If you’re going to be selling land, it’s a good idea to make sure it’s been surveyed recently. An up-to-date and accurate survey of the land will make sure the the legal property lines listed on the deed are accurate, and any discrepancies between neighboring land owners can be addressed.
How recent is recent, you ask? Well, that depends on the type of land. If it’s in an area of low development, where not much construction has taken place, five to ten years old would be appropriate. Any older than that and it’s a good idea to have it surveyed again, just to make sure there are no inaccuracies.
For areas where there has been a lot of activity, you’re going to need to have a much more recent survey on record. It’s possible that a building, road, or even a fence has been placed over the property line, and there could be legal issues to deal with before a sale can be completed.
There could also be what’s referred to as a remainder tract, which is the result of a partial sale of a larger piece of land. A 100 acre tract of land that has 20 acres cut out of it and sold may have only had the 20 acre section surveyed at the time of sale. In order for the remaining 80 acres to be sold, it needs to have its own survey performed. Legally speaking, the 20 acres can’t be simply deducted from a previous survey of the full 100 acres.
