DUFFY Buyer Resource
Order a Survey
Order a Survey
It is very important to order a survey. Most lenders do not require a survey anymore so it is optional for you. However it is crucial that you have a survey done to protect yourself.
You have a right to know exactly what you are buying. Read below.
(This information is from Jill Elliott’s website, a closing attorney friend of Rhonda’s. Here is her take on the issue.)
When you buy a piece of property the Warranty Deed describes what you are buying in the Legal Description, not the street address. Just because the house you are buying has the address of 1313 Mockingbird Lane does not mean that the house sits on the land that you are purchasing in the Legal Description. There have been cases of houses built on the wrong lot or with the house built partially on the neighbor’s lot. Either way, you want to know before you buy.
Possible problems a survey would discover:
House over property line Fence over property line Driveway over property line House in Flood Zone Drainage Easements
House built over Zoning Building line House in violation or setback line Neighbor’s House on your lot
Neighbor’s fence over your Property line
Utility Easements under your home
Why should you get a survey even when there is a plat of the subdivision?
A Plat of the subdivision shows where your property lines are supposed to be. It will not show whether your house was built with-in those limits. It will not show if your house was built within the County Zoning Guidelines. It will not show if you are in violation of your Home Owner’s Association prescribed Setbacks. These are important items that you will want to know when
you purchase your home. You do not want the County showing up one day telling you your home is beyond the Building line and you have to tear it down.
Surveys typically cost between $300.00 and $500.00 sometimes more depending on the size of the lot and the difficulty of the job.
This is not a good place to try and save money. If you do not order the survey prior to closing, you take the property “as is.”