When I was reading through this contract sent to me by one of the contract parties, I ran across an enumerated item that said, "SURVEY - a traditional survey is not required. The legal description will be provided at the cost of (one party) for the tract. This will be done digitally using the provided maps. (Same party) agrees to mark the boundaries and corners using GPS, due to the fact that these boundaries will be newly established property lines."
*Red Flags* went up, but I kept reading.
I am to provide an estimate for professional surveying services to the party. The parcel is in a remote part of the county spanning a wide, large creek and about one half mile from the nearest road and any visible open area. Using GPS anywhere near the proposed boundary lines will be an unlikely event in the densely wooded area. Maybe a handheld unit with sub-meter accuracy was the "how" in mind during the writing of this contract. The proposal even had a boundary description provided with distances to the nearest thousandths of a foot and bearings in decimal degrees to four places. The call from a section corner along the section line went over 3000 feet to the point of beginning, then continued along the same section line on a different bearing to a corner, which should be the section corner on the other end. The calls along the section lines do not match the GLO Field Note bearing on the Township Plat, nor the distance. I am sure this description was derived by a non-surveyor from available on-line maps that have digitized lat/long section corner coordinates listed out to 7 decimal places and are absolutely right on the money!:pinch:
There are a lot of *Red Flags*, but at least the (party) is looking into a survey by a land surveyor. Hmmmmmm. I had better sharpen my bank blade and machete if I get this one. I am also going to have to use liberal amounts of snake repellant and put brick bats in my back pockets to keep the Mississippi-sized skeeters from carrying me away. The deer flies and horse flies will eat what is left of me when I melt in this 90-degree plus humid heat we are haveing right now. And I survey because I love it!:u:
[sarcasm]Your costs to research the current deeds, online, will likely exceed the magic number of $$ they have in mind. [/sarcasm]
[sarcasm]"Forward a copy on to your BOR and get their opinion as how to proceed"[/sarcasm]
I think they should at least have an opportunity to know what some of the people that want to be our clients expect of us and our magic boxes.
Sometimes I laugh at people's expectations so hard it is hard to stay in my chair.
B-)
I'm reminded of an interview I saw on TV with a professional poker player who'd earned millions at the game. He said "An amateur is always looking for a reason to stay in the hand. A professional is always looking for a reason to drop out of the hand." Every call I get to do survey work like what you've described is dealing me in to another hand -- yes the pot might be lucrative, but I still remember that pro's advice.