FAQ
For a list of old surveying units of measurement, click
here.
Below are answers to the most frequently asked questions of
surveyors.
How big is an acre?
What is a vara?
How much will it cost to get my land surveyed?
Who pays for a survey?
Where can I get a copy of the survey of my property?
Why do you charge for copies of surveys?
What marks my property corners?
Where can I get a copy of my deed?
How long is a survey good?
I've been told that I can save money by using the seller's old
survey. Is this a good deal?
What is the 100-Year Flood Plain?
What is an easement?
What is an ALTA Survey?
What is a Category 1A Survey?
I want to build on my property and the city says that I have to have
it "platted". What do I do?
Where can I find information on platting/developing my property?
I need some land surveyed outside the DFW Metroplex. How can I find
a surveyor?
My fence has been up for more than seven years so according to state
law it is the property line, right?
Got a question we haven't answered? Ask us here.
How big is an “Acre”?
1 Acre = 43,560 square feet.
An acre of land in the shape of a square has dimensions of approximately 208.71 feet on all sides.
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What is a “Vara”?
1 Vara = 33-1/3 inches. A vara is an old Spanish measurement. When Mexico won its
independence from Spain, the vara was continued as the official land
measurement. Both the Republic of Texas and the State of Texas
continued to use the vara for land measurement. However, it was not
until 1914, that the state officially established the length of a
vara as 33-1/3 inches.
In truth, no one really knows exactly how
long a vara was and there is some evidence that its length was
somewhat arbitrary. Spain used the vara as the official measurement
in all of its colonies yet each former colony has a slightly
different, "official" length of the vara. For a fairly complete
listing of old surveying measurements, click
here. If you have an
old deed written in varas, rods, poles or chains and are trying to
convert the distances to feet, try this
measurement converter.
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How much will it cost to get my land surveyed?
Probably the most frequently asked question. The cost of a survey
depends on several variables: the size of the property; the type of
property; the type of survey being done; the purpose of the survey;
the number and size of improvements on the property; and the terrain
of the property.
The best way to get a cost estimate for your
particular property is to determine the type of survey you need.
Then contact us with as much
information about the property as you have. We will be happy to
provide you with a no-obligation quote.
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Who pays for a survey?
In residential transactions, the cost of a survey is usually
included in the purchaser's closing costs since it is their mortgage
company which requires it. Otherwise, like most everything else in
real estate, payment for the survey can be negotiated between the
buyer and the seller. Payment for other types of surveys is the
responsibility of the person requesting the survey.
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Where can I get a copy of the survey of my property?
Unlike some states, land boundary surveys are not recorded in Texas.
Use of a survey for a real estate transaction is through a license
for the original transaction only. The only way to get a copy of an
old survey is to contact the Surveyor who prepared it. Depending on
what you intend to use it for, the Surveyor may be willing to
provide you with additional copies for an appropriate fee.
Like any other intellectual property, a survey is a copyrightable work
and belongs to the Surveyor who prepared it. A word of warning,
copying a survey is a violation of federal law [17 U.S.C. §
504(a)(1)]. Making illegal copies of a survey could result in
damages ranging up to $150,000.
If our firm surveyed your property, you may purchase copies from us.
To purchase a copy of an old survey that we performed, download the
Survey Copy Request Form, fill it out
completely and mail it to us with your payment.
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Why do you charge for copies of surveys?
As an expert's opinion on land boundary location, a survey belongs
to the one who prepared it (the Surveyor). We currently possess
records on over 45,000 surveys going back to the 1940's. As you can
imagine, the storage, cataloging, maintenance and retrieval of these
files is a major expense for our firm. In order to help defray this
expense, we charge an Archive Retrieval Fee whenever someone request
a copy of an old survey.
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What marks my property corners?
Property corners can be marked with a variety of materials. In
the 1800's, Surveyors typically did not carry monuments with them.
The surveyors would create a property corner monument using whatever
materials were available. This usually meant piling up some rocks or
hacking a nearby tree. Within the City of Fort Worth, many of the
lot corners of the older neighborhoods were marked with wooden
stakes made from Bois D'arc trees. Other items used in times past
were pieces of buggy springs and later, car axles.
The most common material used today is iron rebar. Currently, the
rules of the Texas Board of Professional Land Surveying require that
wherever practical, all new monuments have an identifying marker which
ties the monument to the surveyor who placed it. The size and material
of all property corners should be shown on the survey plat.
Other items that might mark property corners include: iron pipes;
wooden stakes; poured concrete monuments; crosses or other figures
cut into concrete; and masonry nails driven into asphalt pavement.
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Where can I get a copy of my deed?
Deeds are recorded by the County Clerk of the county in which the
property is located in. The County Clerk also records liens,
covenants and restrictions placed upon property, as well as plats.
Copies of all real property documents are kept on
file by the County Clerk of the county the property is located in.
Both the
Dallas County Clerk and the
Tarrant County Clerk offer copies of more recent deeds for free
online. If you can't find your deed online, you may have to
personally visit the appropriate county clerk's office.
While copies are available for free online, an "official" paper copy
from the county clerk's office will require you to pay a fee.
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How long is a survey good?
A survey is like a photograph of a piece of property. It is only
accurate as long as the conditions upon, and surrounding the property
remain unchanged. State law sets the statutory limit for liability
for surveyors. Finally, if you are borrowing money to finance the
purchase of property, your lender may require a survey to have been
made within a certain length of time.
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I've been told that I can save money by using the seller's old
survey. Is this a good deal?
No its not. There are at least three things you should consider
before doing this.
The use of old surveys has grown exponentially in the last few
years. This usually involves the seller providing a copy of an old
survey and signing an affidavit stating that there have been no
changes to the boundaries of the property. Ask yourself, how can the
average person know this? Furthermore, doesn't the seller have every
motivation to "forget" issues that could possibly delay the closing?
We recently learned of a situation where a couple spent over a
quarter of a million dollars on a piece of property. The seller told
them that there was no need for a new survey, they could use his
five year old one. They closed on the deal, accepting his old
survey. Shortly after taking possession of the property, the
neighbor informed the couple that their fence was over on his
property and demanded that they remove it, threatening legal action
if they did not. The fence had been built after the seller's survey
was done, so the couple had no way of knowing where the fence was is
in fact located. Now they are looking at not only paying for an up
to date survey, but possibly retaining legal counsel as well. Real
estate transactions can involve substantial sums of money. Would you
invest $100,000 in a business and let the seller audit his own
books? If not, then why would you invest that much, if not more, in
a real estate deal where the seller is in effect doing his own
survey? Lenders see the use of old surveys as a way to make the
transaction faster and cheaper. While we are not opposed to
streamlining the closing process, it's your money. Whether you want
to make sure you know what you are getting for it is up to you.
Secondly, using an old survey provides no protection to you if a
question or problem arises. A survey is done for specific parties,
for a specific transaction. If you are not a party to that
transaction, the surveyor has no duty or obligation to assist you in
any way. The only way to have a complete and honest evaluation of
the property you are purchasing is to have a survey done for you.
Lastly, don't you want to actually see what you are buying? A
current survey will result in the property corners being prominently
marked so that the layman can physically see what he is purchasing.
If you want to spend tons of money based on the sellers guess of
where the boundaries of the property are, go ahead. However, you
should know that under English common law, it is assumed that the
buyer and seller actually saw the boundaries of the property being
conveyed. If you chose not to, and a problem or question arises,
well that's too bad, as a matter of law, the courts will assume that
you knew what you were buying.
Having said all this, we will offer some advice on saving money on a
survey. If the seller gives you a copy of his survey and it is
fairly recent, we suggest you contact the surveyor who prepared it
and ask about "updating" it. The surveyor will come out to the
property, remark the property corners and note the changes on the
survey plat. Then you will have an up-to-date survey you can rely
on.
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What is the 100-Year Flood Plain?
Areas shown as a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) on the Flood
Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) published by the
Federal Emergency
Management Agency for a particular community. These areas are
darkly shaded on the FIRM. Property which lies in a SFHA has a 1
percent chance of being flooded in any given year.
Answers to more questions about flood plains and flood insurance can
be found here.
If you need an Elevation Certificate to obtain flood insurance,
please click here.
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What is an easement?
An easement is the right to use the land of another. Title to the
land remains in the owner. However, use of the land is subject to
the easement. The most common type of easement is a Utility
Easement. A Utility Easement grants to all public utility companies
the right to use that strip of land for their systems. Easements can
also be for other uses such as access and drainage.
Easement can be dedicated by the property owner by adopting a plat.
Or, an easement can be granted though the execution of a written
document,
which is similar to a deed. Rather than granting the right of a third party
to use a piece of land for say, the installation of a sewer line,
easements can also be granted to prohibited certain activities. For
example, and easement might granted on land near an airport that
prohibits building above a certain height. Easements almost always
continue in force upon future landowners so your property can be
impacted by easements granted by property owners many years ago.
For this reason, if you are considering purchasing property,
it is important to obtain a Title Commitment from a title company
and retain the services of a surveyor to advise you on whether any
easements affect your property.
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What is an ALTA Survey?
The correct name is, ALTA/ACSM Land Title Survey. An "ALTA Survey"
is a survey done in accordance with the standards jointly
established by the American Land Title Association and the
American
Congress on Surveying and Mapping. Surveying practices vary across the country. These two groups came together to publish a
nationwide standard for surveys. By requesting an "ALTA Survey", a
lender, buyer or other interested party can be assured of acquiring
surveys from across the country that consistently meet the same
standards.
If your lender or attorney has advised you to obtain an,
"ALTA Survey", you should download the
2005 Minimum Standard Detail
Requirements for ALTA/ACSM Land Title Surveys, complete Table A,
and submit it to your surveyor with
your survey request.
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What is a Category 1A Survey?
A Category 1A Land Title Survey is a survey prepared in accordance
with the standards and specifications published by the
Texas Society
of Professional Surveyors. This type of survey is most often
performed on non-residential property and is specifically designed
to meet the needs of title insurance companies.
More information on this type of property survey is available
here.
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I want to build on my property and the city says that I have to
have it "platted". What do I do?
First let us welcome you to the world of real estate development.
Next, if you haven't already, carefully look over all of the
information in our Development Surveys section. If you are ready to proceed,
contact us and we will be happy to assist you. One word of warning
though. City officials often make the platting process seem like
nothing more than a little paperwork. The reality is that the
process is often a time consuming, expensive process.
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Where can I find information on platting/developing my property?
You can start with our list of
Local Planning Departments. If your
city isn't listed then look up your city up in the blue pages of the
phone book. You will need to find the Planning Department.
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I need some land surveyed outside the DFW Metroplex. How can I
find a surveyor?
The best method is through a referral. If you know people in the
area, ask them for a recommendation. If local people can't recommend
any surveyors in the area, ask them if they know any real estate
lawyers, brokers, builders or title company people who may have need
of surveying services on a regular basis.
If you can not find someone to recommend a surveyor or two to you,
we suggest you visit the web site of the
Texas Society of Professional
Surveyors (TSPS). On the left side, click on the link marked
"Find a Surveyor." Use the scroll down box to select the county the
property is located in and press "Submit." You will be presented
with a list of T.S.P.S. members in the county the
land is located in along with their phone numbers. To prevent spam,
the site does not provide email addresses.
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My fence has been up for more than seven years so according to state
law it is the property line, right?
Wrong. We've heard this one so many times we'd love to know where it
started. The idea of a fence becoming the property line has its
origins in the legal principle of Adverse Possession.
Adverse Possession is the process by which a person acquires title to
land by occupying it in defiance of another. However, occupying the land
is just one of five conditions that must be met in order to claim
land by adverse possession. Since we don't claim to be lawyers we
won't offer a legal treatise on the subject here. However we can
confidently state that there is no such law in Texas.
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