Surveyors are cynical by their very nature. We probably don't start out that way, it just happens based on experience. Whenever someone provides a description that is too simple, a little pump fires up somewhere in my gut pushing doubt to my little grey cells between the ears.
The description provided was straight from the Appraiser's Office version of simpletalk. Something like: 375'W & 30'S of NEC/SW4 to POB, 366'S, 780'W, 366'N, 780'E to POB.
After several hours of handling about 50 books in the Register of Deeds Office a slightly different scenario plays out. First there was the entire SW4 of the section. Then there was only the NE4/SW4. The first split is to sell off the S2/S2/NE4/SW4. Next comes a great description to sell off the "18 acres being immediately north of the 10 acre tract sold to Parker, all in the NE4/SW4". About this time everything becomes perfect. Clearly, there is now a 12 acre tract left with dimensions of exactly 1320' east-west by exactly 396' north-south and rectangular. So the next cut is a 375' east-west by 226' north-south out of the northeast corner of the perfect 12 acres. A few months later the "West 165' of the North 12 acres" is severed. A few years later the little panhandle left directly south of the 375 x 226 tract is sold as: Beginning 226'S of the NEC/SW4; thence south 170', west 375', north 170', east 375'. At long last the remainder parcel is declared to be similar to the Appraiser's Office version of simpletalk for a neat rectangle being precisely 780 x 396 less the north 30 for road purposes (but that's really just a right-of-way so shouldn't be excluded).
A survey of the entire southwest quarter in 1870 shows the quarter to be about 12 links short east-west and about 30 links short north-south with slightly different numbers on opposite sides of the 'square'. I'm betting its nowhere near a perfect 90 degree angle on any of the corners.
You everyone else is expecting us to grab the center corner and west quarter corner which are intervisible, punch a bar in the ground at a point along that line 375.0000000 feet to the west of the center corner, punch another bar in the ground 780.0000000 feet further west, set up on each of those corners, spin a 90 and punch bars in the ground 396.0000000 feet south of those setups. Two hours maximum, right. Wham, bam, it's all done but the paperwork.
Boy, howdy! Are they gonna be surprised or what? More like two days than two hours, plus a seven hour day today just doing research and traveling and plus some nifty drafting time to make it all look "purty" for when they get the bill. Probably should allow an extra hour or so to explain how we are really surveying everybody else's land (without monuments) at the same time we are surveying their little piece of Paradise.
"Surveyors are cynical by their very nature"
Boy, ain't that the truth. I'm learning to budget an extra hour or two just to handle the post payment phone calls explaining just exactly why that bill was so much more than what their realtor told them to expect. And it's almost always those jobs that everyone's telling you just how easy it's all going to be that gets me all puckered up. o.O
Just because I'm paranoid, doesn't mean they aren't out to get me.
How apropos, here's a note I fired off to a Realtor about 3 minutes ago,
names readacted...
Drtieha,
As I recall, I mentioned that a "typical" lot could be done for $xxx as noted (with quotes) on my website. A million dollar property, I think you'll agree, does not qualify as typical.
I Have attached the deed for the property which is anything but simple. A survey of this property will require very careful examination of the adjoining deeds and could get into some extensive surveying as it seems to be cobbled together from bits and pieces of adjoining lots.
I apologize for the misunderstanding, and I'll be sure to manage expectations better in the future.
At this time I am going to respectfully decline this project.
Here are the names of a couple of Surveyors who may be able to assist:
Diiai Deoerur 000.000.0000
Nuiswj Jweiardf 000.000.0000
Best wishes,
Jim
Your letter would have been a better one without the phrase "A million dollar property". It makes it sound like you are out to punish the rich guy for being rich. Simply calling it "This property" would have avoided that.