Like everything else in this industry, dealing with things like this happen in waves. You won't see them for years, and then almost every search you touch will have at least one in the chain. They were very prevalent in the Hampton Roads/Tidewater area back in the 80s when there was a big development boom there. General contractors were slow to pay the sub-contractors, which caused a couple of them to file a ML within days of finishing the work in order to get paid quicker. Filing the initial lien is quick and inexpensive and the filer doesn't realize (or care) about the title problems it can cause. He or she only cares about getting paid promptly for the completed work. Lacking a ready copy of Dewing, I would suggest finding a friendly real estate attorney who is willing to teach you the ins and outs of Mechanics and Materialmens Liens. Either that or contact one of the your local title agencies and inquire about their holding a seminar on the topic since they seem to be becoming more common in your area. Of course, now that the Code of Virginia is available free on line, you could go to the site and read about all of the requirements involved for yourself, too.
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