I get Angie's list in the email and the other day their digital magazine was included, there was an article about getting your property surveyed, so I read it, not bad, but their what to expect to pay was way off IMHO, so I sent email saying so and got this in response.
"Hey Paul,
Thank you for sharing your comments and insights regarding our property lines story. I talked with the writer regarding the price range in question, and he said he culled that information from a variety of sources, including from members who write reviews and report what they paid for the service.
However, after receiving feedback from you and another surveyor, our writer plans on broadening the price range listed in the online version of the story and adding a disclaimer that ranges do vary based on location.
Thanks again for sharing your insights.
Best Regards,
John Nalley
Senior Editor
Angie??s List Magazine"
Seems they said $400 to $600, I said that $1000 to $2000 might be more appropriate, depending on the site.
The price's in the writer's data was probably mostly from Mortgage Reports. Almost every homeowner who has received on of these in connection with a home purchase believes that they "got a survey", and it is likely noted as "survey" in the line item of costs from their RE agent.
I don't subscribe to Angie's list, but if I did, I'd be tempted to write an article for them explaining the difference between a property boundary survey and a virtually useless mortgage report, discussing the differences in costs & effort, and making some allowances for regional differences in fees.
My standard answer is: Somewhere between $400 and $40,000. Now let's talk. What is it you really need to have happen?