If you want stakes then your house location survey will cost significantly more.
A couple of years ago I wrote about missing house surveys since mortgage lenders aren’t requiring them anymore. And, you know what, it still bugs me that they don’t care about the property you are buying.
They don’t care, but you should.
If you are thinking about buying a house then know I feel seeing a survey is about as mandatory as having a professional home inspection. The home inspector will be looking at the structure and mechanical systems, but not at the fences or setbacks. Only a survey will show you where your the property ends.
If the seller has been there for decades then an accurate survey may not exist. The corners will stay the same but the fences and structure may be different. But, if the seller bought the house sometime in the past thirty years, then one probably exists in a file somewhere and it’s okay ask if they have one.
Sometimes a house location/boundary survey may be referred to as a plat, but stick with using house location survey and people will know you want a specific drawing of {insert address here}.
Here is what I look for on a survey:
- The corners of the property
- The front width and back width
- Location of fences (at that time)
- Distance from the street
- Distance from the back
- Looking at easements
- Existing wells or septic systems
- Utility poles
- Encroaching structures
If a survey just does not exist then don’t panic because you can get a lot of information from county tax records that may satisfy your curiosity. I look there for my real estate clients because I want to know what the surrounding properties are… or if there are easements for future roads.
Another easy home buyer tip
My easy home buyer tip here for you is to ask your lender if they require a survey, and if not, ask the Title or Escrow company to order one for you (costing around $400 depending on the lot size). They know licensed land surveyors who can create the location of everything there that day, and then you can review that drawing with the settlement agent prior to signing off on the final closing documents.
