Re-establishing Survey Corners and Way Points?

[ultrarunner]

Neighboring parcel is for sale for the first time since 1955 to settle the estate and there appears to be confusion among the prospective buyers and agents as to the location of our shared property line...

I have not been able to find the pins shown on my property's 1989 survey...

The street has been repaved and 5 years back the city dug up and replaced city sewer line running under shared property line taking out the pins.

Realtor suggested a survey of the property for sale and wants me to participate which I declined.

I got to thinking wouldn't it be much less expensive avoiding the cost of a survey calling the original company out to find the pins?

Any tips on how to approach the survey company to find three pins on a straight line?

A new survey here tends to run about 5k.

Is the best shot sticking with the original surveyor to save on cost?

 

[LittleBittyBigJohn]

If the neighbors are selling they will probably have to get a survey to satisfy the new buyers. Around here it's pretty typical unless it is very apparent or in a neighborhood. If I were you I would offer around 1/8 of the total cost of the neighbor's survey at most probably. That would probably be half of your property line. Then you would know and maybe show a little neighborly love for the new people. Or if it is solely your property line in question and you are able to find a better way do it. But let them know and do it quickly.

If the county dug up the markers with the utilities then you will never find them. Maybe get a plat of your general area from the court house? It *could* have measurements from another property line that maybe you can find?

 

[dodge man]

I am a retired licensed land surveyor. Without a doubt it would be cheaper to get the original company back out, probably. I say probably because the surveyor that did it in 1989 may be long gone.

The way I look at it, how do I know the pin I find is good? I find the next pin, and so on until I establish a pattern that fits the previous survey. If I did the previous survey, that takes less work than if someone else did it. If someone else did it I feel obligated to check the corners with adjoining properties.

Surveyors also have reputations. Other surveyors in the area usually know them. Did your previous surveyor have a good one? If he had I good reputation I would spend less time checking then if he had a poor one.

 

[dodge man]

Getting surveys done with a sale is very area dependent. In my area less than 10% of sales require a survey. Some areas lenders will require it. If you read most title insurance policies they won’t insure a problem that a survey would uncover.

 

[newbury]

Without an OFFICIAL survey your screwed. As I posted here years ago, Fairfax County redid a road in front of a house I own in Alexandria, Va. and was rented out. I was probably on travel when they placed the driveway apron on the house to the east. Didn't really notice the 2 foot shift to the west.
Years later the other house sold, new owner wanted to pave several feet onto my lot, he thought he owned it. Luckily we caught it. I had a "resurvey" done, they placed the pin well inside the apron. The new owner got it surveyed again, by a different company, same results.
With lots running a million dollars an acre a few feet can matter.

 

[ultrarunner]

99% of the time no survey unless new construction on a tight lot or steep build site.

I remember when a nearby home was built on 2 acres with no survey required or done.

My home was built by the son of the 105 year old neighbor that passed away last year… at one time both home parcels were owned by the mom and later both by the son and when son passed the home his mom in went back to her and I bought the sons.

Me 2 acres and for sale property 1.2 acres.

On my survey the city manhole cones with covers clearly shown and fully within my property… as is the cluster of 4 oaks again on my property.

The confusion is the 6’ high deer fence for my back garden is 20 to 24’ inside from property line to allow vehicle access/storage on my side yard.

Had I found the pin with my metal detector and shovel the plan was to pound a pipe, pull a line and add T-posts and wire.

I made a very good solicited offer to the estate and we all thought it was a go but a codicil to the will adding a 2 year old Great Great Great grandchild as a remainder beneficiary changed that so now it is a full on sale with drone pictures, staging, inspections, Brokers Open and lots of people traipsing down my access road asking about my trailer, mixer and shed and firewood…

Question for surveyors.

Custom here is NOT to Mark far back Corners in Creek Beds and Gullies on homesite average and I find this odd…

Road frontage, home site, etc. well detailed and then a broken straight line on survey delineating 187’ more into poison oak ravine is common.

I guess using the same scale of the plat would require doubling the drawing size.

 

[oosik]

If it's going to present a problem - get with the original surveyor or survey company. These type of situations seldom resolve by themselves.

 

[old and tired]

When people buy houses around here, you can accept the survey on record or pay yourself to get a new one. The seller doesn't do it, at least around here they don't. Neighbor bought without a survey... previous owner's grandson dug up the back corner iron pipe. We're adding a screen in porch and the city requires a new survey first before anything can be done (new f-ing rule).

Anyway, in town, it cost us $600 to have our place surveyed - I was able to show the surveyors 4 of the 5 corner pipes and that was enough to map out our house and we got the permit to build. We never did find that 5th corner....

Our 27.5 acres in the mountains survey was a paper copy from the early 60's and we "accepted" it. When we built up there, the county was fine using that old paper copy as a "new" survey. Estimates there were $6k since we have 2300 feet of creek front as a boundary.

 

[ultrarunner]

5k is about rock bottom…

boundary dispute on the next road…

new owner started having dump trucks of fill brough in and neighbor said wo…

Neighbor single family on 5.5 acres.

It started to become un-civil so 5.5 acre property is having 6k survey done now and yes… all the plans of new homeowner dashed…

 

[Jstpssng]

I can never understand why somebody would spend 6 figures or more for a house on a small lot... and forgo a few thousand more to make sure they know what they own.