Great news – you bought your home with a first and second mortgage, and you’ve paid off the second mortgage. The second lien lender has sent you a release of lien and you know need to record it. How do you do that?
First figure out what county the real property is in, and then take it to the relevant County Clerk’s office to be recorded. I’m going to tell you how to do that for Travis County.
Why do I need to record the release of lien? When you come to convey or borrow against a piece of real property, an attorney or title plant performs a title search. Part of this is to check what liens are on the property, and to establish a route to providing clear title (ownership). If you haven’t recorded the release of lien, then guess what – the lien shows up as active on the home, and your process is derailed.
How do I record a release of lien for property in Travis County? Go to the County Clerk’s office – 5501 Airport Boulevard. You’ll enter the main door and turn left with all the people applying for business names and marriage licenses. You have to take the original release of lien paperwork with you, and funds to pay for recording. The costs is $16 for the first sheet, and $4 for each additional sheet. Present yourself to the clerk and away you go.
Do I really have to turn up in person, can I do it online? You can mail the release of lien for Travis County addresses along with a check / money order to “Travis County Clerk” to:
Travis County Clerk
PO Box 149325
Austin Texas 78714
They’ll hold onto the original for a few weeks during the recording process and then send back the original to the return address that you specify.
There are electronic recording services such as those listed on the website – I’ve never used them. Please comment below if you have.
So that’s how, why and where to record your release of lien in Travis County!
An Austin Realtor is a real estate agent for Sherlock Homes Austin – 512 215 4785
2 Comments
An Austin Realtor · December 9, 2010 at 3:12 pm
This tip in from a client of mine who just did this:
One more thing: Had a photocopy of the Lien release with me which came in handy as they affixed a "filed and recorded" sticker on the copy as well as a "Original filed for recording" rubber stamp. So on your blog, instruct the readers to take a photocopy of the lien release document along with the original when they go to the county clerk’s office.
D · February 3, 2017 at 1:58 pm
Thank You that was the most helpful information I’ve yet come across on the internet, I appreciate your expertise Sherlock!