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The Voices of Land blog

Get insight on current land trends and issues from experts across the land real estate industry.

08Jul

Everything You Need to Know About Getting A Land Survey

Before purchasing or selling land, you should have a professional survey the area. A land survey tells you a lot about the property. Without a land survey, you can’t make informed decisions that will help you understand what the property offers and its full value.

The Top Benefits Of A Land Survey

Crucial information that you will learn from a professional land surveyor about a property includes:

  • A property’s precise boundaries.
  • The specific locations of structures, additions, and improvements.
  • Any slopes or other geographic features that could affect the land’s use.
  • The location of easements and utilities.
  • Whether any of the land is in a floodplain.

How Land Surveyors Do Their Jobs

Surveying land means taking extremely accurate measurements over long distances. Today’s surveyors use technology to improve accuracy and save time. Surveyors often choose their tools according to the project’s needs. Popular tools include:

  • Theodolites, optical instruments used to measure angles.
  • Altimeters that measure slopes.
  • Total stations, electronic distance measurement devices that also help when leveling surfaces.
  • Global Positioning Systems (GPS) that can use satellites to take extremely accurate measurements.
  • 3D scanners that can capture changes in elevation.

Modern land surveyors also use software developed to combine information from several devices. The software makes it possible to create detailed land survey reports that are easier for ordinary people to read.

Why You Need The Benefits Of A Land Survey

Some of the benefits of having information from land surveys are pretty obvious. For example, you need to know the precise property lines before you can determine a plot of land’s acreage and value. Some of the benefits, though, aren’t so obvious to people looking to buy or sell land.

Deciding Whether Land Fits Your Intended Use

A property’s features determine what you can do with the land. If you want to start a vineyard, then you may need sloped land that drains well.

Even the direction of the slope can matter. People who want to start orchards, for instance, need to pay close attention to whether sloped land faces north or south. When growing apples during autumn, you want trees to grow on a northern-facing slope if possible. During the spring, your trees will get better light on a southern-facing slope.

Knowing Where You Can Build Structures on Land

Building structures like houses, barns, and sheds can improve the land’s usefulness and value significantly. You can’t, however, just start building a large structure without knowing things like the land’s slope and the location of underground pipes and utility lines. The moment you break ground, water could come gushing from the hole making a costly mess. Suddenly, you have to delay your plans and spend money repairing the broken pipe.

A land survey provides the information that you need to choose the right locations for your structures. What you learn about your land could help you save money and finish your construction project faster.

How To Find A Credible Land Surveyor

You can’t accept anything less than perfection from your land surveys. A survey that doesn’t correctly identify the location of underground electrical wires could have serious consequences when you start adding structures to your property. Inaccurate measurements could also lead to lawsuits with neighbors who want to protect their property lines and leave you short-changed on your acreage.

Don’t take any chances when hiring a local land surveyor. Instead, talk to a qualified land expert who can recommend credible land surveyors in your area.

Qualified land consultants work with qualified land surveyors frequently to ensure the land transactions the handle go smoothly. They know who you can and cannot trust to do a good job. Also, they know enough about land surveying that they can spot the difference between decent and excellent surveyors as well as work with a surveyor to make sure all of your needs are best met.

Find a land consultant in your area to help you hire a professional land surveyor who knows how to provide the detailed, accurate services you deserve for your money.

About the Author

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