It can be an amazing experience to enjoy a custom-designed home for you and your family. It’s also essential to fully protect this major financial investment from unscrupulous or careless builders, encroachments, possible defects, and any future hassles that might arise.
Why Is a Land Survey Necessary for a New-Build Home?
When building a new home, a land survey, specifically a boundary survey rather than a mortgage location, can identify things such as a flood zone, property lines, encroachments from neighbors, lot dimensions, building setbacks, and property elevations. Old surveys, fences and trees, or even the previous landowners’ assurance do not establish the exact boundaries of a property, only a land survey can do that.
In addition, a land survey can provide additional important pieces of information needed for the closing including, but not limited to:
- Confirming the dimensions of the property
- Plotting easements of record such as for utilities and access provided from the title search;
- Detailing encroachments that affect the property.
The Role of a Land Surveyor in Buying Land
Beyond designing and building your dream home, building on your own lot requires additional steps in the building process. One of the most important is to involve a land surveyor when purchasing any piece of property, developed or undeveloped. A land survey can help to avoid issues such as an unclear title or a plot of land that cannot be built on legally. Hiring a land surveyor before the purchase can help you avoid long and drawn-out disputes that could stall your intended construction project for years.
According to McSteen’s Director of the Survey Department, Ryan Snezek, PS, “This allows the property owner, developer, architect, and engineer to know exactly what they are dealing with because it is much better to know upfront than to find out later once the project has already started.”
A land survey also satisfies certain requirements put forth by the lending institution and the title company.
While the builder’s agent will provide plenty of information, they’re always going to be on the side of the construction company. Prospective buyers need a knowledgeable broker with experience in new homes who will represent their interests through the complexities of this process and help them get the answers they need.
A land survey provides essential details about the property and confirms that the builder has built the home within the right boundaries, preventing any potential battles with neighbors over property lines.
Buying land and building a home in Ohio is oftentimes a family’s largest investment, and a land survey can help to ensure you buy a plot of land that will meet your needs. With 50+ years of experience in land services in all 88 counties of Ohio, and in surrounding counties in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Indiana, and Kentucky, McSteen is a leader in the industry.
Contact us or order a survey and let our team of survey professionals take on your surveying needs.
