Find Your Property Line Before Building
Gregg Camp
Using a concierge style of discovery, I'm able to help clarify dreams to reality with 30+ years of real estate experience, as a broker. Serving Santa Cruz, Monterey, Pebble Beach and Carmel.
Do you have a home improvement project that extends to the edge of your property? Make sure you don’t encroach on your neighbor’s land by preemptively identifying your property’s boundaries. This involves a bit of research and effort but is well worth it in terms of keeping good relations with your neighbor(s) and the knowledge that you won’t have to move or redo a project that accidentally ends up outside your property.
Property lines can be moved
It is possible to revise property lines through the sale of land or an agreement with your neighbor. This involves a new lot line, a boundary line agreement which deeds the affected land and changing the legal description of all the properties involved. The easiest solution is just to complete a survey before the work is done and avoid the complications of assuming a fence or hedge accurately reflects the boundary. Hire a real estate attorney if you have a land dispute.
Find the lines fast
If you’re in a hurry or have a large or complicated piece of property, the fastest and/or easiest way to find your property lines is to hire a licensed land surveyor. The surveyor has specific equipment and technology to do the job efficiently and properly but it can be expensive.
All lines matter
Many properties have metal markers or pins identifying the corners of the property, but sometimes those markers have been buried or are hidden in bushes. If digging to locate the markers will need to be done, be sure to call 811 (the national call-before-you-dig number) so that utility lines can be identified.
Get the paperwork in order
The mortgage company should have provided them during the purchase transaction, but if you need another copy, check with your local assessor’s office to request the property deed (the legal description of your property) and plat map (an outline of your property in relation to other properties around it). You’ll need the information on these documents to identify the boundaries and landmarks used to set them.
Dig for your metal
Using the coordinates (that are not GPS) identified on the deed or if a marker is already visible, start measuring your property line from a “common point” or “place of beginning” (POB) in the appropriate directions to find each marker. Because the markers are most often metal stakes, a metal detector can be a helpful tool if the markers are buried or are hidden in landscaping. If possible, run a string from marker to marker then paint a line on the ground to have a visual identification of your property boundary.
Other resources
It might be worth checking with your county or municipality if they have a completed survey of your property. If so, it’s a public record and should be available to you for a small fee. Searching your county or assessor’s office website may also give you online options to identify your property records and borders via their Geographical Information System (GIS).
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Using a concierge style of discovery, I'm able to help clarify dreams to reality with 30+ years of real estate experience, as a broker. Serving Santa Cruz, Monterey, Pebble Beach and Carmel.
3 年Nice