Lady on phone: I’m trying to reach Mr. D
Me: Mr. D retired 10 years ago. Is there something I can help you with.
Lady: Well, he surveyed my property 20 years ago and now I have a problem with my neighbor. Say, did you buy Mr. D’s company?
Me: No ma’am, I’m a separate company. I just took over his phone number when he retired.
Lady: Oh. . . .I was hoping since I already paid for the survey and I have a copy of it that someone could just come out and mark my corners.o.O
Me: Ma’am even if Mr. D where still in business this would require new field work to verify that the pins are undisturbed and to locate the disputed improvements. Why don’t you give me your address and fax me a copy of Mr. D’s survey and I’ll call you back in a few minutes with a quote.
Lady: Okay.
I receive the prior survey. It’s a 100’x225’ lot with a one story rancher roughly centered on the lot and no fences or walls near the property lines. A quick look at the aerial photo on the local GIS shows that the rear yard is now fenced and there’s a retaining wall running from the street to about the mid-point of the right side line. The retaining wall appears to have been built by the neighbor when they expanded their driveway and may or may not be on the lot line.
Apparently this whole mess started over the neighbor’s dog barking all night. The lady has called Animal Control on her neighbor and he has retaliated by building a “butt ugly construction looking fence” on “her” side of the retaining wall. She’s pretty sure that the near side of the wall is the line and that the fence is on her and she wants it gone.
Ring, Ring
Me: I will survey your lot for a fee of X but I’m currently booked for the next two weeks.
Her: Mr. Ward I know you’re a busy man. I won’t take up anymore of your time.
Me: (Thinking she is going to call around because she doesn’t want to wait). Ma’am I understand that this is important and that you can’t wait two weeks. I’d be happy to send you a list of local surveyors who are members of TAPS and perhaps one of them can help you sooner.
Her: No, you don’t understand. Before I spend hundreds of dollars on a survey I’ll just buy bushes and hide his ugly fence.
LOL, I knew 30 seconds into the initial conversation that she wanted something for nothing. I also knew I didn’t have time to do the work on her schedule. However, I thought I might be able to educate her about what needs to be done and pass her on to someone who needs the work. Silly me.
> I knew 30 seconds into the initial conversation that she wanted something for nothing. [...] However, I thought I might be able to educate her about what needs to be done and pass her on to someone who needs the work. Silly me.
Try not to let that happen again, eh? :>
Through the years, my experience has been about 50-50. Half the time they are so upset with the neighbors that they will try anything to get what they want. The other half want to do something, but, only if it is incredibly inexpensive to do so.
Besides if you surveyed it and found the wall is 5' onto the neighbor she wouldn't believe you and be convinced that you are secretly working for the neighbor.
I worked on a boundary dispute that started when my client simply asked the neighbor if they could be quieter on Monday morning (he worked Sunday nights). They had a shared gravel driveway and the neighbor was running a business with a lot of customers driving fast down the gravel driveway and generally making a lot of noise. The elderly neighbor lady took exception to anyone questioning her behavior so she freaked out and that launched an expensive lawsuit. It was questionable whether the business was allowed by the zoning code (if it was an ag business then they could have it on the property).
The lawsuit delayed the sale of the neighbor's property past the big crash.
