Land Surveying – Why is it Important When Purchasing Vacant Land?

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If you are buying vacant land, you might assume that what you see is what you get. You could be wrong, though. That’s where land surveying comes into play. You want a land survey to know exactly what you are getting with your vacant land. If you skip this step, you could be in for a few unpleasant surprises.

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What Does the Survey Do?

The land survey tells you the legal boundaries of the property. It also tells you of any easements or encroachments present. This helps you know what you are dealing with when you buy the property. For example, if the utility company has an easement on the property, this is probably something you would want to know ahead of time.

These are the things the survey will provide at a minimum. If you pay a little more for the survey, you can also learn things like:

  • Who owns the adjoining property?
  • Is the property in a flood zone?

What are the Benefits of the Survey?

The survey offers many benefits, but most importantly, it helps you understand the legal description of your property. This way you know that you are getting all of the property that belongs to you after the purchase. You’ll know exactly where your property boundaries are located and what you can do with each area of the land.

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Other benefits of the survey include:

  • Prevent future issues with adjoining landowners
  • Know the potential use of your property if there are any easements
  • Know ahead of time if any encroachments exist

Basically, the survey is a professional opinion of the property and whether there are potential issues of its use in the future. Knowing ahead of time that a neighbor is encroaching on your property or that there is an easement can save you many headaches down the road. You can decide if it’s a battle you want to face or if you would rather find another piece of property without these issues.

The surveyor can also help you plan out any fencing or buildings you plan to put on the property. Knowing where you can safely put the items so that there are not any encroachments or other issues in the future is important.

A land survey may cost you more money, but it’s worth its weight in gold when it comes to figuring out what type of land you are getting. Finding out after the fact that there are issues with neighbors or that you cannot build on the land where you intended, it can be very difficult. Think of the survey as an investment in your property as well as your peace of mind.

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