by a trustee following the deed of trust and the steps set out in the California Civil Code.
The usual sequence: the lender records a Notice of Default; a waiting period of at least roughly three months follows; a Notice of Trustee’s Sale is then recorded and published, with the sale generally set at least about 20 days later; and the property is sold at public auction. Each step leaves a public record — which is exactly what our data platform tracks. Sale dates are frequently postponed, so the date shown is not necessarily final.