Notice of Default
You have more time than you think.
A Notice of Default is not the end. Here is where you actually stand in California, every option you still have, and where to get free help that has nothing to do with us.
15 minutes, no offer, no pressure.
We help homeowners who are
- Behind on mortgage payments
- Hoping to avoid foreclosure
- Facing a balloon payment
- Out of work or between jobs
- Dealing with a medical bill they did not plan for
- Holding a house they cannot afford to fix
Where you actually stand
California's nonjudicial foreclosure process runs on fixed legal deadlines. Enter your Notice of Default date below to see your actual dates.
California nonjudicial foreclosure timeline, five stages, from the lender's pre-recording contact through the reinstatement cutoff before sale.
Stage 00
Day 0
Before anything is recorded
Your lender must contact you and complete a foreclosure avoidance assessment before recording anything.
Stage 01
30 days
Notice of Default
The earliest a Notice of Default (NOD) can reach the county recorder.
Stage 02
90 days
Your window to cure
From the NOD recording date. This is the stage most cash-buyer sites leave out entirely.
Stage 03
21 days
Notice of Trustee Sale
The NOTS must state that the sale is at auction in 21 days.
Stage 04
5 days
Reinstatement cutoff
Before the scheduled sale date.
Scroll sideways to see every stage.
Find this date on the NOD itself, or look up your property on your county recorder's site.
These are the statutory minimums under California law. An individual case can differ, and this is not legal advice. Source: California Courts, Nonjudicial Foreclosure.
Your right to reinstate
You can reinstate up to 5 days before the scheduled sale, by paying the past-due amount plus fees.
Your right to redeem
You can redeem the property by paying off the entire loan plus fees, up to the day of the sale.
Your options, and we are the last one
Most of these cost you nothing and do not involve us.
01 of 8
Reinstatement
Pay the full past-due amount plus fees, and your loan continues exactly as it was.
Right for you if: You can gather the missed payments and fees before the cutoff date.
Wrong for you if: You do not have a realistic way to raise that amount in time.
02 of 8
Repayment plan
Your lender lets you pay the missed amount in installments added to your regular payment.
Right for you if: Your income has recovered and you can carry a higher payment for a while.
Wrong for you if: Your income has not recovered. This delays the same problem.
03 of 8
Loan modification
Your lender permanently changes your loan terms, the rate, the length, or both, to make the payment affordable.
Right for you if: Your hardship is ongoing and your income can support a lower, adjusted payment.
Wrong for you if: You cannot document income the lender will accept for a new payment either.
04 of 8
Forbearance
Your lender pauses or reduces your payments for a set period. You repay the difference later.
Right for you if: Your hardship is temporary and you expect your income back soon.
Wrong for you if: You have already used your forbearance period, or the hardship is not temporary.
05 of 8
Refinance
You replace your current loan with a new one, ideally at a payment you can afford.
Right for you if: You have equity, and your credit and income still qualify you for a new loan.
Wrong for you if: Your credit or income has changed too much since you took out the original loan.
06 of 8
A HUD-approved housing counselor
A federally funded counselor reviews your full situation and every option on this list with you, at no cost.
Right for you if: You want an objective second opinion before you decide anything. There is no cost to find out.
Wrong for you if: You have already spoken with one and have a documented plan in place.
07 of 8
Sell on the open market
List the home for sale, the same way any other seller would, with a real estate agent.
Right for you if: You have equity and at least 60 days before the scheduled sale.
Wrong for you if: You do not have enough time left, or you owe more than the home is worth.
08 of 8
Sell to Spruce Homes
You sell directly to us. We buy with our own funds and close in our own name, on a timeline you set.
Right for you if: You are out of time or equity for the open market, and certainty matters more than the maximum possible price.
Wrong for you if: You have the time and the equity to net more by listing. See the section below.
Free help that is not us
Free help. No form on this section.
These cost nothing and none of them is Spruce Homes. This section has no form, because the point of it is that it does not lead back to us.
HUD-approved housing counselors
Federally funded, free, and independent of any buyer or lender. They will review every option on this page with you.
Find a counselor: hud.gov/findacounselor(800) 569-4287California Housing Finance Agency
State-run mortgage assistance and homeowner programs.
calhfa.ca.gov(877) 922-5432Bay Area Legal Aid
Free legal help for Bay Area homeowners, including foreclosure matters.
baylegal.org(800) 551-5554How to tell if you are being taken advantage of
- Anyone who asks you to sign over your deed and keep paying rent to stay.
- Anyone who tells you not to talk to a housing counselor or an attorney.
- Anyone who asks you to pay an upfront fee to "stop" your foreclosure.
- Anyone who pressures you to sign the same day, without time to read the contract.
- Anyone who will not put the price and terms in writing before you sign.
Your legal right to cancel
California law gives you the right to cancel a sale contract on a home in foreclosure until midnight of the fifth business day after you sign, or until 8 a.m. on the day of the trustee sale, whichever comes first. Until that time is up, a buyer cannot record anything, cannot transfer any interest, and cannot pay you anything. If anyone tells you otherwise, they are breaking the law.
California Civil Code 1695.4 and 1695.5.
When selling is the right move, and when it is not
If you have equity and 60 or more days before the scheduled sale, listing on the open market will usually net you more than we can pay. An agent, a HUD-approved counselor, or both can tell you within a day whether that is realistic for your property and your timeline.
If you do not have 60 days left, if there is little or no equity after payoff and closing costs, or if the condition of the home would slow a market sale past your deadline, a direct sale is built for exactly that gap. That is the only case we are the right answer.
What happens if you sell to us
Day by day, what we pay and where it goes: loan payoff, arrears, fees, and the number that lands in your account.
This section will walk through a real closing, day by day, once we can publish an actual deal with the seller's permission. We are not going to show you made-up numbers.
Deals we have actually closed
We are building this section from real closed deals, escrow and title partners named, and proof of funds available on request. We would rather show you three real closings than a hundred invented ones.
Talk to Quan, not a call center
No offer, no pressure, and you will not end up on a call list.
Call or text number pending