Land Surveying
As part of the transfer of ownership, you’ll usually need to get an up-to-date survey of the subdivided land in the parcel. Surveying only needs to be done in a fee simple or similar transaction where there is subdivided land involved. Condominium ownership typically does not include land for personal use, and therefore measurement of the parcel is not required. A land survey costs a few hundred dollars, and takes anywhere from an hour to several hours depending on the size of the lot and the number of unique features it contains.
Land surveying and development is a skillset that will never go out of style as long as real property is owned by individuals. Since our society no longer ascribes to the belief that all things should be shared by everyone like Native Americans believed, we will always have a reason to “mark our territory,” and that is essentially what the surveying process does. Surveying companies are continually taking advantage of updates in technology, so newer tools used by surveyors are allowing them to take faster and more accurate measurements of a property’s boundary lines and terrain features.
The Plat
The result of a good land survey is a precise plat – a scale, top-down map of the parcel showing its exact placement on the earth; its geographic location, length, width, area, and elevation. Man-made structures must be outlined, described, and measured, so the plat could be used by anyone coming onto the property to do work or find an object. The finished page looks similar to a blueprint, except that it does not go into three-dimensional depth or sideways views of any structure or terrain element.
The plat is also useful when it comes time to make improvements to your property. When you want to put in your white picket fence and the swing set in the backyard, you have to make sure those objects stay on your property and are not placed in your neighbors’ yard or on municipal lands.