Frequently Asked Questions About Land Surveying

How long does it take to get a Survey?
That also depends on the complexity of the survey, but most of my surveys are2 to 4 weeks. If you are going to need a survey, order as soon as you can. I do understand that things can slip through the crack, so if you are needing a survey to close on a property and forgot to order it, please call me and I will see what I can do to help
How can I pay for the Survey?
If you are going through a Title Company for a sale or purchase of a property, then we typically take payment directly from the Title Company at closing. If you need a survey of a property that you own and are not going through a Title Company, we take payment upon the completion of the survey. We accept Cash, check, or you can pay by credit or debit directly from the invoice.
Do I need a Boundary Survey?
If you are purchasing a property or have a property that you are going to build a home or fence on, I highly recommend getting a survey of the property. Most lenders will require a new survey on properties they are lending on. I have seen many real-life horror stories of people building a house, and when they go to sell, a survey shows that the house was not built completely on the property. I had a client who built a brick fence around their property, and when I surveyed it, the fence was built 8 feet into the roadway. A boundary survey can be expensive, but it can save you a lot of money in the long run.
What is the difference between an Improvement Location Report and a Boundary Survey?
A Boundary Survey is a detailed survey where the Surveyor retraces the deeded boundary lines of your property and the deeded boundary lines of your neighbor’s property to show any possible discrepancies, such as overlaps, vacancies, and encroachments. When the survey is completed, the Surveyor will have all boundary corner monumented and will provide the client with a detailed survey plat.
An Improvement Location Report is“the preparation of an improvement location report which is a narrative report, which may be accompanied by a sketch, and which is issued only to a title, abstract, or escrow company or a lending institution for their exclusive use; it shall not be represented by the surveyor as being a property boundary survey.” By law, a surveyor can not release this to a landowner. This report is a lot less expensive than a Boundary Survey. The Surveyor is also not certifying to the Boundary lines or any found monuments.
How much does a survey cost?
This is a difficult question to answer. There are many factors to the costof a survey such as: what type of survey that you need, the terrain of the property, the size of the property, the difficulty of researching the property, how long it has been since the property has been surveyed, how complex the survey is, and the market that you are in (a survey in Van Horn, TX will have adifferent cost than a survey in Truth or Consequences, NM). Please give me a call, and we can discuss your particular project. Jones Land Surveying does not charge for the initial consultation and research that is required to produce an accurate estimate.
