Questions about burdensome a coimplicated lien on two rental properties

[Chad Clinton]

BACKGROUND

I'm an inactive investor following a big deal gone bad that hurt me in a significant way financially. I used two of my rental properties as collateral assignment for a big a big project with a hard money lender that went bad.

The large project was foreclosed on and taken back by the hard money lender. Because they were a secondary lien holder over my two rental properties, the hard money lenders couldn't legally take my properties, but they could stop any sales or take all the profit after the initial loan was paid off. So, I've been waiting for the first position lender to foreclose on my rental properties, but neither property has yet been foreclosed on.

ACTUAL QUESTION

I did a recent check and found that the hard money lender doesn't appear to be in business anymore. With that said:

-DOES THIS MEAN THAT THOSE LIENS ON MY INDIVIDUAL RENTAL PROPERTIES ARE NO LONGER VALIDING, WHICH WOULD ALLOW ME TO SELL OR DO SOMETHING WITH THE PROPERTIES?

-WHAT ARE SOME TOOLS/RESOURCES I COULD USE TO FIND OUT THIS INFORMATION MYSELF?