Hello, I have recently taken an interest in surveying! As the owner of a relatively old property in my area, I've had a hard time finding someone local to come do a survey for me so I've been using information in these forums to help me understand what to look for (tools, old maps, etc...). So far, I'm having relatively decent luck finding my corners.?ÿ
I'm excited to keep learning!
If you dangle enough money in front of a surveyor, you may get one!!
You have to be really careful, just because you found a marker, (pin, stone pile, pipe, etc.) does not mean it is your property corner.?ÿ Especially with a very old piece of property, the complications are seemingly endless at times.?ÿ I suggest you pay for a surveyor to come out there and do it right.?ÿ?ÿ
Good luck,
Joe
What seems simple usually is not.?ÿ Working with a very small town that was platted in 1888.?ÿ The plat shows the center of Main Street is the Section Line.?ÿ Based on the evidence of everything in the town that is not true.?ÿ The block lines are not parallel with the section line and the starting point for the plat is almost exactly 10 feet off from what is shown.?ÿ Then they started adding little metes and bounds tracts by saying something like: Beginning 15 feet north of the northeast corner of lot 1 in block 2; thence.....................?ÿ So if block 2 is off, then the metes and bounds tract is also off.
I've had a hard time finding someone local to come do a survey for me ...
They say that there are 3 desirable qualities in a survey. Good, fast, and cheap. You can choose any 2 from that list. If you choose good and cheap it may take awhile for the surveyor to get to you.
Finding and exposing your monuments should help keep your costs down, but its still a good idea to get a pro involved before you make any serious improvements to your property.?ÿ ?ÿ
I may be schooled by the depths of knowledge and experience here, but (and feel free to):?ÿ From what I'm gathering, you'll need to look at your deed/title first for a detailed description.?ÿ Look for "calls" in that - pieces of your boundary description that are located by reference to something else, in this case something that's not your property like an NGS monument, a public boundary, an historic monument nearby or even a neighbors boundary that is listed by its public record location (BookY, Map X, Page N or something). Sometimes this takes going back to the original granting or subdividing documents that created your lot, not just the last conveyance docs.?ÿ Here I work with our county's real property tax dept, the state dept of accounting and general services, then if necessary historic records at our state capital in a library, some on microfiche, other not.
So you start at the property and work your way out until you find enough recorded information that can also be found and measured (proven) on the ground to surely locate your boundary.
An aspect that can cause serious problems if you can't get agreement of numbers regards your found monuments.?ÿ Original monuments always control lot location (even if they're "off").?ÿ If you find one based on this research (or near the place you determined from this research) there's an idiom that states that a monument that's called for (in the deed - a corner spike, 'X' in rock or whatever), and that's original, identifiable and undisturbed - is the property corner without dispute... well, until it's disputed.
So you can see why the surveyors here recommend that if you really want to know exactly where your boundary is, you spend the money on a licensed pro.?ÿ And you see a little bit about why they can be "expensive" to some and more so in some cases.?ÿ There's a whole alien world behind looking through a spyglass and pulling steel tape with someone out in the woods.?ÿ For most, that's the more relaxing part of the job.
But if you are not trying to build a border wall with razor wire to keep your loudmouthed attorney neighbor from letting his dogs crap in your driveway, you can have some fun "probably" finding your property line, at least getting an idea that would allow you to plan, cost up and dream about that wall and probably finding some interesting history of your land along the way.
Start with your deed and work your way out.?ÿ With a scale, pencil and calculator (or a CAD app), you can usually find ways to trek your bounds and maybe locate everything.?ÿ I just found out yesterday I can set my iPhones default compass to display true north instead of magnetic (!) and a 300' tape's only about $40.?ÿ Your buddy might cost you a case of beer and a few cigars, though.
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?ÿSometimes this takes going back to the original granting or subdividing documents that created your lot, not just the last conveyance docs.?ÿ .
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Not, just sometimes. You always have to go back to the creation documents, or at least to a reliable survey (and look at the neighbours deeds). You can't identify a boundary without knowing what is was created as.?ÿ
And at the very least really remember this: all dialogue here is merely anecdotal and free and can't be relied upon for anything construed as legal advice but only as ideas and potential directions your search and learning process can build your own knowledge base on what the wide and varied professional arena land surveying exists within, and is definitely attached to your location, and where you need a licensed practioner to help you to get you across the line, where ever and how ever that is to meet your goals.
Hopefully it will be a positive outcome.
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(Gently setting the mic on a stool for Bill...)
Landowners should use their basic rights to rely on previous surveys. This board offers the best advice there is. If you can identify monuments on the ground, then at least in Colorado you can sometimes find a signed plat attached to those monuments. Without a current signed plat, you still have certain rights but you are also assuming certain liability. What your money paid to a surveyor gets you is someone assuming the legal liability for the conclusions, well worth the cost. You'll find surveying a life long interest if you're not careful.
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I agree, I??d still get a surveyor to your property. ?ÿWhat you have found will probably help him a lot.
