The creditor can obtain a certificate of judgment from the court and file it with the land records office in the county where the property is located. A judgment lien is a courtsanctioned claim imposed on a debtor's property when they lose a case and owe money to the plaintiff.Your course of action should be to hire a lawyer where the judgment was issued and have them file a Motion to Set Aside Judgment. First, you have to weigh the amount of your judgment against the costs you will incur to place a judgment lien on the property. A judgment lien affects real estate you own in the county where the creditor records the lien, or where the court enters the judgment. If you need help enforcing a court judgment in California to recover money owed to you, call John F. Bradley, Jr. Attorney at Law for a simple consultation. You may view the document or use the document type indication to determine which documents are liens and releases of liens. This means the creditor, or the person owed money, can place a judgment lien on the debtor's real estate or personal property. Not all of a debtor's property is subject to levy under a writ of execution or garnishment. I bought a house in San Jose, CA during the internet boom of 2000.