Hey All,?ÿ Just curious, What is the going rate for performing a survey for a quarter acre lot with house, as is typical for a home sales transaction??ÿ ?ÿField survey and map??ÿ And roughly how long would it take you to complete??ÿ Go ahead and assume its a flat lot,?ÿ 4 corners, all corners are in. No real plant obstructions and the deeds are pretty straight forward with no easements or strange issues going on.?ÿ Just straight up...an easy one.
Thanks
Location, location, location, value, liability, purpose, expectations, client's needs, your time and expenses, other stuff = FEE
People are going to be reluctant to discuss prices. So let's discuss level of effort instead.?ÿ And let's acknowledge that your theoretical scenario will rarely happen, and more to the point we can never know in advance when it is going to happen.?ÿ
Once upon a time I did a lot of surveys for residential mortgage purposes. We always tied at least 3 monuments and at least 2 sides of the house.?ÿ Taped the rest of the house and the offsets to fences. Also, because this was in British Columbia, there was always the equivalent of a subdivision plat defining the boundary which had been monumented at one time. There was always a good map of that in hand. We did those at the rate of 5 a day, every day, 5 days a week. Two man crew, very old equipment, steel tape distances. One draftsman mapped the output with CAD. BTW, all the research material that there was to have was kept in a single repository. If it wasn't in that repository it didn't count. That's what a land title registry does for you. The research was done by providers that sent everything you needed for a nominal fee.?ÿ Nowadays I bet they get it on the internet. This was c.1991.
So about an hour and a half on site. and about an equal time - bit less maybe -?ÿ to sketch up a map. But this only works if you are doing these 5 a day, every day. There wasn't a lot of talking needed on this crew.?ÿ Doing such work only from time to time as?ÿ I do now its going to be at least half a day per.?ÿ
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I don't do that type of survey, but I have heard $600 in my part of Western NY.
That kind of survey is a rare beast around here. Not quite a unicorn, maybe a coelacanth. If it were close to my office, 1,800 for the survey, and $400 for the certified plot plan. Price goes up the further from the office, especially heading east towards Boston - traffic is a bear.
$2,000 minimum, more likely $3000 for a boundary survey and plat.?ÿ
I avoid mortgage surveys like the plague. I have sympathy for residential homeowners who fall victim to the whims of lenders, but I don't give away my products.?ÿ
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Today it would be $1301. Drive to the window please. I know guys who would do it for $450, $650, $740, and $850. Let me give you their numbers. (Hypothetically, since you're probably in another state.)
Are you asking this as a homeowner, realtor, developer, moonlighter, or ?
What you are paying for when you get a boundary survey is not the physical labor, not the measuring, not the marking, not even the map. None of that matters. What you are paying for is a form of insurance: once the surveyor has done the records research, the deed interpretation, the digging up of evidence,?ÿ the surveyor gives you an insurance policy (stamped recorded survey). You're paying the surveyor a one-time premium to take on liability. If future events reveal a mistake in the physical staking, or in the interpretation of the deed, or in failing to apply the correct common law boundary principles in the face of written or physical evidence, the surveyor will be liable for any damages related to you relying on the survey to make real estate transactions or physical improvements. For how long? Depends on your state. Something like 8 years here. That's tolled from discovery of the problem, not the date of the survey. Other states it's longer. In a practical sense, it means liability for the rest of one's career.?ÿ That's for a 2D boundary survey, anything 3D is even more liability because of our unique powers of making water go downhill.?ÿ
Hey All,?ÿ Just curious, What is the going rate for performing a survey for a quarter acre lot with house, as is typical for a home sales transaction??ÿ ?ÿField survey and map??ÿ And roughly how long would it take you to complete??ÿ Go ahead and assume its a flat lot,?ÿ 4 corners, all corners are in. No real plant obstructions and the deeds are pretty straight forward with no easements or strange issues going on.?ÿ Just straight up...an easy one.
Thanks
Those words usually make me cringe, and in most cases prepare for all hell to break loose and expect it to be anything but easy.
We had a team that would only do ILCs 5-10 a day.?ÿ That's all they did.?ÿ Great money maker for the office, not a survey, and no real responsibility either.?ÿ I never liked doing them, because I?ÿ felt it was watering down the profession, and still feel like that.?ÿ Some people do tons of them.?ÿ I guess you have to pay the bills. Our surveys could run upwards of several thousands, due to that liability, its just part of the process.
LOL. Love theses type of ring, rings. Since were busy I typically say: Well Full day minimum field time, some office time for review, notification letter time review time. Looking at 2700-3500. If we need to do a record of survey, Double or triple it.?ÿ Can you wait until things slow down? if so I can maybe relook at the price. Cheers.
Thanks everybody, these are all really good and interesting responses...and I "follow" what you guys are saying on all points.?ÿ ?ÿ I think, at least from what I have heard, and most non surveyors,----realtors and others etc have thrown the number of 500 dollars for small lot survey.?ÿ So here in N.C. recently I am hearing from surveyors who have heard what others are charging is 400.?ÿ ?ÿThen a guy I know of who is at 375 (this includes replacing missing irons).?ÿ Then I hear a guy saying well so and so does em for 275.?ÿ ?ÿNow I am thinking this is absolutely INSANE.?ÿ (compare that to a?ÿ a plumber I?ÿ come by and charge me 157 to fix a small supply line leak, spent like 15 minutes.)?ÿ ?ÿAnyway, talk about devaluing the profession ! No wonder there's a shortage of younger people going into surveying.?ÿ But back on track,?ÿ To me, even an "easy" lot survey, and I agree nothing is easy (when I say that remember as a lowly instrument man, a party chief I used to work with lamenting those words frequently) So yes an easy survey alone using a non robotic reflectorless gun mind you would take?ÿ me 4-5 hours min.(maybe I'm slow) not even including drive time.?ÿ And then comes the deed research and drafting, I'm sorry but cad drafting alone isn't the fastest thing in the world even if you have a template setup and I'm very proficient with cad.?ÿ Then yes the liablity...not thinking its worth it.?ÿ ?ÿ When I surveyed in the field from 85 to 92 we either worked in the dust ,mud and misery of construction sites or deep in the woods on large boundaries.?ÿ We never did lot surveys.
...and now in NC surveys are required to show all easements, labeled with bearings distances and ties, and research adjacent properties at a minimum back to the date of the last deed of the subject property.?ÿ ?ÿThat alone is minimum of 4 hours or reading.?ÿ ?ÿ:)
The lingo is so different across the country.?ÿ Here in?ÿCO we have a product called an ILC (Improvement Location Certificate).?ÿ It is essentially a pseudo survey that shows the improvements within a lot and almost exclusively used for residential tract home transactions to satisfy the title company requirements of a "survey".?ÿ The certification goes something like this:
"I, (insert name), HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IMPROVEMENT LOCATION CERTIFICATE WAS PREPARED FOR (insert Client), THAT IT IS NOT A LAND SURVEY PLAT OR IMPROVEMENT SURVEY PLAT, AND THAT IT IS NOT TO BE RELIED UPON FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF FENCE, BUILDING, OR OTHER FUTURE IMPROVEMENT LINES. I FURTHER CERTIFY THAT THE IMPROVEMENTS ON THE ABOVE DESCRIBED PARCEL ON THIS DATE, (insert date), EXCEPT UTILITY CONNECTIONS, ARE ENTIRELY WITHIN THE BOUNDARIES OF THE PARCEL, EXCEPT AS SHOWN, THAT THERE ARE NO ENCROACHMENTS UPON THE DESCRIBED PREMISES BY IMPROVEMENTS ON ANY ADJOINING PREMISES, EXCEPT AS INDICATED, AND THAT THERE IS NO APPARENT EVIDENCE OR SIGN OF ANY EASEMENT CROSSING OR BURDENING ANY PART OF SAID PARCEL, EXCEPT AS NOTED."
I don't know how you certify to the last few things without?ÿactually retracing the boundary but I don't think many people who do them?ÿtake it to that level.?ÿ?ÿPeople around here that specialize in them look to bang out 7-10 of them per day and charge somewhere in the neighborhood of $400 per.?ÿ I've seen this type of product referred to as a "mortgage survey" or "lot survey"?ÿelsewhere so I think the name changes based on location?ÿbut the?ÿroot product is the same.?ÿ I don't know the genesis behind it even becoming a thing but assume it was to alleviate what was determined (by someone?ÿsmarter than me) to be "undue" cost to home?ÿbuyers having to get?ÿa real boundary & improvement survey?ÿa Surveyor would stand up in court and defend if necessary.?ÿ I've done maybe 10 in the last 10 years (only for VERY good repeat Clients and to a level I could sleep at night) although I have seen a trend of title companies accepting them on larger commercial transactions which scares the poop out of me.?ÿ I actually had an attorney call a couple weeks ago that wanted a quote to do one on a 160 acre aliquot parcel with like 10 buildings on it and a $2.25M purchase price.?ÿ I?ÿasked "if the purchaser has gone to the time and expense?ÿof getting title insurance AND?ÿengaging a?ÿreal estate attorney to facilitate the transaction why wouldn't they want to spend the money to get a real survey that all those people could rely on to make sound decisions?"?ÿ "Because that's all?ÿtitle is requiring"?ÿwas the response.?ÿ I simply said "I'm not your guy but I wish you the best of luck!".?ÿ ?ÿ?ÿ?ÿ?ÿ?ÿ?ÿ
I would say a typical lot survey takes me:
3-4 hours deed research and prep.
6-8 hours in field locating monuments improvements etc.
4-8 hours computations and drafting.
2 hours return trip to set monuments.
Figure in the hourly rate and there is no way a surveyor is making money or doing a proper survey for less than $1,000, even that is far to low.
Mind you I never get a simple lot survey in a recent subdivision and they are usually 100 year old plats with little to go from.
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I have the same question cost :
The original 1958 division begin Has five descriptions beginning?ÿpoint pin with bearings along CL town road distances?ÿ and ties abutted easterly on 2 lines with same "call"?ÿ by a 1996 plan.?ÿ and a tie to a 2018 survey pin?ÿ in south then back start.
There is?ÿ 1 good marker , the starting point with a good description. and?ÿa tie to a 2018 survey pin?ÿ in south?ÿ ?ÿthat is part of the last line with 2nd abbutter with same line direction to the starting point
so both good pins are on the same westerly abbutter
I need 3 bounds set if nothing is located?ÿ
How much?ÿ to lay out offsets and set?ÿ an Iron Pipe boundry monument Each?
How much?ÿ to lay out offsets and set?ÿ precast concrete bound Each?
How much for the estimate? locate missing bounds, set three bounds.
terrain is all mowed ,
this survey is because of an encroachment onto family farmland, a shed,and garden and edge of leach field ,?ÿ
?ÿI went to a Concord,NH surveyor today for an estimate.
Thank you?ÿ
I saw a surveyor today and gave him the 1996 subdivision plan of the abutting properties both sides of road
I think I've sealed two single family lot surveys and two "location drawings" (the local term of art for a mortgage survey without setting corners) over the last dozen years. ?ÿBoth during the height of the recession when the mortgage was due. ?ÿ
I either want jobs that are interesting challenge or a result in a dump truck load of money (but preferably both); residential surveys don't cut it in either category.?ÿ
