What is a Judgment Lien on Property?

Have you encountered the term judgment lien? If so, you may have trouble making sense of it at first. Judgment liens happen after a lawsuit has occurred. The victor in the lawsuit gets to put a lien on real property owned by the person who lost the case. If the property is ever sold, part of the proceeds would go to the lien holder to satisfy the debt. Pursuant to law, this lien is assignable to other parties. This means that you can actually purchase someone else’s real estate judgment. Learn more about this process and how you can buy judgments.


A lien can be applied to different types of property. The first type concerns judgment liens on real property. Liens take effect when they are recorded in the county office where the land is located. Once a lien is legally placed, the creditor may attempt to recoup the value through a forced sale of the property. The lien-holder can also wait for the property to sell on its own, and receive proceeds from the sale. Liens can also be put on vehicles, and other types of personal property. A judgment on real property is probably the most common kind.


A person doesn’t necessarily have to own property to get a property lien. Real estate judgments can support liens on property that will be acquired in the future. Again, a lien-holder does this by filing the lien with the county office. Once the debtor buys a piece of property, the lien will automatically attach. This doesn’t seem fair to some, but it is the way the law works in some jurisdictions.


Judgments are assignable. This means you can buy or sell a judgment. Once the judgment is transferred, the buyer will have the right to enforce it just like the original owner. Contact Mayflower Judgmentsfor information on how to sell or buy real estate judgments.