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The Importance of Being Surveyed
by Sheri Dixon (continued)

Have I regretted getting the loan?

Yes.

Have I fully appreciated the things we were able to do to our home with that money? Yes.

Are we repaying it as quickly as humanly possible? You betcha.The POINT of admitting to getting this note is that we needed to get a survey in order to do it. (And also to let others know that sometimes we do things we don't want to do, and it's OK. There is a lot of talk about striking out to the country 'debt-free' and I admit that that's the way to go if you are diligent, plan well and are very very lucky. Do not consider yourself a Homestead Failure if you need a mortgage to get you to a place of your own. Just get the best deal you can, the best rate you can, and work like the Devil to pay it off as soon as possible. Paying an extra $100 each month on the principal can decrease the term of your loan by up to 50%)

Back to the POINT.

Our survey cost us about $800 and once registered with the county raised our taxes exactly zero dollars, since the land area was correct in the legal description, but the measurements were what were wrong.

We are now correct, recorded, and most importantly, our house is firmly planted on our land.

Now that we are looking at new land to move our house to, we are finding it exasperating that 10 times out of 10, the realtor will NOT KNOW WHERE THE LOT LINES ARE on a parcel.

 How the heck are you supposed to be expected to make a serious offer without that knowledge? I guess if you are just looking for a hunk of land to plunk a McMansion down on, it doesn't matter how many trees there are, if the ridge or valley are part of the property or if that surface water is shared with another landowner.

It matters to me.

A lot.

Although I will not overlook a piece that states "no current survey available", if I got really serious about it, the seller and I would have to have a talk about getting one, and not at my expense.

A current, accurate survey is good insurance, both for the buyer and the seller. It is not a good feeling to stand at the end of your land and peer at your house floating independently of it. Knowing EXACTLY what you are buying provides peace of mind, and in the world of homesteading, between learning new skills and the fickleness of crops and livestock; we need all the peace of mind we can get.
 
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