To Survey or Not To Survey
By: Kyle Jensen, Esq.
Clark, Campbell, Lancaster & Munson, P.A.
Q: Should I obtain a survey for real property I am purchasing?
There are many issues a buyer must consider and pitfalls a buyer must avoid when purchasing real property, regardless of whether the buyer is acquiring a large commercial center or the buyer’s first home. Accordingly, an experienced buyer will thoroughly investigate prospective real property to determine whether such real property is suitable for the buyer’s intended purposes. One of the most important steps buyers often take when investigating real property is to obtain a survey.
A survey of real property is, in part, a depiction of the real property that portrays its boundary lines and dimensions and all of the improvements, easements, and other attributes located within the real property. The survey allows the buyer to, among other things, confirm the actual boundaries and dimensions of the real property, confirm none of the neighboring properties’ improvements encroach upon the real property, and confirm none of the improvements located on the real property encroach upon any easements or encroach into any adjacent property.
Once a survey is obtained, the buyer should thoroughly review the survey, with the assistance of a knowledgeable real estate attorney if possible, to determine there are no major defects on the real property, and that the real property is suitable for the buyer’s intended uses. For example, if a buyer purchases a residential home with the intention of constructing a porch on the back of the home, the buyer should confirm there are no easements or other encumbrances running behind the home that would prevent the buyer from constructing such porch; or if a buyer purchases a commercial property within a busy commercial center, the buyer should confirm none of the improvements located within the real property, such as the building sign, encroach upon the adjacent property.
The failure to obtain, or thoroughly inspect, a survey of real property can cause significant problems for the buyer after closing. In the examples above, the buyer of the residential property may be prohibited from constructing a porch in his or her back yard because the buyer failed to discover a utility easement in favor of a local utility company running behind the home; or the buyer of the commercial property may be required to demolish and rebuild its sign because it failed to discover the sign was actually located on adjacent property.
Therefore, while it may be tempting for a buyer to forego obtaining a survey in an attempt to save money, failure to obtain a survey can actually cost a buyer money in the long run, and, in the most severe of situations, may result in the buyer being unable to utilize the real property for the buyer’s intended purposes.
Kyle Jensen is an attorney with the law firm Clark, Campbell, Lancaster & Munson, P.A. in Lakeland. Questions can be submitted to thelaw@cclmlaw.com.