Can a real estate appraiser put a lien on a house?
The appraiser does not work for you. He is a contractor of the mortgage company (in most cases this is by law). You do not owe him any money and he cannot lien your property. You may, however have entered into an agreement with the mortgage company that requires you to pay certain costs including the cost of an appraisal. You need to review all of the papers you signed with the first mortgage company. Even if you are obligated to pay the $400, the mortgage company probably cannot place a lien directly on the property. They (and the appraiser) are not entitled to a mechanics lien as they performed no physical work on or effecting the property. In addition, the appraisal was performed BEFORE you owned the property and even if they were mechanics by definition, they cannot place a statutory lien on any property acquired after the date of service. The mortgage company might be able to take you to court (assuming you have an obligation to pay costs) and if they won the lawsuit they are enti
