Lakewood Foreclosure Protection Lawyer
Keeping your house usually comes down to a handful of dates and a handful of decisions made in the right order. Wadhwani & Shanfeld is a consumer bankruptcy and debt relief law firm that works with Lakewood homeowners and families across Los Angeles County to stop a trustee’s sale, catch up on missed mortgage payments, and hold onto the property. As a Lakewood foreclosure protection lawyer, the firm looks at how far along the foreclosure is, how much equity you have, and what your income can realistically support, then recommends the route that keeps you in the home.
California’s non-judicial foreclosure process runs on a fixed clock, and that clock is what gives you room to act. Once a notice of default is recorded, a sale date cannot be set until roughly 90 days later, and the sale cannot happen sooner than three months and 20 days after that recording. A notice of sale then has to be mailed and posted at least 20 days before the auction. Each of those windows is an opening for a solution, and each one closes.
The sooner a Lakewood homeowner calls, the more tools are available. Reinstatement, loan modification, a Chapter 13 repayment plan, and a stay from a bankruptcy filing all work best when they are started before the final days.
How California’s Foreclosure Timeline Creates Your Deadlines
Most Lakewood foreclosures are non-judicial, meaning the lender’s trustee handles the sale without a lawsuit. That makes the recorded notices your roadmap. The notice of default starts everything. For approximately 90 days after it is recorded, no sale date can be set. After that, the lender can record a notice of sale, and the earliest allowable auction date is three months and 20 days after the notice of default. A notice of sale may be recorded up to five days before the three-month period ends, as long as the sale itself still falls on or after that three-month-and-20-day mark.
Once the notice of sale is out, it must go by registered or certified mail and be posted on the property at least 20 days before the sale. Many homeowners treat the posted notice as the beginning of the crisis, when in fact the notice of default months earlier was the real starting gun.
Reinstatement is the simplest cure. Under Civil Code section 2924c, you can bring a monetary default current, including the missed payments and allowable costs, up to five business days before the sale date. After that point the right to reinstate ends, though a bankruptcy filing can still halt the sale. Sales also get postponed. When a sale is pushed back at least 10 business days, the lender must send written notice of the new date within five business days of the postponement, so a postponed date is never a reason to stop watching your mail.
Why Choose Wadhwani & Shanfeld for Foreclosure Protection in Lakewood
Wadhwani & Shanfeld has helped more than 30,000 individuals and families resolve debt, and the firm serves homeowners throughout Lakewood, Los Angeles County, Orange County, Riverside County, and San Bernardino County. The firm is led by two Board-Certified Specialists in Consumer Bankruptcy through the American Board of Certification, with more than 90 years of combined legal experience across the team. You get direct access to an attorney from the first call, and when a foreclosure sale, garnishment, or repossession is days away, the firm moves fast.
Raj Wadhwani, a founding shareholder and Southwestern Law School graduate, helped pilot the Best Case Bankruptcy software in 1998 and was the first attorney to file a bankruptcy case electronically in the Central District of California. That electronic-filing background matters when a sale is scheduled for the coming week, because a petition has to be prepared accurately and filed quickly to trigger the automatic stay. Greg Shanfeld, a founding shareholder and University of Southern California law graduate, has handled more than 10,000 bankruptcy cases over three decades, which means he has seen nearly every way a mortgage default can unfold.
Foreclosure work benefits from handling both sides of the problem. Because the firm practices Chapter 7, Chapter 13, loan modification, second mortgage settlements, and debt settlement, the recommendation is built around your situation rather than the only service on offer. The firm files in every division of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California, offers a free consultation, and can handle your case entirely by phone, email, video, and online chat, with 100% virtual consultations available.
Foreclosure Situations We Handle for Lakewood Homeowners
- Missed Payments After a Income Disruption: Job loss, reduced hours, illness, or divorce often put a mortgage behind by several months. Chapter 13 lets you spread those arrears over a three to five year plan while you keep the home and stay current going forward.
- Notice of Default Already Recorded: Once the lender records the notice, the reinstatement window and the 90-day waiting period begin. This is often the best moment to weigh a loan modification, a reinstatement, or a bankruptcy filing.
- Notice of Sale Posted or Mailed: With the auction date set, the focus shifts to the cutoff for reinstatement and the option of filing to trigger the automatic stay. Preparation time is short, so call as soon as the notice arrives.
- Sale Postponed or Rescheduled: A postponement does not end the foreclosure. Watch for the written notice of the new date, and use the extra time to settle on a plan rather than assuming the matter has gone away.
- Loan Modification Efforts That Stalled: Many homeowners apply for a modification and wait while the foreclosure keeps moving. A bankruptcy filing can pause the sale while a modification is pursued or while a repayment plan is built.
- Second Mortgage or Home Equity Loan Pressure: A junior lien can threaten the property or complicate a refinance. In some cases a wholly unsecured second mortgage can be stripped off in Chapter 13, and the firm also handles second mortgage settlements.
- Home Equity Above the Exemption: Chapter 7 can be risky for owners with significant equity, since a trustee may sell a non-exempt home. Chapter 13 allows you to keep the property while paying creditors the value of the non-exempt portion.
- Tax Debt or Garnishment Compounding the Default: IRS balances, judgments, and wage garnishments often hit alongside a mortgage default. The firm handles IRS tax debt and wage garnishment together with the foreclosure so the whole picture gets fixed.
What to Do in the First Days After a Foreclosure Notice
Start by finding every document you have received and putting the dates in order. Look for the recorded notice of default, any notice of sale, and any letter announcing a postponement. The notice of sale carries the auction date, and the notice of default tells you how far the clock has already run. Bring all of it, plus your recent pay records, your last mortgage statement, and a list of your other debts, to your first conversation with an attorney.
Then call. A foreclosure with a distant sale date can often be solved calmly, while one with only days left requires an immediate filing. Reinstatement remains possible until five business days before the sale, so that date is a practical deadline even when the auction itself is later. If a bankruptcy petition is the answer, the automatic stay takes effect the moment it is filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California and halts the sale. Which division handles your case depends on the street address of the property or residence, and the court’s locator tool confirms the right one. Lakewood homeowners typically file in the Los Angeles Division, but the zip code decides it.
Avoid the common mistakes. Do not ignore mail because the news is bad. Do not pay a company upfront that promises to stop the foreclosure without a lawyer. Do not assume a loan modification application automatically pauses the sale, because lenders can continue the foreclosure while reviewing it. And do not wait until the final week to ask what your options are. If a creditor has also sued you, the response deadline on that lawsuit is separate and also short, so bring those papers too.
Chapter 13, Chapter 7, and Exemptions: Keeping the House
Chapter 13 is the workhorse for saving a home from foreclosure. It reorganizes your debts into one monthly payment over three to five years, binds creditors once the court confirms the plan, and lets you cure mortgage arrears over time while you keep making your regular payments. It suits homeowners with steady income who are behind, who have income above the Chapter 7 means test, or who have equity they want to protect.
Chapter 7 can work when your equity is protected and you are current or can become current on the mortgage. California does not use the federal exemptions. A filer chooses one of two state systems for the whole case: the system that includes a homestead exemption under section 704.730, or the alternative system under section 703.140(b) with a much smaller residence exemption and a flexible wildcard. The homestead amount for most owners is tied to the county’s median home price within a statutory floor and ceiling, and it is adjusted for inflation each year. Which system fits depends on your equity, your other property, and how long you have lived in California; the state’s exemptions generally require 730 days of residence. Choosing correctly is one of the most consequential decisions in a case, and the firm’s attorneys work through it before anything is filed.
A bankruptcy filing also stops parallel pressure. Wage garnishments, bank levies, repossessions, and lawsuits are halted by the same automatic stay, which can matter if a default has spread into several collection fronts.
Common Questions About Foreclosure Protection in Lakewood
How long do I have before my Lakewood home is sold?
It depends on where the notices stand. No sale date can be set until about 90 days after the notice of default is recorded, and the sale cannot occur earlier than three months and 20 days after that recording. After a notice of sale is mailed and posted, at least 20 days must pass before the auction.
Can I stop a foreclosure by catching up on payments?
Yes, within limits. You can reinstate a monetary default by paying what is owed, including permitted costs, up to five business days before the sale date. After that, the practical way to stop the sale is a bankruptcy filing.
Does filing bankruptcy stop a foreclosure sale right away?
Yes. The automatic stay takes effect when the petition is filed and requires the lender to halt the sale. In an emergency, the firm can often prepare and file quickly when an auction is only days away.
Will I lose my home if I file Chapter 7?
Most of the firm’s clients keep their homes. In Chapter 7 the question is whether your equity is covered by California’s homestead exemption and whether you stay current on the mortgage. If you have more equity than the exemption protects or you are already behind, Chapter 13 is usually the better route.
What does Chapter 13 do for missed mortgage payments?
It lets you pay the arrears over the life of a three to five year plan while keeping up with new payments. The lender is bound by the confirmed plan, which can prevent the sale as long as you stay on it.
Can a second mortgage be removed in bankruptcy?
In some cases, yes. A second mortgage that is wholly unsecured, because the home is worth less than the first mortgage balance, can potentially be stripped off in Chapter 13. The firm also negotiates second mortgage settlements outside of bankruptcy.
If the sale gets postponed, am I safe?
No. A postponement only moves the date. When a sale is delayed at least 10 business days, the lender must send written notice of the new date within five business days of the postponement. Use the extra time to settle on a plan.
Does applying for a loan modification stop the foreclosure?
Not automatically. A lender may keep the foreclosure moving while it reviews an application. If the sale date is approaching, a bankruptcy filing can provide the breathing room while a modification is pursued.
Which bankruptcy court would my case be in?
Cases from Los Angeles County are filed in the Central District of California, and the street address determines the division. The court’s locator tool by zip code confirms it, and the firm files in every division of that court.
Can I handle this without coming to an office?
Yes. The firm works by phone, email, video, and online chat, and offers 100% virtual consultations. Foreclosure timing is tight, so being able to start the same day matters.
What if I already owe back taxes or have a judgment too?
Those debts can be addressed together. The firm represents clients with IRS tax debt and wage garnishment, and the automatic stay halts most garnishments and levies when a bankruptcy is filed.
Can my employer fire me if my wages are garnished?
California law bars an employer from terminating you because your wages are garnished for a single judgment, and federal and California law also prevent firing solely because you filed bankruptcy.
Foreclosure Protection Across Lakewood and Southern California
The firm represents homeowners in Lakewood and throughout Los Angeles County, including Long Beach, Bellflower, Paramount, Norwalk, Cerritos, Cypress, Signal Hill, Gardena, Compton, Torrance, Inglewood, Huntington Park, and nearby neighborhoods in the Gateway Cities area. Clients also come from the San Fernando Valley and the Westside, including Sherman Oaks, Van Nuys, Encino, Woodland Hills, Reseda, Northridge, Granada Hills, North Hollywood, Sylmar, Hollywood, and Santa Monica, as well as from Santa Clarita and the Antelope Valley communities of Lancaster, Palmdale, and Acton.
Beyond the county, the firm serves Orange County families in Anaheim, Santa Ana, Garden Grove, Buena Park, Fullerton, Huntington Beach, Westminster, Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Tustin, La Habra, Placentia, Mission Viejo, and Laguna Niguel. In the Inland Empire and eastern San Gabriel Valley, it helps homeowners in Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, Upland, Fontana, San Bernardino, Pomona, Chino, Chino Hills, Montclair, Claremont, Glendora, West Covina, Riverside, and the Coachella Valley.
Talk With a Lakewood Foreclosure Protection Attorney Today
If a notice of default or a notice of sale has arrived, the dates on it are the ones that matter. Call Wadhwani & Shanfeld for a free consultation and speak directly with a Lakewood foreclosure protection attorney about reinstatement, loan modification, Chapter 13, and every other option available to you. You will get a straight answer about which path gives you the best chance of keeping your home, and if the sale is close, the firm will act quickly to put the automatic stay in place.
