ENGINEERING A BETTER FUTURE

This is a very good question. The answer? Wherever the original surveyor placed it. The original surveyor may have marked the corner of the parcel 200 years ago, or only 5 years ago. The equipment and techniques used have changed dramatically over the last two centuries. Arguably, the most dramatic changes have occurred in the last 35 years. When our surveyor, Bill Gallot, started surveying in 1973, he used a transit, a 100 foot steel tape, and a plumb bob. Now we use a total station that measures angles and distances electronically to three decimal places. We don’t even need to write the measurements down, as they are transferred directly to the data collector.

It is always wise to have a lot surveyed before you purchase it rather than to rely solely on the deed description. The deed description may have measurements to three decimal places or only to the nearest foot and degree. It may be very vague, listing abutters but not listing any measurements. A description that reads "by the land of John and Jane Doe" is specifying the land of John and Jane Doe as a monument. Other monuments, such as an iron pipe, a concrete bound, a brook or a tree, may be listed in the description. Monuments specified in the deed will take precedence over acreage or bearings and distances in determining boundaries. Thus the "6 acres more or less" in the deed may be found to be only 3.75 acres when the land is surveyed. The initial investment in the survey may save you from buying a parcel that you cannot use.

Give us a call to get a proposal to have your lot surveyed.

ENGINEERING A BETTER FUTURE

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