Having land properly and legally surveyed is an important part of owning property or selling it in the future. Without legal boundaries being marked, it is impossible to know where to place fencing and structures on your property in a manner that is legal within your county and state. Surveys will be the ultimate say so in land disputes with neighbor, which does happen quite often in rural areas where properties have not been properly surveyed.
For someone purchasing property, a survey is extremely important to know that an encroachment hasn’t already occurred. A neighbor could have already placed a fence on the property that you are about to purchase. This needs to be solved immediately before purchase should be finalized. It can be very difficult to resolve these things the longer they go on.
If you are purchasing property that is large, with the intention of subdividing it into smaller lots that you can resell, surveys are legally necessary. A local surveyor will know the local laws regarding minimum lot size and rules for creating subdivisions for your county. This will save you from very costly mistakes later on and lead to potential legal problems down the road as well.
Surveyors can also pave the way with board meeting appearances and coming to your aid at special zoning meetings. Since they know more about the local laws, this can be a huge benefit. Once a legal survey is done, it is entered into record with the county and state in which the property exists. The corners of the property are clearly marked. Typically stakes are placed at each corner and gps coordinates are entered in county record.
The cost of a survey will also vary and you may ask for a quote. If you are willing to do some of the footwork by obtaining county maps and records, it is possible that you can reduce the potential costs incurred. Otherwise, the surveyor will have to pull these records in order to be able to do a survey from records of a marked corner of another property close to yours that has already been surveyed.
While a survey is an additional cost of purchasing any property that has not already had a legal survey done, it is vital. It is worth your time and money to make sure this is done before you purchase. The money spent could save much money and headache in the future.