Don’t let a lien prevent you from selling your home. It can be done but will require extra effort. A property lien is a claim against property awarded by the court to a creditor that must be satisfied prior to a change in property ownership.

A builder will often place a lien on a property they have completed work on but the owner has refused to pay. The three types of liens placed on a property are mechanical (for work done on the property), tax (for owed taxes), and a judgment (placed by the court usually for unpaid alimony or bills).

The first step is to find out what type of lien has been placed on your property through the county clerk or property assessor's office. Then you can take steps to resolve the lien clearing the way to close your property loan.

If you have paid the lien off, have the lien-holder request to have it removed. If the lien has not been paid off then you can pay it off and ask for the records to be updated. However, if the lien is still in place and you wish to sell the property without satisfying the lien, you can sell the property as long as the buyer is willing to pay off the lien during the closing. Another way to solve this would be to use the proceeds from the sale to satisfy the lien before any funds are released to you, the seller. This will enable a clear title to be given to the new owner while satisfying the lien so that a clear title can be issued.

Licensed Florida attorneys founded Fleet Title to bring high-quality, fast, and efficient title services to the residential and commercial real estate markets throughout the state of Florida. Our attorneys have closed real estate transactions for over 25 years. At Fleet Title, you will benefit from our experienced attorneys at the cost of a title agent. To learn more about the services offered in Vero Beach, visit fleettitle.com, call (772) 224-3338, or email them at info@fleettitle.com.