6/5/11 – SURVEY YOUR SURROUNDINGS!

Buy land – get it surveyed!

Ever hear the term “no man’s land”?  If you buy land here in the NC mountains and don’t have a property survey completed before you own it, you may quickly learn the meaning of that “red flag” term.

“Why”, you ask.  Many large land parcels in the North Carolina mountains have not been surveyed for years – or decades.  The last time they were surveyed there were probably no calculators, computers or GPS.  In other words, there are sometimes great inaccuracies in those old deed descriptions and surveys.

“In the NC mountains, a land survey is a must”

A”no man’s land” is a piece of land, usually small, that appears neither on the property deed you are considering buying, nor the adjoining landowner’s deed.  In other words, it is owned by neither land owner.  Even worse, is the reverse situation – a property line “overlap”.  This occurs when two properties have a strip of land described in both adjoining landowners’ deeds.  In other words, they both claim title to it.  Boundary overlaps are easily discovered when you perform a land boundary survey.  The same goes for any “no man’s land” parcels between two properties.

If you buy  land in the NC mountains, don’t give in to the temptation to save money by not having a land survey performed by a licensed surveyor.  This can also buy you increased protection from such an event discovered too late – after you make the purchase.  With a current survey, title insurance will also protect your newly purchased land parcel.