DTJ writes:

Just make sure you have something to show a title company when you
sell your house. If not, you will have major headaches if he places a
lien and is not able to be found when you sell.

I think you confuse "contractor liens" with "judgment liens" from losing a
lawsuit.

Contractor liens are not judgment liens. In most juridictions contractor
liens expire after a year or so. It is just a way for a contractor to
encumber your property for the time it takes to negotiate and sue, not
forever. And it is nothing more than the contractor's unproven claim; he
still has to sue you to get paid. If he wins the suit, then he can use the
lien to collect. If you win, or if he just ignores it, then you
automatically go back to being unliened.