A Land Survey: The Essentials….
WHY DO I NEED A LAND SURVEY?
- To protect the investment you are about to make when buying land
- If you are buying or selling a piece of real property, most lending institutions will require a current survey for the purpose of revealing potential problems with boundary lines, easements, and encroachments
- If you are getting ready to build a fence or other improvement near a property line
- If a property line or property corner is unknown or in dispute, or if you believe someone is encroaching on your land
- If you plan on dividing your land up to sell or if a will orders land divided up
WHAT IS A LAND SURVEY?
A land survey is performed by a registered professional land surveyor for the purpose of describing, monumenting and mapping the boundaries and improvements of a parcel of land. A land survey will locate upon the ground the land that your deed describes.
HOW MUCH WILL A LAND SURVEY COST?
An estimate of cost can normally be furnished to you by the land surveyor. Land surveying cost is dependent upon several factors such as the type of survey required, the type of terrain, and the availability of existing records and monuments. In addition to salary costs, surveying fees include an allowance for business overhead, such as taxes, office rent, and other items of cost essential for a surveying service. For more information on the cost of land surveying, see A Land Survey- What am I paying for?
Shopping for the lowest priced survey does not necessarily assure the best interests of the land owner. It is possible that the lowest priced survey is the least reliable survey. A good survey that meets your need and legal requirements may cost more but will be less expensive in the long run. The competency and experience of several land surveyors should be judged before one is selected to perform the survey.
Some things that a landowner can do to lower the cost of his or her survey: furnish the surveyor with copies of the current deed for the property, furnish the surveyor with copies of the neighboring deeds and/or plats, and clear the brush off of the property lines. Paying someone $10 an hour to clear the brush or doing it yourself is cheaper than paying professional survey crew fees to do the same.
WHAT WILL THE SURVEYOR PROVIDE TO ME?
- A written agreement or contract which states what will be surveyed, the type of survey, and when it will be delivered; the agreed upon fee, who will pay for the survey and when payment will be rendered
- A map of the property surveyed that is signed, sealed and certified by the surveyor, showing what was surveyed, and, depending on the type of survey, such things as what corners were found or set, improvements, and encroachments across the boundaries
- For boundary surveys, permanent monuments, such as iron rebars or iron pipes, at the property corners
- A survey description of the land that can be used in a deed
- Professional consultation answering any questions you might have about your survey
WHAT INFORMATION DOES THE SURVEYOR NEED FROM ME?
-The legal description of the property (metes and bounds description; lot, block and subdivision name; or deed recording information)
- The exact purpose of the survey, so the surveyor can determine what type of survey you need
- A copy of title commitment or report
- A copy of plats or plans showing boundaries
- All available information regarding disputes over corners or boundaries
- All information you may have about the location of your lines or corners
TIPS FOR THE RESPONSIBLE LANDOWNER
- Don't mistake preliminary traverse lines for property lines
- Don't move or relocate survey markers
- Contact the surveyor well before the survey is needed
- Don't seek the cheapest surveyor; select one who will do a satisfactory job for you. A well prepared land survey will likely be the least expensive part of your real estate investment cost, and a boundary dispute or flawed legal description can quickly become the most expensive
- If you have a complaint about your surveyor, contact the Texas Board of Professional Land Surveying at 7701 North Lamar, Suite 400, Austin, Texas, 78752 ∙
See www.linkfs.com or call 800.462.7199 for more information. Have a nice day!