One of the first steps in getting a land survey in Texas is to get quotes from potential surveyors who are capable of handling your job. The cost is not going to be a straightforward consideration—there’s no such thing as “one size fits all” surveying pricing. Instead, there are many details specific to your project that could affect the cost of the survey.
Here are just a few examples of factors that can increase or decrease the cost of your property survey.
The size of the lot
The more land you have to survey, the more expensive the survey is likely to be. This likely isn’t a surprise, but it’s certainly one of the considerations you’ll have to factor into the quote. A single-acre lot is going to cost a whole lot less than a property that spans dozens, hundreds or even thousands of acres, because it will take much more time and effort for the surveyor to complete the work.
If you live in a rural countryside area that does not have a fence, it will become even more difficult for your surveyor to determine the exact property line. In such circumstances, you can expect to see a bump in the cost of your final land survey. This is one of the reasons why rural Texas land surveys tend to be more expensive than urban surveys of similar property sizes—the difficulty of finding the correct boundary line increases in rural areas.
The type of terrain you have
The kind of terrain on the property will also significantly influence the amount of money you can expect to pay for a survey. The more difficult the terrain is to work with, the more you will likely be charged on the survey. Think of it in the same terms as a roof—the steeper the pitch, the more expensive a roofing job. The same is true with a survey.
What makes terrain particularly difficult? The presence of many trees, underbrush and other vegetation, and rough terrain such as hills or mountains will make the job a little more difficult. Disputed boundaries are also a factor, especially if there aren’t any significant natural markers that clearly delineate where one property ends and another begins (such as a body of water). Basically, anything that makes the surveyor’s job harder is going to make your survey more expensive.
Time put into research and travel
There are some properties that might already have a survey history in place. If this is true with your property, then the surveyor’s job becomes much easier—he or she can use work that has been done in the past as a point of reference. However, if more research is required to complete the job, the survey becomes more expensive. Time spent traveling to the job site also has an influence—longer trips mean higher survey costs.
If you’re interested in learning more about the cost of land surveys in Texas, we encourage you to contact the team at D.G. Smyth & Company today.