I currently have a lien against his house. (note that the contract was with an individual, not a company...his mistake.) It may be several years before I can collect, but he won't be able to sell his house until I get paid. I did all this without an attorney, which is the reason I went to small claims court.
Those kinds of people never move. Their house rots down around them, HUD takes its over and tells you to stand in line. It would be nice if we could use liens to pay our bills :-)
Imagination is more important than knowledge