There are several circumstances in which we recommend having a survey performed. Here are the most common reasons our clients have requested our services:
During the purchasing process of a property as a part of your due diligence: A survey at this stage can alert you, as a buyer, to any potential issues that may be present that would not otherwise come up during the purchase process including encroachments and/or issues with the description of the property.
Prior to making any improvements to the property such as installing a fence, room addition, or landscaping: Having a survey done prior to these projects will ensure that you are not placing any of these costly improvements over or too close to your boundary lines.
When you are dividing up a larger tract of land into smaller parcels for sale: Dividing up a large tract of land into smaller parcels will always require the services of a licensed Professional Land Surveyor to mark the boundaries of the new lots and prepare a Plat describing the lots that will be filed at the Recorder of Deed office. The procedures for creating these plats vary depending on location, so it is always best to contact us in the early stages of planning so that we may assist you with budgeting and timelines for approval.
When selling a parcel of land not previously surveyed: When selling rural acreage, it is common to do so based on a price per acre of ground. Because the original surveys of these parcels in Illinois were so long ago, it is not uncommon to see large discrepancies between the reported acreages and the actually surveyed acreages.
When you believe that a neighbor may have encroached onto your property: Having a survey and plat drawn of your property will mark the line in the field and document the encroachment within a legal document that may be then used as evidence in legal proceedings if necessary.
To assist with the purchase of a flood insurance policy or to provide documentation to FEMA that your home is above the floodplain and hence not required to purchase flood insurance: Even if the elevations around your home or building are too low to be officially removed, having an elevation certificate prepared ensures that you are being provided with an insurance policy that is based on the appropriate level of risk that your property has of flooding.
