If you’re purchasing a home for the first time, there are a variety of steps you’ll want to make sure you get done correctly. You aren’t likely to forget about conducting a home inspection, because this is almost certainly going to be a required condition of your purchasing the property. But many people fail to consider the benefits of having a survey performed on the property as well.
A land survey is a type of legal documentation that indicates the exact property boundary lines, as well as the location of your house and any other structures on the property (such as a garage or shed). Here are just a few reasons why it’s important to get a survey done as a homebuyer, and some tips for doing so:
- Clearly determine the boundaries of your property: As the new owner of a home and the piece of land on which it sits, it can be very helpful to have an accurate and official record of where your property starts and ends. There should be historical boundary lines for your property that clearly define its limits. If your home is newly constructed in a new lot, then the boundary surveyor in Terlingua, TX may need to mark out the property boundaries themselves. In either case, understanding exactly where your boundaries are located is critical for building fences, putting on additions to your home, adding pools or adding sheds or garages.
- Use them to resolve disputes with neighbors: You may find over the course of your homeownership that some disputes can arise with neighbors about where the property lines are located. In many cases, there is no ill intent here—people just tend to operate based on assumptions of where the property lines are located, and often assume that a fence, shed, driveway or deck has been placed in the correct area by previous owners. This isn’t always true, and a survey can officially reveal where the boundary lines exist so you can more easily solve—and prevent—disputes with your neighbors.
- Use them to determine right of ways: There are some rights that allow other people limited use of your property, including rights of way and easements. Defining where a right of way is located will make it easier to determine where to place a path that allows travel over your property or a neighbor’s property. The same is true for setting up easements that allow for better drainage and utility access.
- Determine which regulations apply to your property: Cities and neighborhoods often change regulations that can affect how and where you can build on your property. If you need a building permit for a specific type of job, a surveyor can be useful in helping you with that process.
These are just a few examples of some of the considerations you’ll want to take into account as a first-time homebuyer. For more information about the benefits of working with boundary surveyors in Terlingua, TX, we encourage you to contact our team of professionals at D.G. Smyth & Company today.