Ring - Ring

I feel your pain bro. Sometimes it just means you have to say no thanks. People always want something for nothing. Its amazing to me how many jobs I turn down because of that attitude problem too. Or the price goes way up.

The scary part is that eventually she'll find somebody that will quote her $150 and then pretend they were never there.

Recently I had a potential client that told me there's no way a boundary survey and map should cost more than $500. Considering that just the filing fee for a Record of Survey here is $700, it's more likely he'll just find someone to stake his lines but "set no corners", as though that solves it.

Red Adair

:good:

I DON'T UNDERSTAND?!?! I HAVE THIS PLAT!!

Then why do you need me? Do it yourself and pay nothing.

-V

> People always want something for nothing.

Especially attorneys!

I did a survey in May of last year to cut out 6.5acres out of a platted commercial lot. We then replatted the two new tracts (recorded last week). The attorney now wants me to update my survey to reflect the new legal description. By the way, we needed to write about 10 easements, on and off site, during the platting process.

Of course, I now need to review the new title commitment, add the additional easements to the survey, address his comments, and revise the legal.

So I send him an additional service agreement to cover my cost since it was not in the original contract. The attorney is now complaining since he did not account for the additional cost in his estimate to his client.

OK, OK, rant off.

Miguel A. Escobar, LSLS, RPLS

We had one in Tucson who thought that by setting a wood stake it wasn't really a survey monument and he didn't have to file a record of survey. The SBTR disabused him of that notion.

I like to take this opportunity to educate them, even though I probably won't get any work out of this client, at least I may help them understand the process a little better. It's obvious she hasn't got a clue as to what oning real property isall about.

> Caller: I have a plat with all those little numbers and coordinates on it and me and my neighbor are arguing over a little corner of it. We need somebody to walk out there and tell us who owns what. What does that cost?

She probably has a copy of the assessors map. I would ask her who signed the plat and why they weren't calling them. If it's the so and so company she didn't like, then there is little you can do for her.

> Me: Well ma'am, I'd have to do my own research... (CUTS ME OFF)
> Caller: I DON'T UNDERSTAND?!?! I HAVE THIS PLAT!!
> Me: Yes ma'am, but I understand that, but I don't know who produced it, and I have to check both yours and your neighbors deeds and what's of public record.
> Caller: Geez oh man... What's this cost?
> Me: Well, I'd have to tie into, measure into at least 3 other corners if possible to know if it's in the right position. I wouldn't know what it costs until I do some research and... (cuts me off again)
> Caller: WELL WHAT'S THE LEAST IT WILL COST ME?!?!
> Me: Ma'am, to be honest, I can't do anything thing these days for less than $XXX, I can barely step out of my office for that.
> Caller: WHA-WHA-WHAAAATTT?? WELL I TEACH EVERY DAY AND I ONLY MAKE $200 A DAY!! YOU'RE CRAZY!!

You did the best you could, to try to educate her but it wasn't what she wanted to hear. I find it strange that she said she was an educator; I would think that she'd know, a little diplomacy goes a long way.

> Just another one of those people that think surveyors can magically walk up to a piece of iron sticking out of the ground and declare that it is the property corner without doing any research. I'm kinda glad I didn't get this one.

The sad thing is, there's a lot of people who think like that....

Doug

> I like to take this opportunity to educate them, even though I probably won't get any work out of this client, at least I may help them understand the process a little better. It's obvious she hasn't got a clue as to what oning real property isall about.
>
> > Caller: I have a plat with all those little numbers and coordinates on it and me and my neighbor are arguing over a little corner of it. We need somebody to walk out there and tell us who owns what. What does that cost?
>
> She probably has a copy of the assessors map. I would ask her who signed the plat and why they weren't calling them. If it's the so and so company she didn't like, then there is little you can do for her.

While I know what you are talking about, we don't have those here. She probably did have a plat, or at least a part of one, she just didn't know what it takes to verify a corner. She was off the phone before I could get any farther

>
> > Me: Well ma'am, I'd have to do my own research... (CUTS ME OFF)
> > Caller: I DON'T UNDERSTAND?!?! I HAVE THIS PLAT!!
> > Me: Yes ma'am, but I understand that, but I don't know who produced it, and I have to check both yours and your neighbors deeds and what's of public record.
> > Caller: Geez oh man... What's this cost?
> > Me: Well, I'd have to tie into, measure into at least 3 other corners if possible to know if it's in the right position. I wouldn't know what it costs until I do some research and... (cuts me off again)
> > Caller: WELL WHAT'S THE LEAST IT WILL COST ME?!?!
> > Me: Ma'am, to be honest, I can't do anything thing these days for less than $XXX, I can barely step out of my office for that.
> > Caller: WHA-WHA-WHAAAATTT?? WELL I TEACH EVERY DAY AND I ONLY MAKE $200 A DAY!! YOU'RE CRAZY!!
>
> You did the best you could, to try to educate her but it wasn't what she wanted to hear. I find it strange that she said she was an educator; I would think that she'd know, a little diplomacy goes a long way.

I think she was trying to tell me her time (or her profession in general) was worth more than mine. I have all the respect in the world for teachers, they are worth their weight in gold, but this person was just rude.

>
> > Just another one of those people that think surveyors can magically walk up to a piece of iron sticking out of the ground and declare that it is the property corner without doing any research. I'm kinda glad I didn't get this one.
>
> The sad thing is, there's a lot of people who think like that....

Oh... I KNOW IT!! 😉

> Me: Carl speaking.
> Caller: Are you ********** Surveying?
> Me: No ma'am, I'm Correll Land Surveying.
> Caller: Oh good, I just wanted to make sure that you weren't ********** Surveying, I did't like them.
> Me: (hesitant) What can I do for you?
> Caller: I have a plat with all those little numbers and coordinates on it and me and my neighbor are arguing over a little corner of it. We need somebody to walk out there and tell us who owns what. What does that cost?

[red flags: Boundary dispute and worrying about cost of survey]

Well, if the plat that you have was produced by a professional surveyor, that surveyor will have already done the research that I myself would have to do and so should be able to answer the questions you have in the least amount of time. So I'd expect they should be able to answer your questions at less expense than I can. If I were to tell you otherwise, I'm afraid I'd be kidding us both.

> [red flags: Boundary dispute and worrying about cost of survey]
>
> Well, if the plat that you have was produced by a professional surveyor, that surveyor will have already done the research that I myself would have to do and so should be able to answer the questions you have in the least amount of time. So I'd expect they should be able to answer your questions at less expense than I can. If I were to tell you otherwise, I'm afraid I'd be kidding us both.

Well, that might be true. It might be a partial copy with no surveyors name on it (I see that a lot) or it could be a very old plat (dead surveyor). Anyway, I didn't get that far... and maybe that's a good thing.

Without a doubt

> We had one in Tucson who thought that by setting a wood stake it wasn't really a survey monument and he didn't have to file a record of survey. The SBTR disabused him of that notion.
That gambit has been used in Oregon with some success due to the particular wording of the recording statute. I suppose that a wooden stake lasts a lot longer in Arizona than it does in the Pacific NW. The hitch was that the standard of care used in setting the wood hub was below expected standards.

> Well, if the plat that you have was produced by a professional surveyor.... I'd expect they should be able to answer your questions ...
I'd be guessing that the plat was produce by the surveyor she doesn't want to talk to anymore. She probably didn't like what he was telling her.

Dan Beardslee would say that the thing to do is to get the woman to come into your office to show you the plat. Then you can discuss what the plat says in person, and what you would need to do to procede further.

She calls you- obviously getting your company name from somewhere- then proceeds to ask who you are?!??!

o.O

really reinforces the public image of teachers....

That's what happens when you get bureaucrats involved. There is no reason it should cost over $50 to get a survey filed. I think it's a good idea to record surveys, but if it means there will be frivolous charges involved, forget it.

:good:

> She calls you- obviously getting your company name from somewhere- then proceeds to ask who you are?!??!
>
> o.O
>
> really reinforces the public image of teachers....

I'm pretty sure that she was calling down the yp.com listing for the area. The other firm mentioned/not mentioned is the only one listed above my name because they pay more.

> That's what happens when you get bureaucrats involved. There is no reason it should cost over $50 to get a survey filed. I think it's a good idea to record surveys, but if it means there will be frivolous charges involved, forget it.

typical review here is $50, $60, or $110 and then $21 to record. And that's for new/adjusting property lines. A simple boundary survey there is no reviewing at all, just record it or add it to a deed or deed of trust.

I don't consider our review fees to be that bad.