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Experts Tell You How to Find Out if Your House Has a Lien

Whether you’re thinking of selling a house, or considering buying a new property you might wonder: is there a lien on my house?

Discovering existing liens on a house helps home owners sell their house more efficiently since it removes an encumbrance on the title. Liens can seriously hinder your ability to sell a house, and some keep money to resolve.

Read below to find out if your house has a lien, and what you can do about it.

How to Find Out If My House Has a Lien

The first step for resolving liens is finding out if your house has any liens or not. Luckily, the process for discovering liens is very straightforward, as liens are public record.

There are three options to find out if you have a tax lien:

Title Company: Any representative from a title company will be able to tell you if a house has existing liens and what they are.
County Clerk: Visit a county clerk, recorder or assessor to speak with someone in person regarding the house. They’ll be able to let you know what liens are on the house.
Search Online: If you don’t want to visit the county clerk’s office to inquire about the property, you can go online and do a search. The only information you’ll need is the address. If the search doesn’t return any information, you’ll want to follow up with one of the previous options.

Property Lien Search Texas

To find property liens for Harris County, go here. If you’re looking for liens in another area in Texas, we found a helpful, extensive list here.

How to Get a Lien Release on a House

Getting the lien removed from the property is important if you ever want to sell your house. There are several ways to get a lien release on your house.

Pay The Debt: The best way to receive a lien release on your house is to pay any debts in full. You’ll want to file a Release of Lien Form, signed by the lienholder. Make sure the Release is signed by a Notary. After the notarized Release is complete, make a copy for your personal records. Then file it with the county recorder.
Partial Lien Release: If you’re unable to pay off your debt in full, a partial release may allow you to sell the house even with the liens. Homestead laws in Texas protect your property, so while you will still owe the debt, you will also be able to sell your house.
Court Order: If the lien isn’t legitimate, you should be able to have it removed by court order. This applies to liens involving fraud, or other inappropriate means such as coercion.
Statute Of Limitations: Statute of limitations refers to the time frame in which a legal action can be taken. States have a limit as to how long a lien enforced, and the period of time in which a creditor can file a suit for the debt owed.
Negotiating: Sometimes, creditors are willing to negotiate an agreement that results in a release of lien. Usually this requires arbitration or more casual negotiations.

I Need to Sell My House Now

Do you have a lien on your property, but still want to sell it as quickly as possible? Even if a creditor has a claim on the house, there are still methods for getting it sold. If you have a lien on a house and want to sell.