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Who pays for the property survey?
There’s no hard and fast rule designating who pays for the property survey in a home sale — it often comes down to who wants one. If the buyer wants it, the buyer pays. If the seller wants it, the seller pays. It can also be worked into a sale and negotiated between the buyer and the seller.
How much is a property survey?
The cost of a survey can vary based on where the home is located. If it’s an older subdivision that doesn’t have a lot of records about property lines, that will take longer and be more expensive.
“We’re doing one now where the subdivision was built in the 1890s,” Wilson said. “There’s very little monumentation [indicators of property lines — like fences, trees, streets, or even flags stuck in the ground along the lot lines], so we are doing a lot of interpretation and spending a lot more time on it. It’s going to cost more.”
The size of a property can change the cost, as well — it’ll take quite a bit longer to survey 40 acres than a half-acre. On the whole, though, both Gilbert and Wilson have seen property survey costs range between $400 and $1200. The lower end is usually for newer subdivisions, and the higher end is for older, Wilson says. According to Angi, the national average is about $2,300. HomeGuide says the average range is between $200 and $1,200.
Types of property surveys
So, you’ve decided a property survey might be a good idea, but did you know there isn’t just one kind? The type of survey you need depends on what you’re trying to figure out about the property. Here are a few common types you might hear about:
Boundary Survey
This is your basic, most common type of survey. It’s focused solely on finding and marking the official corners and boundary lines of your property. If you’re dealing with a fence dispute, planning a home addition near the edge of your lot, or just need peace of mind about where your property ends, this is the one you’re looking for. It gives you a clear visual of your legal boundaries.
Topographic Survey
If you’re planning any major construction, like adding a new wing or even a serious landscaping project, a topographic survey is super helpful. This goes beyond the boundary lines to map out the contours of the land, showing elevation changes (hills, slopes, etc.), and often includes the location of features like trees, bodies of water, and utilities. It helps builders understand the lay of the land for proper grading and drainage.
ALTA/NSPS Land Title Survey
This is the big kahuna of surveys, usually required for commercial properties or when a lender/title company needs maximum assurance. An ALTA (American Land Title Association) survey is incredibly detailed and must meet a strict national standard. It shows boundaries, easements, improvements, utilities, and potential encroachments, all designed to give the title company enough information to insure the title completely. For a standard residential sale, this is probably overkill and definitely more expensive, but worth knowing about!
Location Survey
Sometimes, lenders require a Location Survey for a home sale, but this is usually less detailed than a Boundary Survey. It confirms that the house and other improvements are actually located on the property and that they don’t violate any set-back requirements (how far they must be from the property line). It’s more about verifying the location of the structure relative to the boundaries than physically marking the property lines.
Subdivision Survey (or Plat Survey)
If you’re dealing with a larger parcel of land that’s being divided into smaller lots (like when a developer creates a new neighborhood), a Subdivision Survey is performed. This creates a detailed map (often called a plat map) that shows the street layout, common areas, and the individual lot boundaries and sizes, which then gets recorded with the local government.
Where can you get a property survey if you need one?
In some states, property surveys are public record — but in others, they aren’t. Check with your public records office first to determine if they have one. At the least, they might have a plat map, which shows the lot lines, buildings, and streets of a neighborhood. If none of that is accessible, you’ll have to do it on your own.
If you’re getting a new property survey…
If you’re starting out from scratch on a property with no survey already done, the easiest way to find a surveyor to do it is to search online. You could try Yelp, a simple Google search, or even the Yellow Pages. But the best option to find a reputable surveying company, Gilbert says, is to ask your real estate agent for a referral.
“They’re going to have people that are comfortable with and have prior experiences with,” he said.
They’ll also be able to tell you if you need one or not. For instance, if you’re adding a deck that is clearly well within the bounds of your property lines, you likely won’t need a survey for that project.
If you’re finding an old one…
Getting a property survey for a house that’s already had one will save you both time and money — assuming you know who did the survey. Wilson says most surveyors will give homeowners a copy of a previously ordered survey upon request.
Keep in mind, however, that if you weren’t the original person who requested the survey be done, you will still be charged a fee. According to Wilson, that fee is to cover the cost of updating the survey, redirecting it to a new owner, and covering any copyright costs.
“But it’s certainly going to be less than if I’m coming into an area I haven’t been in before and spending a lot more time getting a new survey pulled together,” he said. “I always encourage people to go back to the original surveyor because they’ve already done the job once. It’s easy to retrace it and update it.”
The bottom line when it comes to property surveys is this: They may not be needed, but they’re certainly a good idea. You never know what issues could come up during the home sale process, so unless you’re absolutely sure about your property lines, placement of the utilities, easements, and more, it’s worth it to spend the extra money in the name of minimizing future hassles.
Header Image Source: (Gorodenkoff/ Depositphotos)
