Concord
2 missed payments, 60 days before likely NOD, $510K loan balance.
Outcome: Listed in 8 days, sold in 19 days at full payoff, $42K surplus to family.
$42K preserved, no NOD ever recorded
24/7 Emergency Line · Answered by Roger
If this can't wait, call or text 24/7.
Foreclosure, layoff, family emergency — Roger answers his own line. After hours your message is texted to him in under 60 seconds.
Business-hours calls forward directly to Roger. After-hours calls reach a compassionate voicemail that's transcribed and texted to Roger in under 60 seconds. Texts to the same number are answered by AI instantly — Roger gets a copy of every conversation.
For owners behind on payments — but ahead of the legal clock
The best time to sell a distressed home is the week before the Notice of Default is recorded.
In California, the period between your first missed payment and the recording of a Notice of Default (NOD) is roughly 90-120 days. That window is when you have the most options, the cleanest paper trail, and the strongest negotiating position with buyers. Once the NOD records, it becomes public — and the buyer pool narrows. Roger Grubb has helped Bay Area families sell during that pre-NOD window for 18 years. DRE #01845823, Security Pacific Real Estate. (510) 504-0402.
Who is writing this
Roger has executed pre-NOD sales in every East Bay city and across the broader Bay Area. He reads the California foreclosure timeline daily, communicates with loss-mitigation departments at every major servicer, and knows exactly which 30-day window produces the best net-to-family outcome. He has never had a client lose a pre-NOD sale to a recorded NOD.
The process
One person. End to end.
- 01
Confirm your actual position on the timeline
Roger pulls public records and verifies whether a Notice of Default has already been recorded against your property. Most clients overestimate how close they are to foreclosure.
- 02
Pre-list in 7-10 days
Tight prep schedule: paint, deep clean, professional photography, and listing prep all completed inside 10 days from your call. No deferred maintenance is allowed to slow the listing.
- 03
List with realistic pricing
Roger prices to attract a buyer in 14-21 days, not 60. Distressed-sale pricing is a discipline; he priced 8 of his last 10 pre-NOD listings within $5K of the actual sale price.
- 04
Close before the NOD
Cash and conventional offers close in 14-30 days. Roger pushes title and escrow to the front of every conversation, not the end.
Cost
What it costs
Commission paid at close from sale proceeds. No upfront cost. Roger does not charge extra for the accelerated timeline or contractor coordination.
When to call somebody else
This is probably not the right move if…
- An NOD has already been recorded — go to the pre-foreclosure-help-bay-area page instead; the playbook changes.
- You are current on the mortgage but worried about future income. Forbearance is the right first call.
- A loan modification is genuinely realistic and the lender has not yet denied it.
The record
Recent transactions in this exact situation.
Vallejo
3 missed payments, owner self-employed, income gap.
Outcome: Roger arranged a temporary forbearance while listing; sold in 31 days, owner caught up on payments at close.
Forbearance + sale combo, credit untouched
Oakland
4 missed payments, 30 days from likely NOD recording.
Outcome: Listed 4 days after first call, multi-offer in 11 days, closed before NOD window.
11 DOM, pre-NOD close
Frequently asked
Questions before you call.
How many missed payments before foreclosure starts in California?
Lenders typically wait 3-4 missed payments before recording the Notice of Default. The 30-day grace + 30-day late + first-payment-missed notice period adds up to roughly 90-120 days from the first missed payment.
Can I sell my house if I am behind on the mortgage but no NOD?
Yes, with the most options. As long as no NOD has been recorded, the sale proceeds like any other transaction. The lender gets paid off at close. Your credit takes the missed-payment hit (recoverable in 1-2 years) but no foreclosure mark.
Will the buyer see that I am behind on payments?
Not directly. Missed payments do not appear on the title-search report or the public record until an NOD is filed. Roger discloses what is legally required and frames the rest correctly.
How much equity do I need to sell pre-NOD?
You need enough to cover the unpaid principal balance, accrued interest, late fees, and ~7% transaction costs. Roger calculates this exactly in the first call.
What if I do not have equity?
Then this is a short sale conversation — see the short-sale-bay-area page. Roger handles both paths.
How fast can I list?
Roger has listed pre-NOD properties as fast as 5 days from first call. Aggressive prep + parallel scheduling makes 7-10 days the norm.
What is the first step?
Free 20-minute call. (510) 504-0402. Bring your most recent mortgage statement and a rough sense of how far behind you are.
Call or text 24/7.
(406) 205-9003
Roger answers his own line. After hours your message is texted to him in under 60 seconds.