The land a home sits on is just as valuable, if not more valuable, than the house itself. However, many homeowners don’t know where their property ends and their neighbor’s begins.
If you’re interested in buying a property, you should know exactly where the boundaries lie so that you can avoid legal disputes with neighbors and plan appropriately for home improvements. A property survey is the best tool to discover this information.
Here in the Temecula Valley, most of the homes I sell sit inside recorded tract maps, so the boundaries in Redhawk, Paloma Del Sol, Paseo Del Sol, and Spencers Crossing are usually well documented and the survey pins are already in the ground from when the tract was built. That is why a lot of my buyers never think about a survey at all. Where it starts to matter is the moment you step outside a tract. Acreage in Wildomar, the unincorporated pockets around Menifee and Romoland, horse property, and older custom lots off the main corridors are a completely different situation, and I have watched more than one buyer assume a fence line was the property line when it was not even close.
What Is a Property Survey?
A survey is an official confirmation of your property’s boundaries and features, both natural and man-made. It includes a map of your property and a written document with detailed information about the survey’s findings.
Different types of surveys offer different information about the land, and some are more comprehensive than others. The following are some of the most common areas that are covered in a property survey:
Property Lines
The main purpose of a survey is to identify the land’s boundaries. You may have a general idea of where your property ends, but the survey will discover the exact boundary line so that you and your neighbors have no question about whom the land belongs to.
Permanent Fixtures
A mortgage survey, also known as a physical survey, will map out all of the permanent fixtures and structures on your property. This includes the following:
- Buildings
- Driveways
- Sheds
- Pools
- Decks
- Fences
- Sidewalks
- Utility Lines
Surveys sometimes include the locations of underground lines on the property. This can be especially helpful if you hope to build on the land as you can plan your project based on the location of the utility lines.
Elevation Changes
A topographic survey measures the elevation of both man-made and natural features on the property, including buildings, roads, trees, and water sources. This type of survey is necessary if you want to build on the land because it allows for precise planning and design.
Flood Areas
A survey can reveal if any of the land is within a flood zone. If you haven’t purchased the property yet, this information might make you rethink your offer. If you already own the land, you can use the information to reduce the risk of damage to your property in the event of a flood.
Flood zones are worth taking seriously in Southwest Riverside County, and not just because of the lender. Parcels near Murrieta Creek, Temecula Creek, Santa Gertrudis Creek, and stretches of Lake Elsinore can carry flood zone designations that surprise buyers who assumed we are too dry out here for that to be a real issue. A survey with elevation detail can tell you exactly which part of the lot sits in the mapped zone, and sometimes that information supports an elevation certificate that lowers a flood insurance quote. If you are looking at anything near a creek bed or a low point in the valley, ask me about it before you write the offer, not after.
Easements
A survey may reveal an easement, which is a legal agreement that allows another person or group to use the land for a specific purpose. For example, an easement may allow a utility company to place a power line on your property.
Benefits of Getting a Property Survey
Whether you already own a property or are thinking about making an offer, getting a survey offers several benefits. Here are some of the key advantages of investing in a land survey:
Supports Planning for Property Improvements
Your town or city will probably require you to get a survey before you complete any major construction projects, such as building a new home or accessory dwelling unit on the property. Getting a survey before you install a fence, pool, or other structure will also help you avoid mistakenly building on a neighbor’s land.
The earlier you complete the survey, the better. With the information from the survey, you can plan your building project with precision and avoid costly mistakes.
Assesses Environmental Risks
Some surveys reveal information about the grading of your land, which can tell you whether the land has experienced erosion or is at risk of flooding. These issues can pose a serious threat to your house, shed, or other structures on the land.
Becoming aware of the concerns is the first step toward correcting them. If you haven’t purchased the property yet, you could also use this information to re-negotiate the deal.
Reduces Neighborhood Disputes
Nobody wants to deal with a property line dispute. If you accidentally build on a neighbor’s land, you could be facing a lengthy and expensive legal battle. If you think a neighbor has built on your land, a survey will confirm your suspicions.
Knowing the exact boundaries of your property can help with other conflicts, too. For example, if a tree falls near the property line, your survey can confirm who is responsible for the damages.
Helps When Refinancing or Selling
Your mortgage lender might require a land survey for you to refinance your mortgage. Having a recent survey on-hand can expedite this process.
An up-to-date property survey can also be a great tool when selling your home. You can offer it to prospective buyers during showings or open houses. When buyers know that you’ve done your due diligence, they’ll be more confident about making an offer.
Do You Need a Property Survey Before Buying a Home?
In some cases, mortgage lenders require a property survey before approving an application. Other times, they rely on the title search to identify the property’s boundaries and features.
You don’t necessarily need a survey unless your lender requires one, but it’s wise to get one if you plan to do any building or make improvements to the property. Unfortunately, it’s always possible that the survey will reveal unexpected information about the land’s true boundaries. It’s better to have this information before you make an offer than to find out when you start a construction project.
You could check with your local courthouse or town office to see if they have an old survey of the lot on record. The deed may also have information about the property’s dimensions and boundaries. However, old surveys can be inaccurate since older equipment was less reliable than today’s technology.
Making an Offer With a Property Survey Contingency
If you want to get a survey before closing on a house, you could include a survey contingency in your offer. This contingency will allow you to re-negotiate the sale or exit the deal if the survey reveals any concerns with the property line.
Be aware that a property survey can take several days to months to complete. If you include a survey contingency in your offer, you should act immediately to schedule the survey so that you don’t delay your closing.
How Much Does a Property Survey Cost?
The cost of a property survey ranges significantly based on the location, the size of the lot, and what information is included in the survey. On average, a land survey costs $2,300. You can expect a basic survey on a small lot to cost less, but a comprehensive survey on a large plot of land could cost $10,000 or more.
The practical version of this for my clients usually comes down to one question. Are you planning to build anything? If you want an ADU, a pool, an RV pad, a block wall, or you are eyeing one of the larger lots in Menifee or out toward Wildomar where the setback rules get real, a survey pays for itself the first time it keeps you from pouring concrete on the wrong side of a line. If you are buying a standard tract home in Murrieta or Temecula with an existing block wall and no plans beyond paint and flooring, you probably do not need one. I would rather tell you to save the money than sell you a step you do not need.
Property Surveys Provide Valuable Knowledge
A survey reveals valuable information about a property’s boundaries, structures, elevation, easements, and more. When making an offer on a home, knowledge is power. The more you know about the property, the better.
It may sound like just another hoop to jump through before your closing date, but a property survey is a valuable and important step when buying a house. If you’re in the market for a home, talk to your real estate agent about whether you should request a survey as part of your offer.
Want to understand why two homes on the same street can be worth very different numbers? Read Understanding Micro-Location, Why The Same Street Has Different Prices.