What is the appropriate time to file a homestead declaration?
If you have not done so already, it is recommended you do so immediately. No one can predict when death or sudden incapacity may strike, so it is prudent to file a homestead declaration upon purchasing a home and taking title to it, or as soon as possible thereafter. However, in certain states a homestead will protect up to a set amount of your equity in your home provided that it is recorded with the County Recorder at any time before proceedings are instituted to cause the forced sale of your home to satisfy a judgment. So, even after a judgment has been entered against you, you should record a homestead declaration.
