California foreclosures and housing market
How foreclosure works in California, which counties lean to buyers or sellers, and how many homes are for sale right now.
How's the market in California?
A seller's market.
Listings spent about 58 days on the market, and 18% had a price cut in October 2026.
Market figures: Realtor.com® Economic Research, October 2026. Free weekly email. Unsubscribe anytime.
Distressed properties in California
Pre-foreclosures, auctions, bank-owned and HUD homes from county notices, with the street area instead of the house number.
Representative photoWe are not tracking properties in California yet
Our property list covers a handful of counties so far. Leave your email for the free weekly brief, and we will note that you want property alerts for California.
The closest place we track is Nevada, with 9 properties.
The California market in October 2026
Our score compares how many listings went under contract with how many were for sale, ranked against every US county. Low scores lean to buyers, high scores to sellers.
California market score
- Homes for sale
- 74,885
- US: 1,179,101
- Typical days on market
- 58
- US: 66
- Listings with a price cut
- 18%
- US: 21%
- Homes for sale vs pre-pandemic
- −4%
- US: −7%
- October 2026 vs the October average for 2017 to 2019.
Market score by county
Check any countyGray counties had too few listings to score. Tap a county for its full answer.
Most buyer-friendly counties
Lowest scores among counties with 50+ homes for sale.
- 10Trinity County99 days on market · 10% with a price cut · 156 for sale
- 16Calaveras County88 days on market · 18% with a price cut · 507 for sale
- 16Lake County96 days on market · 21% with a price cut · 470 for sale
- 17Modoc County88 days on market · 13% with a price cut · 51 for sale
- 18Napa County87 days on market · 17% with a price cut · 553 for sale
Most seller-friendly counties
Highest scores among counties with 50+ homes for sale.
- 89Kings County58 days on market · 22% with a price cut · 245 for sale
- 85Tulare County65 days on market · 17% with a price cut · 899 for sale
- 85San Francisco County49 days on market · 6% with a price cut · 745 for sale
- 84Fresno County57 days on market · 18% with a price cut · 1,600 for sale
- 84San Mateo County34 days on market · 11% with a price cut · 731 for sale
Source: Realtor.com® Economic Research, October 2026 county data. County days on market are medians. State and US figures weight each county by its homes for sale. Price-cut share is the share of listings with a price reduction.
How foreclosure works in California
Most California foreclosures are non-judicial trustee sales.
- Main steps and notices
- Before recording a notice of default, the lender must try to reach the borrower about alternatives, then wait 30 days.
- The notice of default gives the borrower three months to cure.
- The notice of sale is mailed, posted on the property and in a public place at least 20 days before the sale, and published once a week for three weeks.
- Catching up before the sale
- The borrower can reinstate up to five business days before the sale date in the first recorded notice of sale.
- After the sale
- There is no right to redeem after a non-judicial sale, and no deficiency judgment after one.
- Before any of this starts
- Under federal rules, a mortgage servicer generally can't make the first notice or filing for foreclosure until the borrower is more than 120 days behind.
- Governing law
- California Civil Code § 2923.5, § 2923.6, § 2924 to § 2924g; Code of Civil Procedure § 580d
Sources
- Justia, Foreclosure laws and procedures: 50-state survey (last reviewed November 2022)
- Nolo, Foreclosure redemption period rights (state chart)
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, How to avoid foreclosure
General information, not legal advice.
Laws change and each case differs. Anyone facing foreclosure should talk with a local attorney or a HUD-approved housing counselor.
Go deeper in California
- Check any county's marketPick a county in California and see whether it leans to buyers or sellers.
- Read the buying guidesHow to buy pre-foreclosures, auction homes, bank-owned homes, HUD homes and short sales.
- Help if you're behind on your mortgageWhere you are in the process, your options, free counselors and scam warnings.
California questions
Is foreclosure in California judicial or non-judicial?
Most California foreclosures are non-judicial trustee sales.
Can a homeowner get the home back after a foreclosure sale in California?
There is no right to redeem after a non-judicial sale, and no deficiency judgment after one.
Can a borrower in California catch up on the loan before the sale?
The borrower can reinstate up to five business days before the sale date in the first recorded notice of sale.
Is California a buyer's or seller's market right now?
A seller's market. California scores 61 out of 100 on our market scale, where low scores lean to buyers. Listings spent about 58 days on the market, and 18% had a price cut in October 2026. Source: Realtor.com® Economic Research.
How far behind does a borrower have to be before foreclosure starts?
Under federal rules, a mortgage servicer generally can't make the first notice or filing for foreclosure until the borrower is more than 120 days behind. Source: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.