Legal Question in Real Estate Law in California

The priority of liens is determined by the date of recording. If you recorded your judgment or an abstract of judgment before the 2nd D/T was recorded, the buyer at the sale will acquire the property subject to your lien. If you are junior in time of recording, you will either receive a full or partial payoff from the sale proceeds, or, more likely, nothing. However, you are not really wiped out; the sale just demonstrates that the building had no collateral value in the first place. You still have a judgment and perhaps other ways to enforce payment.