The newspaper is definitely the first place to start when you are looking for California foreclosures for investment or to live in. It is important to understand the notice that you are reading so you have a clear understanding of where in the process of the foreclosure a home is in if you are thinking of buying.

The newspapers are the first place that a home in default is going to be published. This is public information so in the public ad section of notices is where you will find homes that are in default. The default is the first step of a foreclosure. When you see a notice of default ad then this is when the borrower has missed their first mortgage payment. They may have actually missed two or three payments at this point but banks are getting faster at putting a house in default. During this time is possible to purchase a home but you will have to contact the owner and find out if they are going to let the home go to the auction or if they want to save it. Many homeowners are willing to sell to you or let you take over their payments.

The next notification that you will see in a Los Angeles, San Diego or other CA. newspaper is the intent to sell public notice. This intent to sell notice is the intent to put the house up for sale at an auction. The date, time, and location of the auction will be listed in the newspaper. The borrower's information and the address of the home will also be included. This may be months in advance and usually is on the first posting of this notice. At this stage it is almost too late for a homeowner to catch up on their mortgage payments.

The California foreclosures are taking up a lot of space in the local newspapers because there are more home defaults in this state than any other in the nation. If you are looking for an investment or to buy a home at a really low price then you should consider looking in the newspaper under the public notices. There aren't a lot of people that purchase homes this way but it is the best because you can get a house at an amazing price.