Correct me if I'm wrong - you meant AJ search in real property records not a search of the courts?  I perform lien searches from full lien just to judgment searches.  Normally you can tell the purpose - most lien searches will come in on a commercial name, although some are for individuals.  It is the companies themselves that routinely checking to make sure nothing is popping up under their business name (lots of fraud out there remember) or the banking institutions making sure they are clear of judgments - sometimes just to give a credit line.  Most searches actually come back clear.  If you start doing these and get a lot of hits time after time your assumption of the matter may be correct - but just see if this is a service you have not performed before and someone has now asked that you would.  I would rather have the liability of this search along with the fee I receive any day.  Much less liability - like a part of a title search and depending on how many types of liens they want checked can bring you as much dollars as a title search.