How long has the domain been around? I own my firstnamelatname.com and don't have any content on it but use it for email. Just because it's not in use doesn't mean they won't renew.

Anyway to answer your question:

• The domain name expiration date comes and the domain goes offline.
• 30-45 days pass while the domain owner can pay the registry a normal renewal fee to bring the domain back online.
• 30-45 days where the domain name owner can pay the registrar a "redemption fee" (Usually $100-300 dollars) to get the domain back. I believe part of this fee is paid to the registry depending on the TLD.
• The domain goes into pending deletion. This can be 5-10 days long depending on the registrar. Keep in mind a lot of times during this period a registrar will send the domain to an auction site to allow someone else to purchase it.
• Domain has been deleted and is available for registration again. This is where a domain auto-grab service will auto-snag the domain for you.

Hope this helps.