Reasons Individuals Should Consider Obtaining a Survey

Before Purchasing

Before purchasing new property, individuals should be sure that the property has a current survey. Many landowners mistakenly describe parcels as surveyed, if the boundary location has pins. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for individuals, who are not Professional Surveyors, to place a pipe or a pin in the ground, and claim those to indicate the boundary location. Months or perhaps even years later, unnecessary problems that could have been avoided, may arise. Some examples of these include: building a fence, shed, or driveway on someone else's property. Having a registered professional survey of your property is the only way to assure you of where your boundary lines lie, and that what you are buying is located within the parameters of your legal description.

Legal Access to Your Property

This is an important aspect for potential property owners to consider before a real estate transaction takes place. Often times, roads cross adjoining parcels and may or may not have legal easement in order to do so. When written properly, easements identify centerline location, width, grantor, grantee, transfer rights, and uses. When interpreting the marketability of the title, it is vital to have an attorney and/or title company examine this closely. Surveys can show the location of an easement; however a land title attorney can provide all of the particulars about each easement.

Prior to Construction

Having a survey helps insure that the new improvements being built are within your property boundaries and also within city land ordinance setback limits. Considering the high cost of building materials, installation of water wells, and/or septic systems, should be reason enough to eliminate any contemplation one would have about not having a survey performed.

Prior to Selling

Providing a potential buyer with a current survey will improve the likelihood of a smooth and timely real estate transaction. Because many lending agencies often require a current survey, having a current survey is useful to avoid potential delay during the selling and closing process. In addition, having a current survey, in which all of the boundary lines are clearly marked, is an asset in assisting real estate agents with the presentation of property. (Although lending institutions may vary, as stated previously, most consider current to mean within the last six months)

As per Mississippi State Board of Engineers and Land Surveyors, only a Licensed Land Surveyor can establish boundary lines. When misleading information is given by well meaning family, realtors, or neighbors who indicate that a wood line, fence post, or utility pole is a lot corner, potential problems can arise; however, having a current survey, is one way to prevent such occurrences. One example of this would be in the case of adjoining property owners. For instance, if one owner erects a fence on what they believe to be their property, only to find out after completing a boundary survey, that the new fence line was indeed on the adjoining neighbor's property. The fence then has to be taken down and moved to the correct location. The cost of time, labor, and materials was far more costly that having a survey done initially.

How is a Survey Performed?

Client Consultation

The first step would be initial contact with the client to determine where the property is located, including the physical street address and tax identification number of the property. It is also vey helpful if the client is able to provide a copy of the deed of the property to be surveyed. Finally, the type of service to be performed must be determined. With the amount of data readily available to surveyors on Google Earth and county or city websites, it is not always necessary to make a site visit to come up with a plan of action to best achieve the client’s goals. Once a plan of action has been agreed upon and a contract has been executed, we proceed with the next step in order to accomplish the final product.

Research Existing Records

The surveyor will start the process of gathering all the data they will need to help them with the rest of the survey process. This will include looking through existing files to determine if the surveyor has been in this area previously, or if he has copies of any other survey performed in this area. This information would include but is not limited to deeds, maps, legal descriptions, easements, highway plans, benchmark information, government corners and control points. A trip to the county courthouse would be the next step. There, a copy of the current deed and subsequent deeds for the subject parcel and the adjoining parcels will be obtained. Often, as we begin with the above information, the first pieces of the puzzle in determining the location of the boundary limits start to form. Once the deeds have been obtained, a sketch is then prepared, giving the information contained in each deed, so it can be readily available for field crews.

Field Work

When our crew goes in the field, all available evidence (monuments, fences, roadways) that pertain to the subject property are recovered. The survey crew chief then locates all items recovered with a total station or GPS to give each point coordinates, so each point will have a direct relationship between all the pieces of the puzzle. Often times, depending on the scope of work, all permanent structures and various other improvements on the parcel are also located. If any encroachments onto the parcel or an adjacent parcel exist, this will be located. Once everything in the field has been located, the process of analyzing the boundary can begin.

Computations

Boundary computations can be done in a variety of ways. A smaller, simpler boundary, many times can be solved, while in the field with the help of the surveyor’s data collector. More complex boundary solutions are often solved in the office on the computer using drafting software that can show the whole picture in much clearer detail. Once the surveyor determines the final boundary solution, the lot is ready to be monumented.

Monumentation

Monumenting the parcel boundary can be accomplished in many different ways. Sometimes, there will be acceptable monuments already in place that will be held as the corner of reference to the actual corner if within tolerance. Other times, some or all of the monuments are lost, and the surveyor will place new monuments at all of the corners of the parcel boundary. A map will be provided to the client showing all monuments set and/or found and their relationship to the boundary.

Survey Completion

Once the field survey has been completed, a survey plat will be provided to the client. This map will be a visual representation of the parcel, and will include any other pertinent information that needs to be shown. The bearings and distances to each monument located and the acreage of the subject parcel are some of the items that will be included. At this time, the client will be contacted to let them know the process is complete. Arrangements will be made for the client to pick up the survey, and at that time, any questions about the survey will be discussed.