Okay, the title work has already been done so the mortgage company/title company will most likely not know about it. If they find out you can't close without paying it off first. However, one of the documents that you sign at closing states that you are certifying that you haven't quit your job, filed bankruptcy, or had any judgments filed since you applied. If you lie on that you are committing mortgage fraud.. punishable by up to $1 million dollar fine and 30 years in prison. No the judgment (unless it's a tax lien or federal judgment) cannot make you sell your home, but it does stop you from refinancing or selling until it's paid in full. They will pull another credit report a day or so before closing but I doubt the judgment will show up this quick. If you are getting cash out, I would suggest telling the lender & they can pay it with proceeds.

The closing on your refinance would be determined if the judgment is found by the title company doing the title work. If a final check does not reveal the judgment, you will close without a problem.

Judgement liens do expire, however, the holder of this lien may refile this judgment after the expiration date. You would have to find out the term in which a judgement lien would be able to be valid on your property.

You might explore the possibly of paying off this judgment and what it would take to pay this judgment. Some of these individuals would accept a lesser amount than the face value of the judgment.

I hope this has been of some benefit to you, good luck.

"FIGHT ON"

I think they make you pay the lien before the title is changed for the refinance. The new lender doesn't want to finance a property with a lien on it so they will require you to pay it off before recording the new deed of trust. This should already have been discovered by the lender as where i live [CA] that is one of the first things the lender does - perform a preliminary title search to discover things exactly like this that can affect the security of their loan on the property.

A property lien does not make you sell. It does mean that the lien will have to be lifted BEFORE you can sell. That judgment will appear on your credit reports and make an new loans difficult.

There's going to be other financial obligations attached since it's been file already. Like the filing fee's, the lawyer fee's, any interest/late fee's that's incurred since then. As long as you can pay all the other fee's then they won't do anything. The just want their money back.

the lien must be paid to get a new loan

No, they can't make you sell, they just get paid when you DO sell. It could affect the refi, you will have to ask the bank that question.

Spouse just received letter that judgement lien was filed at county clerks office. We own 35 acres in Kentucky w. home. I am closing on a refinance on the home in 2 days. How does the judgement lien impact us? both with the refinance and can the lien holder make us sell our property ? Or does it ever expire