The BLM does an Independent Resurvey to "fix" a troubled township. Now a century later I'm asked to lay out a parcel that's 400 acres. The possible new buyer states that this land can produce 20 cows every three years. Not a great grassland area. It's also extremely rugged. To actually do the survey I start counting up needed controlling monuments. There are 33!! 18 sectional corners and 15 tract corners. It's kinda like doing two different surveys over the same ground.?ÿ
To finish the survey there are 15 new monuments that need to be set. Looks like one of Gene's mining claim surveys.?ÿ
Would love to do the survey, would hate to send the bill.?ÿ
I think we need a different option.?ÿ
Would love to do the survey, would hate to send the bill.
Funny, I am the opposite, as long as I get paid.
You can't base your fees on what the productive use of the land might pay out. Some of the most worthless ground on Earth (productivity-based) is selling for outrageous prices to out of state hunters who have money to burn on their "hobby business".
I wouldn't ever do that. However, I did give them an estimate of the job and we're going a different direction (a more realistic survey for this task).
Just a quick background I recently did a survey for them of 1160 acres (two sections with three 40s removed), found all controlling corners, located all fences, set missing monuments, drew it up. One short day in the field, 6 hours drafting and descriptions. x$ for the 1160 acres and 10x$ for the 400 acres wasn't what they expected. The 1160 acres is lush grassland the 400 acres is bentonite hill country (no mineral rights). The value of this parcel is strictly location for their property, but it has occupation issues which I'm now tasked with investigating.
Good job. Finding the correct amount of work to do can be the difference between no money and a nice pile of money.
Many times I have convinced a client to take advantage of what will be a less costly way of achieving the intended goal.
It's a bit of a niche business lately. Doing investigation surveys or reports for our long time clients. I refuse to do them for unknown buyers without an upfront payment. I've done a few of them for sales that didn't happen, long time clients will pay, unknown ones will balk, I don't need that.
It's inconceivable to me to walk what has got to be 7 miles of line while locating corners, fences and other evidence in "a short field day". Things really are different out there!
But it explains the reaction from people from "away" when we tell 'em $4-6K to survey a 1/2 acre lot in an mid-1700's village, where there are no prior surveys, no monuments, no definite lines of occupation, no description in the last 200 years and then only tied to evidence gone for 150...which of course you don't know until AFTER you've spent 40 hrs in the land records trying to follow a chain-of- deeds that neither describe the parcel nor from whence the Grantor got it. And our Rules require that we develop a record abstract for owners on both sides of each line surveyed back to the creation of the line, i.e. when both adjoining parcels were held in common ownership.
It all depends. I will be surveying 7 miles of boundary next week, I think there will be 17 original monuments to find and re-monument with brass caps. Then the 7 miles of line to run. Two days?
Maybe 3.
There will be very little walking on that one.
Riding a four-wheeler is one thing. Riding one along the side of terrain having a signficant sideslope is entirely a different way to find excitement, especially when the center of gravity is higher from the ground than it should be. It can be breathtaking.
Riding a four-wheeler is one thing. Riding one along the side of terrain having a signficant sideslope is entirely a different way to find excitement, especially when the center of gravity is higher from the ground than it should be. It can be breathtaking.
rocks hiding in tall grass on a slope is what sent me flying.
Riding a four-wheeler is one thing. Riding one along the side of terrain having a signficant sideslope is entirely a different way to find excitement, especially when the center of gravity is higher from the ground than it should be. It can be breathtaking.
It's a learned skill.
Doing investigation surveys or reports for our long time clients.
Huh?
Around here I think we call these ALTA surveys. What is an "investigation survey"?
Doing investigation surveys or reports for our long time clients.
Huh?
Around here I think we call these ALTA surveys. What is an "investigation survey"?
My clients don't want an ALTA for potential purchases. We get those requests sometimes from unknown buyers and I don't do those.
All the ALTAs we have ever done were for commercial properties.
But for some of our clients they want a survey and report from us delineating issues their representatives have with property they are looking at.
So, some surveying, sometimes look at title issues, not a problem this time, the patentee is the present owner, which is kinda remarkable. No mineral issues with this one, no water issues. So, it's access, easements, and occupation. We will get enough of the patchwork quilt mess of a resurvey located to lay out the property and then figure out the occupation. Rumor has it that there is +-100acres of "encroachment" created by fencing and that's the focus for now.
I will also do water rights tabulations, which will be surveys, research and mapping. Again, not an ALTA, but way more important sometimes to a buyer.
"It's a whole other country out there."
When it is miles to the nearest power line or the nearest reliable source of water is not on the property, it is not the same kind of life as most of us are accustomed to.
My quarter section in the Panhandle of Oklahoma would require a minimum of two miles of power line to be installed at my expense to get to the nearest corner. Water? I could spend thousands to drill down hoping to get enough water to supply me with a weekly bath and some drinking water. Road? Serious four-wheel drive vehicle to go down what is allegedly a county road to get to the highway after having the highway department agree to install an entrance where one does not exist today. Groceries? Fifteen miles to a very small store. Thirty miles to an actual supermarket. Same for a doctor of any kind and a hospital that is more than a triage facility.