PROPERTY LINE

HOW DO I FIND OUT WHERE THE PROPERTY LINE BEGINS AND ENDS.

You can also go to your county courthouse to the land records office. There you will ask for a plat drawing of your lot. It will include all of the lots in your development with the exact dimensions of your property lines. It will also include any "set-backs" which are the lines you have to stay inside of. Usually you can't build a fence or shed, etc. within 25 ft. of the street, but the set-backs are right on the line between homes. That's what I discovered when I started building a fence anyway.

DENNIS!

THANK YOU SO MUCH. YOU HAVE BEEN VERY HELPFUL.

Hire a surveyor ... about $170 ... best money you'll ever spend

In general this is true. However, if the past survey actually did the survey by GPS this would not be the case. It should be noted that a GPS method of survey is not the norm (yet) and must be requested.

Sylvia,

I would recommend paying for a survey and spring the extra $100 or so for them to use a GPS method and plot it on the Counties GPS map.

Tim

Donna I am a former surveyor and title searcher. She should have a survey sketch for her property showing her house setting on her lot. She should have it in her property closing documents. Her mortgage company should also have a copy of the survey. We used to call it an final or as built survey. The survey should give ties (measurements) at right angles to the each side of her property. With a little effort she can remeasure these dimensions and place temporary stakes or poles along these lines. By lining up these stakes you can find the approximate location of each corner in her lot. Search around at the intersection of these lines and you may find your corners. A magnetic compass placed on the ground may also give you a clue to finding your corners. Since all surveyors use iron rods or iron pipes set at the corners the magnetic compass will point (move a little towards the corner). Most of your modern surveys also have a cap with the surveyors registration number or company number stamped on it. If her property is not to old she should be able to find her corners with a little effort and save her the cost of a survey. Of course if cost is not a problem she could get a surveyor to come out and mark out her corners with stakes and flags. Hope this helps. JerrellC

Tim, If the markers are not present, why is a GPS survey any different?

JERRELL!

THANKS FOR YOUR ADVICE. YOU HAVE PROVIDED ME WITH A FEW OPTIONS THAT I CAN START WITH.

SYLVIA

DonnaS You're right many problems can uccur and possible liabilities if you were to buy some property without a survey. I have seen an individual buy property and build on it without a complete survey showing all easements of record. Later on he found out his house was sitting in a powerline easement. He was almost complete in the construction. He had to move his brand new beautiful two story home approximately 100 feet to clear a 110 feet wide transmission easement. I was told it cost $20000 to move it. this was in 1992 when this happened. Guess who was at fault for this oversight a case when everything went wrong from the start. The Surveyor for not showing the easement on his survey, or the power company for not having a map filed in the public records and for giving him his electric service, or the architect for for not knowing about it from title records or the surveyor's sketch of survey for not showing the easement,or the county for permitting it, or the title company for not noting the easement in his title work, or the individual himself? The end result it was the title company who was responsible for noting the recorded the powerline easement in his policy of insurance. This easement was recorded in the public records on a 8 1/2x 11 sheet almost 4 years previously befor he started construction. There is no requirement by law for a power company to record a map in the county records as the State Department of Transportation does in Florida. The power company was a little late in having a map produced at that time but was not liable for this. The surveyor indicated all easements as noted on the recorded plat but was not given any title info to check on recorded easements. He would be liable if he were given title data with all recorded easements noted. The architect was also not given any info of the recorded easement. He was not liable. The county tax appraiser, building dept, or engineering dept did not know of the easement. Only the clerk of public records had any record of the easement (the recorded easement document). Since this was a transmission line the power company's local office also did not have a finished map or drawing showing the location of the power line. You might think that the power company should have known about the location of the future transmission line but the transmission design dept and the distribution departments are like two different companies. Anyway to make long story short the power company gave the property owner a short term loan to move his house. The property owner had to file a claim with the title company to get his money back with all the added delays and headaches involved with that. I hope this story makes everyone more aware of a complete survey showing all easements or encroachments that may affect, or what you are planning on your property. Let the buyer beware. JerrellC Formerly a florida surveyor.

Tim,

That's kind of misleading.

Consumer grade GPS Navigation-type receivers are comparatively low-cost, code-correlating instruments that only measure pseudo-range, whereas GPS Surveying receivers are expensive, phase measuring instruments that operate on the L-band carrier wave, and include many special features and complex software in order to support their function.

The do-it-yourselfer is better off with a conventional survey and a tape measure.

Dennis,

There is no need to get snarkey with me. As a multiple property owner, I am fully aware about surveys and what they are, where they come from and how important accuracy is in purchasing any property. Looking at the legal discription of any property is done with, amoung other information, longituted and latitudes. I know that I cannot measure my lots from those numbers. Jerrell has posted why one needs surveys amoung other reasons.

" Mortgage Institutions generally require a property survey before they will loan money for a mortgage, and many title insurers require this as well. Even if a survey has been done in the past, lenders typically require a recent survey, generally done within six months of the closing date. Local laws and ordinances may also require a survey any time residential property changes ownership. An up-to-date property survey will reflect any recent changes to the property, such as the addition of a fence or driveway. The report gives everyone involved in a land transfer a clear picture of exactly what is being purchased.

Renovation is another common reason for obtaining a residential property survey. You will want to know where the boundaries of your property lie, before you install a swimming pool, driveway, or shed. If you unknowingly encroach on a neighbor's property, you may bear the cost of tearing down and relocating your recent renovation project. Many cities also require a certain portion of residential property, usually around the edges, to be kept clear of obstructions such as landscaping or outbuildings. This area is called an easement, and it allows the city access to repair and maintain public utility lines, such as telephone and electric lines, or water, sewer, and natural gas pipelines.

Disputes between neighbors over property boundaries are fairly common, and sometimes end up being decided in court. In these cases, a recent, detailed property survey is almost always required. Sometimes the recent surveys will be compared with older surveys on file with the city or county where the property is located. While a property survey itself may be enough to settle a dispute between relatively friendly neighbors, sometimes these disputes must be decided by a judge.

In general, there are two types of residential property surveys. The first is a simple survey, called a "house location" survey, which is also sometimes called a "drive-by" survey. This is the most basic type of survey, which shows the location of the house and other large structures on the property, and the orientation of the structures in relation to each other. The house location survey is the most inexpensive type of survey available, and may be sufficient for mortgage lenders or undisputed land transfers.

Detailed surveys, sometimes called cadastral land surveys, are commonly used to re-establish boundaries when they are in dispute. This type of survey involves precise measuring and marking of your property, using prior markers if they can be found. Old land records may be examined to determine the location of original boundaries. These were usually marked with metal spikes or stakes in the ground, and may be difficult to locate after years of weather. This survey is more expensive and must be done by a professional surveyor licensed in the state where the property is located."

from Professional Surveyers of America

Robert!

Thanks for bringing that remark to my attention. It was not meant to be obnoxious in any way.

Sylvia,

You are welcome. You asked a very legitimate question and as you have read, we all have different responses but the bottom line is that everyone wants to help you to be protected from a problem down the line. Good luck in your process of seeking the correct answer. Donna

This is a very old thread. It's best to start a new topic. It will get you a better up to date response.