Article courtesy of Colorado Registered Land Surveyor, Michael P Allen, PLS 18970
One of the most important investments in your life is the purchase of “real” property. Real property, or real estate, has historically always appreciated in the long term. Pagosa Springs, Colorado is one of the few resort communities where land is still available at a reasonable price. This is why we see an influx of people to the Archuleta County.
When a contract is prepared for the purchase of your new property, your realtor will usually suggest a survey be done on the property. There are several purposes for this.
The most important reason to have a land survey performed is so that you know exactly where your property lines are located on the ground and that the property is not encumbered by overlapping deeds or visible unrecorded easements. The surveyor will be licensed and trained for his knowledge to conduct a land survey, which will give you, the prospective buyer, the comfort in knowing where your boundaries lie.
Just because a survey stake is in the ground or a metal rod is found in the ground approximately where the boundary corner should be, does NOT mean it is the corner. It needs to be verified by a licensed land surveyor. In my past 30 years of Land Surveying I have seen many land buyers complain that they were told by another individual (not a Land Surveyor) where the corner of a property was and the object turned out to be a point of curve, traverse point, or some other technical survey marker required by the law or the survey process, and was not the boundary corner.
A lot of times this mis-identification ended up in a court battle with everyone involved losing. After you have chosen your property with your realtor and a land survey has been done by your surveyor, or the surveyor recommended by your Real Estate agent, the survey will be given to the title company who can issue you a title policy that will insure your new investment with Survey protection. If a survey is not done, then the title company will NOT insure your property with survey protection and will omit survey protection as an exception to your title policy.
The most important people in your land transaction are your Realtor, land surveyor and title company. Many people also retain an attorney to review the documents to be signed. Your Realtor will help you find the location that best fits your desires. The land surveyor will assist you and your realtor in determining any conflicts in the deeded property, and the title company will assist the surveyor and prospective buyer in insuring a clean title. Your new property is a large investment that needs to be protected.
