The survey: the cheapest document that stops the most expensive surprise

A survey is a drawing of what is really there: the boundary lines, the footprint of the structures, the driveway, the fences, the pool cage, and every recorded easement crossing the parcel. The reason it matters at closing is that the owner's title policy contains a general exception for anything an accurate survey would disclose. Deliver a current survey and that exception can usually be removed, which converts a category of unknown risk into either coverage or a specific, known fact the buyer decided to accept. What surveys turn up, over and over: a fence built three feet onto the neighbour, a shed sitting on a utility easement, a driveway that crosses the line, an addition that extends past the building setback, a pool that was permitted for a different footprint. None of these are discoverable by walking the property. All of them are the buyer's problem the day after closing. Easements are the quieter half. A utility easement can mean a company has the right to dig, and that a planned pool or addition is not going to be approved. A drainage easement can mean part of the lot cannot be built on at all. Lenders often require one, but "the lender required it" is not the same as "the buyer read it". Ask for the survey in the inspection period, look at it next to the plan for the property, and raise anything that does not match while cancelling is still free. This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules change and every deal is different — check your own case with a licensed professional. Alberto Zaltzberg — Adonait · adonait.com