Property Lines

[TheMan419]

So I thought I would actually report good news. So often we hear of property line wars with neighbors.

Well my west property line there is no demarcation to figure out where my property ends and neighbor's begins. There are a few no trespassing signs that predate both my ownership and my neighbors. Based upon those, utilities and the like we can approximate the line.

Well we are both mowing and there is a 5 foot wide section of weeds that has grown about waist high. So I talked to the neighbor about it. Seems we were both being respectful of the undefined property line, assuming the no trespass signs were a couple feet on the other guys land.

So we just decided to get the tractors out and mow the weeds down. Turns out one portion has a slope that requires some work to mow. As a result to mow it one of us will by necessity have to drive on the other's property. So we just decided whoever was out mowing when that area needed mowed will just do it. Drive on the other's property and get the job done.

Always good to just try to talk it out first!

 

[rekees4300]

Always good to just try to talk it out first!

Sage advice :thumbsup: Lawyers are the last resort.

 

[John Fitzgerald]

Usually when property sells there is a survey.

 

[Billy Bee]

That is the way it should be, neighbors working together. I know "good fences make good neighbors" but I think "good neighbors make good neighbors"
Bill

 

[Thomas]

:thumbsup:

 

[NoTrespassing]

Usually when property sells there is a survey.

Not in our case. The land hadn't been surveyed in decades through several owners. Just recently a piece of property sold that shares a corner with our property. The property that sold is 40 acres and ours is 10 acres. The new owner had his land surveyed and I was very pleased that the decades old fence post was exactly on the corner of our property as we had always hoped. The old fence had long since rotted away with only a few posts and barbed wire visible here and there. Now we have a very good idea of where our other lines are and it didn't cost me anything!

Kevin

 

[TheMan419]

Usually when property sells there is a survey.

Not here. There is a monument, but it is for the county right of way not the corner of the property. There was a survey done as they took literally like 20 sq ft of my property for the end of a bridge. They took a good chunk off my neighbor's property for the bridge as well. So I know where one corner of my property is where it meets the road. However, we do not know where the corner is in the back.

Thankfully the current neighbor and I get along so no worries. I did the bulk of the mowing this time because I had my bush hog attached and he had the MMM attached. Now that it is down the MMM will have no problem with it. We both basically just said when we are out mowing we will hit it. So I think this area will become the most mowed area in history.

 

[teejk]

So I thought I would actually report good news. So often we hear of property line wars with neighbors.

Well my west property line there is no demarcation to figure out where my property ends and neighbor's begins. There are a few no trespassing signs that predate both my ownership and my neighbors. Based upon those, utilities and the like we can approximate the line.

Well we are both mowing and there is a 5 foot wide section of weeds that has grown about waist high. So I talked to the neighbor about it. Seems we were both being respectful of the undefined property line, assuming the no trespass signs were a couple feet on the other guys land.

So we just decided to get the tractors out and mow the weeds down. Turns out one portion has a slope that requires some work to mow. As a result to mow it one of us will by necessity have to drive on the other's property. So we just decided whoever was out mowing when that area needed mowed will just do it. Drive on the other's property and get the job done.

Always good to just try to talk it out first!

In my experience that informal "understanding" will work until an urbanite buys one or the other parcel at which time there will be lawyers paid $$$ over a few feet that will never be less than the value of the land in question. There are undoubtedly some markers somewhere but they can be tough to find and it doesn't sound like that strip is good for much anyway. Sounds like a good spot to meet the neighbor with a 6 pack.

 

[TheMan419]

In my experience that informal "understanding" will work until an urbanite buys one or the other parcel at which time there will be lawyers paid $$$ over a few feet that will never be less than the value of the land in question. There are undoubtedly some markers somewhere but they can be tough to find and it doesn't sound like that strip is good for much anyway. Sounds like a good spot to meet the neighbor with a 6 pack.

Yes. But I will always try with the 6 pack. If not they are welcome to get a survey and then you bet I will mow up to the line and not an inch further. Also no helpful neighbor plowing them out or whatever. It will be a cold day in you now where before I let things go that far.

 

[Oaktree]

Not in our case. The land hadn't been surveyed in decades through several owners. Just recently a piece of property sold that shares a corner with our property. The property that sold is 40 acres and ours is 10 acres. The new owner had his land surveyed and I was very pleased that the decades old fence post was exactly on the corner of our property as we had always hoped. The old fence had long since rotted away with only a few posts and barbed wire visible here and there. Now we have a very good idea of where our other lines are and it didn't cost me anything!

Had a similar experience myself at my former property. The deed was kind of vague...so many rods north easterly along so-and-so's property, then so many rods easterly along someone else's property, etc. Of course all those people had been dead for probably 100 years. References to "stake and stones" as corner points. Long overgrown, and the woods was full of rock piles. Previous owner (a very old lady) wasn't much more help, only that the back boundary was by a small brook at the bottom of a hill. There were at least 3 small brooks at the bottom of hills. It was all woods and it appeared no one ever went back there, so it didn't really matter.
About 15 years after I bought it an adjoining property was sold to a developer who planned to subdivide it, so a survey was necessary. As part of it, my 2 vaguely defined corners were found and flagged. Turned out my land went a lot further back than I thought it did, and like yours didn't cost me anything to find out.:drink:

 

[oosik]

No original survey on my 80 acres here. There is a 1890, meets & bounds description of the property for transfer of ownership from the federal government to the original homesteader. The land was transferred to the original homesteader in 1892. Subsequent to that, three corners have been established by survey to sell adjacent lands. My fourth corner is out in the middle of a big lake that I own a part of. The property was purchased from the original homesteader, by my father, in 1939. The sale was based upon the original meets and bounds description.

Although the law of the land indicates otherwise - I maintain my own fence to keep both neighbors cows off my land. I have only two neighbors - one on the south, the other on the north. I have agreement that I can go on their land to maintain my fence line. They are both great guys and hard working ranchers.

 

[TheMan419]

No original survey on my 80 acres here. There is a 1890, meets & bounds description of the property for transfer of ownership from the federal government to the original homesteader. The land was transferred to the original homesteader in 1892. Subsequent to that, three corners have been established by survey to sell adjacent lands. My fourth corner is out in the middle of a big lake that I own a part of. The property was purchased from the original homesteader, by my father, in 1939. The sale was based upon the original meets and bounds description.

Although the law of the land indicates otherwise - I maintain my own fence to keep both neighbors cows off my land. I have only two neighbors - one on the south, the other on the north. I have agreement that I can go on their land to maintain my fence line. They are both great guys and hard working ranchers.

There is at least on Survey from Louisiana that goes back to God. Title search went back to when the US bought from France. Then goes on to state at that time the Kind of France believed himself to be the representative of God on Earth so essentially the US took title from God. I suspect that is a good title policy

 

[reb]

Usually when property sells there is a survey.

My area was surveyed many years ago. There are many overlaps and undefined areas between parcels. A surveyor just verifies the original description and does not look into overlaps. The guy who did the original survey was the County Surveyor when I bought this place. I asked him about the discrepancies and he just shrugged them off.

 

[dodge man]

A good surveyor would look into overlaps and gaps. Its part of the job in my opinion. Most of the times the issue can be resolved, but not always. A good example would be if you had a property line described as 100.00 feet. As a surveyor you find two pins that are 99.90 feet apart. Do you set a new pin? Have the land owner call their lawyer? Write a new description? Tell the land owner they have a gap of 0.10 feet? Or except the two pins as the property corners and accept the difference in measurments as minor one? Hint-the last choice is the correct one.

 

[PILOON]

In my area nothing can be sold without a recent survey, that being less than 10 years.
Consequently surveyors have it rich.
Shucks I never moved the house so why a new survey?
Ans, its the law!
Guess the surveyor lobby was well paid!

 

[lilranch2001]

My neighbors and I mow onto each others property about.....
Once a week, we do not have any UNDERlaps

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Surveys are required here to sell, except they dont physically re survey, they pull a copy of an existing survey and make you pay a few hundred bucks for their signature.

 

[oosik]

I have a question. Everybody is saying that a survey is required to sell/buy land. Is that a requirement of the lending institution that is carrying the loan on the land or is simply a legal requirement?

I guess I should have indicated that the purchase of my 80 acres in 1939 was a cash deal. No bank was involved - therefore the meet and bounds description was adequate.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Usually the lender requirement.

 

[oosik]

Thats what I thought. Its a CYBFA requirement of the institution carrying the loan.