I once knew of a similar problem. The "lien" was contained in the divorce degree, basically an order to pay on sale but not a lien on the property in the ordinary sense. It was never recorded in the Registry of Deeds. Massachusetts law requires that the divorce decree be filed in the Registry of Deeds. That is a provision of law I had never heard of. Competent title examiners tell me that they check the divorce records. If the situation is what I described, the buyer is in the clear (at least here). Simply stated, to be a "lien", it has to be recorded where a buyer would expect to find it; recorded with the deeds.