The Land Survey:  What It Is and Why It’s Indispensable

You’ve finally found it: a great house at a great price on a sweet little piece of land. Just sign the papers and it’s yours. At last you’ll have the room to build that pole barn you’ve been talking about! You know exactly where you’ll put it.

Or do you?

If a right-of-way cuts through the spot where you intend to build, then instead of tinkering in your shop, you could end up watching your neighbor drive his farm equipment across your property every day.

That’s one excellent reason why your property needs to be surveyed. A land survey does more than precisely delineate your property. It also reveals concerns that may not be readily apparent. Easements. Rights-of-way. Infringements on your property. Things that affect your rights as a land-owner—and your plans, and your finances.

What exactly is a survey?

According to one definition, a survey is:

“A map or plat made by a licensed surveyor showing the results of measuring the land with its elevations, improvements, boundaries, and its relationship to surrounding tracts of land. A survey is often required by the lender to assure him that a building is actually sited on the

land according to its legal description.”

In a nutshell, a survey is a legal record that tells you exactly

• where your property lines fall, and
• what you and others can or cannot do with your property.

That’s the kind of information you need to keep those new silver maples you bought for the front yard out of the path of the cable crew.

How accurate is a survey?

Extremely accurate. Using GPS (Global Positioning System), a data collector, computers, and a sophisticated device called a total station that employs infrared technology, surveyors today can define the boundaries of your property within millimeters.

What is a total station?

Wherever construction is underway or road work is being done, you’re apt to see someone working with a tripod-mounted total station. The traditional measuring tool of surveyors, a total station derives its name by combining a distance meter with a theodolite (a device used for measuring angles).

Here’s how a total station works: The station directs a beam of infrared light at a prism. The prism reflects the light back to the total station. The station then measures the time required for the light to return, and sends the results—including angles and slopes—to a data collector for storage.

A data collector?

Yes. A data collector does what its name implies: collects and stores all the data obtained in the field. That data is later downloaded into a computer, which resolves the various coordinates precisely.

A data collector also serves as a field computer, enabling on-site calculations for the proper placement of markers.

What are some of the things surveyors do?

• You’ll find surveyors performing just about any function under the sun that has to do with measuring land. Surveyors…perform boundary surveys for land owner

• conduct title surveys for real estate transactions

• create topographical maps

• split existing properties into new lots and subdivisions
• determine homesite elevations for flood insurance
• ay out buildings, subdivisions, and other construction projects so construction firms can connect engineering plans to actual conditions
• write legal descriptions of property
• and much more, from mapping river bottoms to defining corridors for roads, railroads, airports, pipelines, tunnels, and cellular networks

What kind of survey does Waterland Homes provide?

Waterland uses the standard ACT 132 survey to survey its properties. ACT 132 refers to Public Act 132 of 1970, which defines the minimum details required for a survey to be recorded with the register of deeds for a given county. The surveyor draws existing structures, as well as any easements that are visible on rights-of-way, subdivision maps, or other public records.

An ACT 132 covers the bulk of property rights issues. It does, however, have its limits. For example, it may not show easements which could affect as-yet-unbuilt structures. This is why we furnish a title insurance policy for every property sold. The policy identifies any other recorded easements or rights of ways, or other encroachments. While property rights are never one hundred percent failsafe, this potent combination of the ACT 132 survey and title insurance greatly reduces your risks and maximizes your security as a land owner.

The benefits are immense

• Informed decisions in your real estate purchases.

• Knowledge of your property and its potential.                     

• The ability to plan confidently regarding your land.

• The benefits of a land survey are priceless.

They’re one reason why you’ll appreciate working with Waterland Homes LLC. All of our properties have been carefully surveyed so you know the essential details of what it is you’re getting. Our title insurance covers the rest. No hidden, unpleasant surprises down the road. Just peace of mind, the confidence of working with experts who hold your needs and interests paramount—and the satisfaction of coming home at last to that piece of paradise you’ve always dreamed of.