Finding property lines

[Paddy]

I'll bet the pins are there. they often drive them in the ground a few inches to your lawn clear.

Land records will not do much good if you can't find the pins. If some one down the street has a fence on their line, then you can use their street side measuremnts to get back to your corner. But even then you will only know approx where to dig. I wounder if a rental store has metal detectors? It will be the fastest way to look. Otherwise prepare to dig a 5' circle.

 

[EddieWalker]

You can buy a fair metal detector at Walmart for a hundred bucks that will find the pins if they are there. You can also spend hours wondering your land finding all sorts of junk with it too!!!

Look for old surveyors tape. It's usally tied to the pins, but half buried and faded over time. It something you can walk right past a hundred times without seeing, but when you look for it, you'll see it. Or that's been my experience. hahaha

Good luck,
Eddie

 

[zeuspaul]

If it's a sub division there is probably a recorded map. You may be Lot *x* of map XYZ. How big is your lot and how big was the land it came from? Are there a bunch of lots very similar in size? Is it like a city block with a bunch of homes with 75? feet of road frontage? Sidewalks? Or is it a large odd shaped parcel divided into a few larger pieces of land? How far away are the street intersections?

Zeuspaul

 

[Paddy]

Eddie,

your right there, junk all over near roads. What I hate the most is pull tabs. It sets off the bugger like you found a silver doller. My metal detector has the ability over look steel to some point. I like to take a 8 p nail and my ring and put them on the ground 2' apart. I adjust untill it won't pic up the nail. He could also make adjustments in a 'clean area' by pounding in a pc rebar.

 

[bones1]

Ok. Got a recorded plat drawing and I can't decipher it.
N84 19' E 112.09' This is where the property meets the street in the front.It also has R=275.00' L=33.41????also 25'brl
It states "unless otherwise shown hereon, lot corners have not been set with this survey.This plat is not to be relied upon for establishment or location of fences,garages or other existing structures.
How can I determine what the "OTHERWISE SHOWN" is.There are little circles located at each corner where the lines intersect could these be the "otherwise shown "markers? Sorry plat didn't come with instructions.

 

[zeuspaul]

Each property line should have a number in a similar format to N84 19E 112.09. The NxxE is the direction of the line (represents an angle) and the 112.09 is feet along the line. Other lines may have a NxxW or SxxE or... N89 19E means 84 degrees and 19 minutes clockwise of north which is almost east. You have to determine where the 112.09 starts and ends...probably the circles. Are there circles at the limits of your property? Sometimes there is a legend indicating what the symbols mean.

Is the 112.09 the width of your property along the street?

R is the radius of a curve. L is the curve length. You'll have to give me more hints for 25' brl??? Does the road curve in front of your house?

You may have a tax map. *real* maps would probably not have the disclaimer *This plat is not to be relied upon for establishment or location of fences,garages or other existing structures.*

 

[bones1]

Yes that is the front width and it is on slight curve .After looking at this plat I'm moving, it's too little now!

 

[goodoleboy]

IF you decide to go with a surveyor call around to all of them prices vary by 200% in some cases for a LPS. So it pays to spend an hour on the telephone.

 

[John47]

I don't know about where you fellers live, but around here in the Ozarks, land hasn't been surveyed in over 150 years. If a landowner brought in a survey team, his neighbors would have a heart attack.
Last year, the USGS surveyed the Arkansas / Missouri state line for the first time in well over 150 years, there was some very worried landowners around!!!

Down here when you look at acreage, it's "that big oak tree is the north boundery, theres a fence post on the south west boundery" etc etc.. Thats why Real Estate Agents advertise 40 ac "more or less".. or ML.

 

[EddieWalker]

Interesting point.

Here in East Texas, there is a group of investors that have had some land surveyed and found that there are some huge discrepancies. It seems that the mineral rights might not be accurate and the land people thing they own and have payed taxes on for decades, might not actualy be theirs. There is about 4,000 acres in question that the courts are trying to decide what to do with. It's a mess.

Back in California, I have a friend who owned land that bordered some Park land. It was a never ending battle with them and their desire for his land and his pleasure at fighting with them.

There is a developer that for some reason, they really like. He has the Park land surveyed and discovers pieces of land that nobody owns. He then goes through the process of aquiring this land and developing it with multi million dollar spec homes. To give you an idea of how connected he is, he's building these homes on land that the voters passed a proposition to create open space on. No development on it of any kind. Somehow, he has permits to build these homes that pre-date the passing of that bill. What's really amazing is his permits also pre-date his surveys and aquisition of the land!!!

One of many reasons the original Spanish Land Grants in California were disolved, or taken away from them was the lack of an original survey and/or the boundries no longer exist. Rocks, trees and even creeks move and when ownership of these lands were challenged, the courts used the lack of these boundries to justify there desisions.

Eddie