Sell Your Indiana Home with a Mechanic's Lien — Contractor Liens Resolved at Closing
A contractor or subcontractor filed a mechanic's lien on your Indiana property — but it doesn't have to stop your sale. Bartolini Cash Buyers buys homes with mechanic's liens and coordinates the resolution through the title company. Cash offer within 24 hours, close in as few as 7 days.
What Is a Mechanic's Lien in Indiana?
A mechanic's lien — also called a contractor's lien or materialman's lien — is a legal claim filed by a contractor, subcontractor, or supplier who performed work or provided materials on your property and was not paid. In Indiana, anyone who contributes labor or materials to improve real property has the right to file a lien under Indiana Code 32-28-3.
Mechanic's liens must be filed within 60 days of the last date work was performed or materials were furnished. Once recorded with the county recorder, the lien attaches to the property and must be resolved before clear title can transfer to a buyer. Common sources include general contractors, roofers, plumbers, electricians, HVAC companies, and material suppliers.
How a Mechanic's Lien Affects Your Home Sale
A mechanic's lien clouds your title and will appear in any title search. No title insurance company will insure a sale with an unresolved mechanic's lien, which means no traditional buyer can close — their lender will not fund the loan. This effectively blocks a conventional sale until the lien is paid, released, or bonded around.
Cash buyers like Bartolini Cash Buyers are not dependent on lender financing, which gives us more flexibility to work through mechanic's lien situations. We can close with a lien in place by coordinating the payoff or negotiated release through the title company as part of the closing process.
Resolving a Mechanic's Lien Before or at Closing
There are several ways to resolve a mechanic's lien: pay the full amount owed, negotiate a reduced settlement with the lien holder, dispute the lien if it was improperly filed, or post a surety bond to release the lien from the property (the bond substitutes for the property as collateral). The right approach depends on whether the underlying debt is valid and how much is owed.
Contractors who file mechanic's liens are often willing to negotiate — they filed the lien to get paid, not to block a sale indefinitely. A cash offer with a firm closing date gives the contractor a clear path to payment, which is often enough to reach a settlement. Bartolini Cash Buyers can work through this process with you and your contractor.
Indiana Mechanic's Lien Foreclosure Risk
In Indiana, a mechanic's lien holder can file a lawsuit to foreclose on the lien within one year of the lien's recording date. If they win, the court can order the property sold to satisfy the debt. This is a real risk if the lien goes unresolved for an extended period, particularly for larger amounts owed to general contractors.
Selling before a mechanic's lien foreclosure action is filed gives you far more control over the outcome. Once litigation begins, legal costs accumulate on both sides and the timeline becomes unpredictable. A cash sale can close quickly enough to resolve the lien before it reaches that stage.
Mechanic's Liens Don't Have to Block Your Sale
Bartolini Cash Buyers works through contractor and mechanic's lien situations across Indiana. We can review your lien and make a cash offer within 24 hours. Call (317) 495-3440 or fill out the form below — no obligation, no pressure.
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