Major Benefits
Finally, you own a property. Congratulations! That’s a massive life milestone. According to investment experts, owning a property is one of the best routes to securing your financial future and building wealth. However, it’s important to determine the true value of your property through carrying out an effective land survey. See below for some of the top benefits of hiring a professional property surveyor.
Establish Boundary Lines
Hiring a land surveyor helps you establish boundary or property lines. For example, if you’re planning on building a fence, you need to know the legal boundaries of your property. Same goes for a driveway; you cannot construct a driveway without knowing your property lines. Hire a professional land surveyor to give you accurate boundary occupancy.
Secure Boundary Line Certification
Gores, overlaps, gaps, etc. are important aspects of a boundary line certification. The certification confirms that the boundary lines are devoid of any major discrepancies. Certification is important if your property borders any alleys, road reserves, and highways. A certified surveying report is used to issue a boundary line certification.
Comply With Rights-Of-Way Conditions
A property survey will spell out law-imposed conditions on your property. Usually, these conditions must be documented and reflected in your title. For instance, if your land blocks your neighbor from accessing a street, the title will reflect the old agreement. In this case, your neighbor will use your yard to access the street. A land survey will help you discover this information.
Establish Natural Boundaries
A land survey will show you the boundaries of wetlands, streams, creeks, and rivers. It will also highlight any joint driveways, encroachments, and other projects. Having this information allows you to plan the future use of your property without any issues. Remember, acquiring a property is a long-term investment, and so getting all the steps right is very important. No one wants to erect your dream house in a wetland only for it to be demolished in the future. Plus, it will minimize costly future land maintenance and legal battles. In fact, a land survey can be used as evidence in court.
Comply With Residential Laws
After inspecting your property, the surveyor will let you know whether your buildings are compliant with common residential laws. The restrictions often regard the building’s height, bulk, frontage, parking, and setbacks. He or she will check if your latest improvements violate those residential laws.
Identify Underground Utilities
In case there are any drains or underground cables within your property, the surveyor will let you know. They know what to do to access to such information from utility companies and municipalities.
Being aware of underground utilities can help you make the right decisions when determining the location of your building or any other developments.
Locate Cemeteries
Carrying out a survey will help you determine if there are any old cemeteries within your backyard. In some cases, there could be an old family cemetery on your plot. So, be sure to conduct a survey before construction begins.
Establish Physical Access
Your surveyor will inform you if there’s physical access to an open street. Plus, the survey will specify if your property can be accessed by fire trucks and emergency vehicles.
Get Zoning Classification Insights
The survey will provide you with a deeper insight into your zoning classification and jurisdiction. After conducting the survey, you might want to consider consulting an attorney to find out if your property conforms with common zoning ordinances. The lawyer might also provide suggestions about the survey’s legal ramifications.
Finding the Right Surveyor
At this point, it should be obvious that you should utilize a land surveyor in order to give you more information on your property and minimize legal issues. All of this should give you peace of mind as a landowner. When it comes to finding the right land surveyor, use the following tips and tricks.
Recommendations
While looking for a land surveyor who’s licensed should be a given, not all land surveyors do the same quality of work. That’s why you need recommendations. Inquire with local professionals like civil engineers or property managers in order to find a surveyor with a history of offering reliable services.
Customer Reviews
In addition to getting referrals from trusted professionals, make sure to conduct other extensive research. For example, read reviews from past customers. A reliable surveyor will attract positive reviews, so try to avoid surveyors with excessive complaints and negative reviews. If you have any reservations about a surveyor based on their reviews, ask the surveyor for their side of the story.
Discuss Cost
At the end of the day, hiring a land surveyor costs money, so make sure you pay close attention to the fees. Choose a cost-effective surveyor with transparent pricing, but also be sure to avoid lower-priced surveyors known for shoddy work. You get what you pay for, after all.
The cost of a land survey will depend on factors such as the size of land, location, vegetation, and type of survey. All of these characteristics of your land will be factored in to the cost before signing the contract.
Technology
Land surveying is a complex field, and therefore requires a wide array of expertise. That’s why you need to bring in a skilled land surveyor. When considering a surveyor, make sure they are well-versed in the latest land surveying technologies, as higher quality electronic surveying equipment can help ensure more accurate, verifiable results.
Project Experience
Chose a land surveyor who has worked on projects similar to yours. If your project is right in a surveyor’s wheelhouse, this will give you confidence that their anticipated project timelines and cost estimates will be accurate. Information such as land size, location, as well, as the type of survey is used to estimate project timelines and costs.
The Bottom-Line
It’s not all about the cost. Successful surveying also entails experience, reputation, reliability, and accuracy. is technical and requires expertise. For optimal results, it’s important to find a surveyor with the required technical expertise and a verifiable track record.
With a quality land survey in hand, you’ll gain important knowledge about the many aspects of your land, which will boost your confidence when you move to planning for any major developments down the line.
