How to follow foreclosures in a county

Checked against the sources at the bottom on Oct 11, 2026.

Most people who work foreclosures don't wait for the auction list. They pick a county or two, learn where the first public record shows up, and check it on a schedule. Here's how that works in Texas, Florida and California, and the habits that keep a list from going stale.

1. Know where the first record shows up

Every state leaves a different paper trail, and the first public document is where you want to be.

• Texas: the notice of sale, filed with the county clerk at least 21 days before the first-Tuesday auction. Counties post these notices on their websites. It's usually the first public record, so the lead time can be as short as three weeks. (How Texas works)
• Florida: the lis pendens, recorded in the county's official records, and the foreclosure case filed in circuit court. The sale comes much later, after a final judgment. (How Florida works)
• California: the notice of default, recorded with the county recorder at least three months and 20 days before the earliest possible sale. The notice of trustee's sale follows. (How California works)

2. Learn the county's rhythm

Each state runs on a different clock, and it shapes when you should look.

Texas runs monthly. Notices for a month's sale have to be filed at least 21 days before the first Tuesday, so that's when each month's list fills in. Anything filed after the cutoff is for the next month.

Florida runs on the court's calendar. New cases and lis pendens can arrive any business day, and each final judgment sets a sale 20 to 35 days out. Many clerks hold their auctions online.

California runs on a rolling clock. A notice of default today means no sale for at least three months and 20 days. A notice of trustee's sale means at least 20 days. Sales can happen on any business day.

3. Track the case, not the notice

One property can produce a stack of paper: a notice of default, a notice of sale or two, postponements, a rescission, a trustee's deed. If you treat each document as a new lead, you'll call about the same house four times and miss the one that actually sold.

Keep one row per case and hang everything on it. The best handles are the ones printed on the documents: the trustee sale number in California, the court case number in Florida, or the recording number of the deed of trust. The parcel number works when nothing else does.

In Texas, a sale that gets pulled usually comes back as a new notice for a later month, so the same property can show up on several monthly lists.

4. Expect dates to move

A scheduled sale is a plan, not a promise. California sales can be postponed again and again, up to 365 days on one notice. Florida sales move when the court resets them. Texas sales get pulled and reposted. A bankruptcy filing stops a sale in any state.

The day before a sale, check with the trustee (Texas and California) or the clerk's docket (Florida). The trustee's name and contact details are on the notice of sale.

5. Watch what happens after

The result is useful too. A trustee's deed or a Florida certificate of title shows who ended up with the property. If it went back to the lender, it's now REO and will likely be listed for sale later. In California, the 2924m window can keep a sale on a one-to-four-unit home open for 15 to 45 days after the auction.

6. Don't forget taxes

Tax sales run on their own calendars: Florida's tax deed sales, California's tax-defaulted property auctions, and Texas tax sales on the same first Tuesday as mortgage sales. California's yearly list of parcels about to reach the five-year power to sell comes out by June 8. Florida tax deed sales are advertised once a week for four weeks first.

7. Know the rules before contacting owners

If you reach out to owners in foreclosure, learn your state's rules first. California's laws on foreclosure consultants and on buying homes in foreclosure are strict, and they cover things like when you can collect a fee and when a purchase can close. Owners who need help can get it free from a HUD-approved housing counselor.

Or let us watch it for you

Checking county websites every day gets old fast, especially across a few counties. Property Alerts reads the county records for you and follows each case through postponements and sales. Every plan sends each record with its source link, usually the same day the county posts it, and you can try one county free before you pay.

General information, not legal advice. For your own situation, talk to a lawyer.