how long does it take the debtor to try to collect after a default judgement
Timetable: one to 12 months. The average debtor does not have a surplus of available assets. The average judgment enforcement is like a chess game, where it takes several attempts to recover the judgment, one chunk at a time, over the long term. Eventually many debtors (having some assets) smell the coffee and eventually settle or pay off the judgment. Timetable: six months to five years. The worst case debtor is either very poor or a clever fraud. Perhaps they hid their assets or use many names and social security numbers. For well-practiced frauds or very poor debtors, it is a long shot to recover money on a judgment.
Once judgment is entered against the debtor, the debtor will have a 30 day period in which they can appeal the judgment or ask the court to vacate the judgment. After this 30 day period has passed, and if you have not been paid in full, you may move to seize the debtor's assets in order to satisfy your judgment.
Enforcement of the judgment is stayed automatically for 30 days from the date of mailing in order to give time for the defendant to either file an appeal or a motion to vacate. This means that the plaintiff cannot collect the judgment for 30 days from the date it is mailed out. Even if the judge gave the judgment in open court, the plaintiff must wait 30 days from the date the judgment form is mailed out to the parties before starting collection efforts.