I sent a proposal to a client the other day and this was his response. This is a thickly wooded area along Lake Michigan.
Thanks for the quote, Looking at your proposal I realize I wasn't clear enough in what I'm looking for.
I'm not looking for a full survey, just the location (within a foot or two) of the western most points on the property. Dont need the house location, lake, road, etc. The two eastern most points are already identified. This is something that
could be done with GPS relatively quickly, I dont even need anything in writing, just a couple stakes in the ground would be ok.
This is not a legal requirement of any kind and I'm not looking to sell, I'm just curious about (approximately)how far my land goes back behind the road to the west. It's worth $200 to me. I'm in no hurry. You can do it any time you're in the area.
Let me know if you're interested.
I just love it when people TELL ME what my services are worth. What am I, a used car salesman?
For $200 He Can Buy His Own GPS
:-$
Paul in PA
Dear Mr. Client:
The current professional standards of practice don't allow for setting approximate corners. Although it seems expedient and inexpensive in the long run you and more importantly your neighbor have the right to rely on stakes set by a licensed land surveyor. If they are approximately too far on your side of the boundary it could result in an expensive lawsuit which would far outstrip the cost of a boundary survey.
Use of tools such as GPS or conventional means is a professional decision which is affected by many factors such as obstructions and tree canopy. Although consumer grade receivers may return a result under tree canopy those results are by not necessarily accurate.
Therefore I cannot serve your needs at this time. Feel free to contact me at any time should you reconsider.
Best Regards,
Land Surveyor.
On the house-I can do a boundary survey without locating structures and improvements although sometimes it doesn't make much difference in the level of effort required. Clients often don't know this.
[sarcasm]"$200 does not produce the required amount of interest necessary to find me in that area"[/sarcasm]
I hear that.
I would just reply that the job did not interest me.
:good:
Don't do it. It's not worth it.
Not only that Bob, but around here it will go for fifty. (Also I think I know that guy.)
> I just love it when people TELL ME what my services are worth.
Technically, he didn't do that -- he told you how much your services are worth to him. That said, it's pretty clear that he's trying to control the survey cost by imposing a limit on it before you can present a figure of your own.
I don't know what the guy was thinking about what your services are worth. He just wants someone who knows what they're doing with GPS to show him about where his property goes to.
I would tell him that you can't do an 'approximate' location. That if arguments ensue, he or someone will state that "this is where the surveyor told me it was". I would advise him that he could probably get the GPS coordinates, and go up there with a handheld to see about how far up the hill the line goes; if he can even get a signal in the woods there. He needs to be aware that it wouldn't be within a foot or two either without a real survey. He needs to know that if he can't get a signal, you wouldn't have been able to either.
Surely he or someone he knows can get a handheld.
:good:
You can get within a foot or two with a handheld?!
Send them a deed sketch and an invoice for $100 and tell them that anything more, is a full survey, regardless of their understanding and clarity on the subject. Don't expect to get paid though. 🙂
> You can get within a foot or two with a handheld?!
From my post:
"He needs to be aware that it wouldn't be within a foot or two either without a real survey."
Only if I was licensed in Wisc., that $200 sounds pretty sweet. 😉
Tell him to correct his email, because he left off a 0.
Here was my response:
Thanks for the response, unfortunately, I cannot "approximately mark" the western corners for the following reasons:
1) Under Wisconsin Administrative Code A-E 7, "Minimum Standards for Property Surveys", I am required to complete and file a map for every survey I complete. This ensures all work completed by surveyors is available to the public, extending back decades. (I have attached WI Admin Code Chapter A-E 7.)
2) Any stakes I set will be relied upon by you or others because they were set by a surveyor, approximate or not.
3) I need to complete the research and calculations required to arrive at a solution for the west line, approximate or not.
4) I would need to locate and confirm the eastern-most monuments to make sure they are in agreement with the west line, approximate or not.
Might I suggest that for under $200, you could purchase a handheld recreational GPS to arrive at an approximate location on your own.
Thanks.
:good: