California homeowners still making their mortgage payments but have a house worth less than they owe have an may leverage our anti-deficiency laws to protect their assets their credit with Our 3 Step Strategy

    We pursue a Leveraged Deed in Lieu Offer while you are current while listing Your Home for Sale. We negotiate for no harm to your credit. Sometimes the bank agrees to a Deed in Lieu. Sometimes a Short Sale and sometimes they may insist on harming your credit. That is when step 3 kicks in. You decide to keep paying or you decide to leverage CA law to max out time in your home without paying. This can be 10 to 12 months of mortgage free living when executed correctly

    California Real Estate Attorney|California Real Estate Broker|Trained the California Association of Realtors

    No sales pitch. If we can't help, we'll say so.

    Three exits. We run the fist two concurrently and reserve the 3rd as your backup plan.

    1. Leveraged Deed in Lieu

    If you're still current on your mortgage and your home is worth less than you owe, you have leverage the bank wants. We negotiate a clean deed in lieu so you walk away without late payments, without final remarks, and without a 7-year credit hit.

    2. Listing or Short Sale

    We put your property on the MLS at the right price. If it sells for more than you owe, you walk away with money in your pocket. If it sells for less, we run it as a short sale with a no-deficiency approval letter drafted to protect you from IRS tax on the forgiven debt.

    or 3. Homeowner Choice

    If the bank doesn't agree to your terms you decide if and when to cease mortgage payments. When executed prohis can result in 9-12 or more of non - mortgage payment savings

    How long does the bank actually take?

    If an attorney is involved from the start, the timeline often extends to 12-18 months. That extra time is leverage — and a year of mortgage-free living in your house.

    1
    Months 1-4
    Federal pre-foreclosure cooling-off period
    2
    Months 4-7
    California Notice of Default (NOD) 90-day process
    3
    Months 7-8
    21-day minimum Notice of Sale requirement
    4
    Month 8+
    Extensions possible via Homeowner Bill of Rights (No Dual Tracking)
    5
    Month 9+
    AB 2424 (45-day or 90-day extension periods)
    6
    Month 10+
    Other laws which may be leveraged for some homeowners

    Most homeowners think they'll be out of their house in 3 months. The California timeline, when used correctly, gives you 10-18 months. That changes the entire math of the decision.

    Why an attorney, not just a Realtor

    The truth: most short sale files fail not because the price is wrong, but because the approval letter is wrong.

    A poorly written approval letter can leave you with a $100,000+ tax bill on forgiven debt — the Mortgage Debt Forgiveness Act expired on December 31, 2025.

    A properly written approval letter — drafted by an attorney who knows CCP 580E, IRS insolvency exceptions, and disputed-debt exclusions — leaves you owing $0.

    Realtors file the hardship package. Attorneys rewrite the approval letter. You need both — but the attorney is the one protecting your tax exposure and your credit.

    The math most people never see

    Here's the part no one tells you. If you stop paying your California mortgage tomorrow — strategically, with an attorney — the bank cannot take your house for at least 10 months. With the right legal filings, that extends to a year or longer.

    That's a year of living in your house mortgage-free. A year of time to figure out your move. A year where the bank is negotiating with you, not the other way around.

    We don't recommend walking away from your mortgage. We recommend using the California timeline as leverage — and having an attorney in your corner from day one.

    What happens on the free 15-minute call

    1

    We review your numbers. What you owe. What the home is worth today. What you can actually net.

    2

    We name the 3 exits for your specific situation. You'll know which one fits — and which ones don't.

    3

    We tell you honestly if this works for you. If your best move is to stay put or do a clean listing, we'll say so. We do that for a significant number of the people who call us.

    Pick a 15-minute window that works for you

    All times shown in Pacific Time. If you're outside California, please adjust.

    Why this isn't a sales call

    You're not committing to anything. The 15-minute call is a conversation about your situation. We don't sign listing agreements on the phone.

    You don't have to decide today. Most of our clients take 1-2 weeks after the call before they move forward. Some take longer. That's fine.

    If we can't help, we'll say so. We only work with California homeowners in the specific situation the 3-Step Exit was designed for. If your situation doesn't fit, we'll tell you on the call and point you to a different resource.