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What’s A Land Site Survey?

Importance of Land Survey

By Alice JacksonPublished 4 years ago 4 min read
What’s A Land Site Survey?
Photo by Valeria Fursa on Unsplash

Land surveying is the task of looking over an area (land prior to development) and assessing it thoroughly to see what it's like. The work can involve making general notes and maps, measuring boundaries, and compiling records of various legal instruments concerning the property.

Land surveying is a technique that allows professionals to survey and make accurate measurements on the land, such as determining the terrestrial position of various objects. The profession may involve both manual as well as machines.

These points have traditionally been used to help establish land maps and boundaries for the ownership of the area. Along with helping to map out locations and establish property lines, these points are typically used for government-required information or civil law purposes.

Why Land Survey is Important?

Property owners are able to survey their property at any time, but they normally go for a survey when buying or building a house.

It is always a good idea to have your land surveyed. Even if you don't plan on constructing, it will allow you to know exactly where the boundaries of ownership lie. Having a clear understanding of this information can help ease any future legal issues.

Boundary Surveys are useful in determining the boundaries of property. They can be created using natural or artificial boundaries and offer the exact measurements of your land.

You may need to hire a professional surveyor when:

  • Buying or selling a land or home
  • Splitting a single parcel of land among various owners or consolidating multi-owned parcels into one.
  • Installing septic systems, fences, and other improvements
  • Resolve Boundary Issues

How are Land Survey Made

When surveying a property (as covered by an example), different instruments can be utilized. An altimeter, for example, might be used to measure the distance in altitude to the ground - an important data point. Other tools like GPS are also useful in certain circumstances.

During a typical land survey, you can use the odolite to measure horizontal and vertical angles while also build points. Total stations are also common and you may have seen them on your commute. They are a lot like theodolites, but instead of measuring horizontal and vertical angles, they measure distance. When you have total station data from a survey, you can use Geographical Information System (GIS) software to create maps.

Types of Surveys

Mortgage Location Survey

A Residential MLS is typically ordered by a lender or title insurer to prove that the improvements on the property are accurate according to the legal description. This helps lenders & insurers to see what they're getting into before they commit. A survey plat must contain information gathered from site measurements, but not necessarily anything public domain.

A commercial MLS is a cost-effective substitute for ALTA surveys, provided you are willing to make some sacrifices in accuracy. The survey meets the same state standards as a residential MLS, so the lender only needs to accept the results of commercial MLS survey if they want your property.

ALTA Survey

The American Land Title Association Survey is used when purchasing, refinancing or improving a property. It ensures that there are no issues with the title of the property and helps ensure that you have access to the land.

A good way to evaluate the value of land is by using a survey from the American Land Title Association (ALTA). This ensures that it meets a high standard set by ALTA, and so you can be confident that homes or other buildings built on the land will last.

Boundary Survey

A Boundary Survey is the most basic type of land survey. By using this service, you can identify your property boundaries and see what they look like on a map.

Boundary Survey is the process of getting a snapshot of your land. It involves researching the public records and carrying out your research in the field before taking measurements and calculating certain things like distances. This type of survey comes in handy when it's time to put up fences, or get construction permits.

Topographic Survey

A topographic survey is a map of the elevations of a land surface. They often require field measurements and are contracted before making major improvements to your property, such as building a house or installing plumbing. A topographic survey is also used to discuss land use, such as the vertical limits for an ecological reserve or a park.

Topographic surveys are a necessary part of many real estate deals, and it is important to note that they can be expensive. A traditional topographic survey will take days or weeks of work and cost thousands of dollars, so homeowners may choose to do their own property survey instead.

Conclusion 

There are various disputes or inquiries that may change the worth of a property and require a solution. One such way to solve this is through administration of land surveys.

It can be useful to have an energy performance survey conducted on commercial properties and new homes, for various reasons. This could lead to the resolving of problems earlier, allowing the problem to be tackled before any issues affect your business.

If you’re looking to get a land survey, there are many different options and variations, so finding the right one for your needs is important to do properly.

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  • Peter Johnson2 years ago

    Devoted to accuracy and excellence, Fort Myers Land Surveyors is dedicated to providing surveying services tailored to residential, commercial, and infrastructure projects. Using cutting-edge equipment, our proficient surveyor team at https://fortmyerssurveyors.com produces accurate and comprehensive survey data. Whether you require property boundary surveys, topographic surveys, construction layout surveys, or floodplain surveys, our team is fully prepared to address diverse surveying requirements.

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