When you win a property at a foreclosure or tax deed auction and discover a lien you never expected, you are not necessarily stuck, and you may not have to pay the full amount. In this episode, Tony Stern talks with David Abalar Jr. of EquityFixers.com, who specializes in removing, reducing, and negotiating payoffs on the encumbrances that ambush investors after the sale. David explains how even a careful investor ends up with an unwanted mortgage, which liens most often survive a foreclosure or tax deed, how HUD payoffs and the 95% appraisal option work, how to audit a padded payoff statement now that servicers are required to itemize their fees, and what makes a lien vulnerable to a reduced or even eliminated payoff. He shares a real case where a client went from a six-figure loss to a million-dollar sale, gives the three things every investor should check before bidding, and reminds everyone that due diligence is everything, but when something slips through, there is often still a fix.