In the state of Florida, I was always told unless specifically shown a legal in a judgement for a property, personal judgements like credit card, car loans, gym membership judgements cannot encumber real estate.  

There hadn't been any heavy rain for quite awhile and there wasn't a bathroom above the kitchen cabinets, hence my confusion.

I know I can proceed legally towards judgements, the cost of which gets me to just over break even and i still wouldn't have any cash for my efforts.Does anyone have experience with other approaches such as collection companies or selling accounts receivablesThank for any help that you can provide

Most seem to appreciate that we care about our properties and actually work on them ourselves-- but still have good judgement about when to call in a pro.However, you really do have to be able say "No" and "Yes, I'll work the numbers and let you know how much it will cost." 

Check the records to determine if there are any liens or judgements against the property.

There are a few variables to address, but use your best judgement and make sure you have a real estate attorney do all of the paperwork for the sub 2 close and installing the lease option buyer.

I would be judgement proof.

Fairly often, the South Shore and South Coast get rain or a rain/snow mix while the Worcester hills get clobbered due to having about 1,000 feet in elevation.Good luck!

It was raining and the stairs were damp.  

That can mean original plumbing that needs replacing, rubble foundations that are leaking water every time it rains, bad windows, 40 year old furnace, etc.