FAQs
How much does a survey cost?
Due to the nature of the work, there is no way to figure a per acre or per parcel type of price. Factors such as the legal description of the property, vegetation, & previous survey records are used when pricing a survey. Pricing a survey is free and can usually be done without leaving the office.
CAN I USE THE LEGAL DESCRIPTION FROM MY TAX BILL? WHERE CAN I GET MY LEGAL DESCRIPTION?
The only government entity that normally keeps deeds on file is the county Register of Deeds office. A copy of your deed may be obtained there, but it may take a little research. It is helpful to know the grantor/grantee and the year of the purchase. The legal description contained in a tax bill is generated by an assessor for assessing purposes, not for conveyance purposes. Since the description is only used for assessing purposes, usually they are shortened and abbreviated and may leave out important details that the original deed may have provided. The best place to get your legal description is from a deed, abstract, or title insurance commitment or policy.
There was a survey when I bought my property, why can't I find the property corners?
Most lenders only require a Mortgage Report for a loan. Unfortunately, most lenders, realtors, title insurance companies also usually refer to them as surveys or mortgage surveys. Mortgage reports are prepared for a lender so that they can be reasonably assured that there are no survey related issues that would be detrimental to the value of their loan. They do not include staking of property lines or corners. If you can find a copy of the drawing provided at closing it should state whether property corners were marked or not.
If there’s something you’re wondering about that’s not explained here, we’d love to talk to you about it!
How will my property be marked?
For most surveys, we will mark the property corners only. If the property has been surveyed before, our ultimate goal is to find the original property markers. Usually they are some type of steel rod or pipe. If we find an existing property corner, we will wrap it in pink flagging and place a 3' wood stake next to it. If we have to set a new property corner, we will place a 1/2" x 18" piece of re-bar with a plastic cap on top. The cap will be marked with "CLS" and our license number. This would also be wrapped with pink ribbon and marked with a 3' wood stake. Extra wood stakes may also be placed along a property line for an extra fee.
Do you use GPS? Is a GPS survey better than a conventional survey?
Yes, we do have real time kinematic (RTK) GPS that we use for surveys. GPS is just another tool in the surveyor's tool box. GPS enables us to use smaller field crews on some surveys and often speeds up the measuring process. GPS does however need fairly open sky and isn’t always the best tool of choice.
WHAT ARE THE PAYMENT METHODS I CAN USE?
Our accepted payment methods are cash check, and credit cards. Credit card payments can be taken over the phone. We also have an eCheck option available but customer would need to call for details. Accepted cards are VISA, MC, Discover, AE
Do you work in the winter?
Yes. Some surveys are more easily performed in the winter such as those that involve heavy vegetation, swamps, and/or wetlands.