Tom Mastin

In last month’s article “Surveying Apps?!?”  I wrote about the phone apps that imply they can find your property lines/corners as well as I provided a link to a realtor that talks about how you can use these apps to get your corners and that they are close enough for most work.  As I mentioned in that article some of these apps can be of limited benefit, just not to a homeowner wanting to set their property lines.

This month I was curious about what “serious” articles said about establishing one’s own property boundaries. I went about it in the same way I went about in finding “Surveying Apps?!?” which was asking the question “How do I find my property lines?”. I stayed away from indicating that there were any boundary disputes, as that would just bring up attorney websites (maybe next article).

First, I ignored the links to the surveying apps and skipped the links to companies that only provided record information about properties. I was looking for some definitive instructions on how I could establish my property lines and do it as cheaply as possible while still being 100% accurate.

I ended up reading articles from Forbes, REDFIN, U.S. News and World Report and Bob Vila. For those of you who don’t know who Bob Vila is, he was the original host of “This Old House” and over the years showed me how every DIY project I did, I did wrong. I still get up early on Saturday mornings to watch it (apparently to the shame of others).

All four articles took a serious approach to establishing property lines within their writings. There are links to the articles below, which will give you, a land surveyor, a good understanding of what your potential clients might be thinking when they call you.

“My surveyor said he was here on Monday, but I only saw him in my yard for five minutes. What is the deal?”.

Forbes

The Forbes article “How to Hire a Land Surveyor: Checklist and Tips” was the one that clearly was telling the reader to hire a land surveyor, no ifs, ands, or buts. The article indicated when you need a land survey. I believe it made it clear, although not complete that if you are reading the article, you need a land surveyor. It discussed land surveyor qualifications, how to hire a land surveyor, questions to ask a land surveyor and land surveyor red flags.  Two interesting items about the articles, the breadcrumbs showed that it started under “home Improvement” then to “Lawn Care” then to “How to Hire a Land Surveyor”. I am hoping that it is linked to other areas in the site, beside lawn care. Also, they had a short (FAQ) at the end and the last question was “My surveyor said he was here on Monday, but I only saw him in my yard for five minutes. What is the deal?”. That does seem to cover a common question clients have. The one sentence answer said the surveyor is probably doing research around the block or further.

Redfin

Redfin had the best title: “How to Find Your Property Lines: Fast, Easy, and Precise”. That title will surely attract interest.  The article begins by explaining why it is important to know your property lines, and what types of projects might require knowledge of your “true” boundary. It does say that land surveyors establish formal boundaries. Then it goes into 11 ways to find your property lines. The first option is to use Google Maps. It says if you zoom down far enough you will see the property lines “unless that feature is not accessible in your area”. I have never seen property lines on google maps. I tried a number of states and never saw property lines pop up. The second option was to hire a licensed land surveyor. To be helpful the article indicated that a typical boundary survey costs between $330 and $670, unless you have some strange property and then it could cost up to $1000. The remaining methods are:

• Review Your Property Deed – the article indicated that this will give you the tax description of your property. (yes, this should be #3, but they have two #2)
• Check the metes and bounds survey – it was noted that this type of survey will have landmarks at each corner.
• Read the property line map, or “plat’- This can be found at the county clerk’s office and will have exact dimensions.
• Ask for the property survey from your mortgage or title company- Lenders typically require a property survey.
• Review the existing property survey from your county or local municipality. – In the hopes the local municipality has done a survey on your lot.
• Locate a hidden survey pin. – During construction builders use survey pins, but they can be misleading because various entities may move them.
• Look for property line markers – These apparently are better than survey pins.
• Check sidewalks and streetlights- ?
• Visit the local zoning department – it was indicated that the zoning department will have the exact dimensions of your lot.
• Measure the property yourself – All you need is a long measuring tape, a compass, and maybe an assistant.

I was not a big fan of the Redfin article in that it was misleading and confusing. (But, hey, how hard can it be?)

U.S. News and World

On to U.S. News and its discussion of needing a survey. First the article does tell the reader to not trust driveways, fences or gardens as accurate guides to the boundaries. It was implied that a mortgage lender or title company will require a survey (not my experience). Then there are some recommendations on options “before you fork over the cash for a new survey”.  The options are reasonable; check your deed, review a plat map, spot survey markers, search for survey pins. I am not quite sure what they believe the difference is between a survey marker and a survey pin, in that both may be hidden.

U.S. News then discusses hiring a surveyor if all else fails. The article offers that a survey in a relatively recent subdivision takes 30 to 45 minutes but in older neighborhoods a half-acre could take two to three hours, these numbers are based on a land surveyor in Alabama. It says the national average for a survey is $542 but could cost more than $1000 depending on the size of the property.

Bob Vila

The search returned this article title “How to Find Property Lines – 9 Easy Tricks”. This is the second-best title for drawing in the audience. It first discussed what a property line is and how it can be bad to guess where it is if building anywhere near the line. Here are those 9 easy tricks:

1. Check sidewalks and streetlights – may show the boundary line but these might not be exact.
2. Visit the Local Zoning Department – indicates they should have a map with exact dimensions.
3. Retrace the Surveyor’s Steps – wants you to start at the point of beginning, which is often the center point of a side street. Then, using a long measuring tape or digital tape measure, follow the plat like a treasure map.
4. Locate hidden property pins – they do suggest calling 811 before digging for them.
5. Beware of Moved Survey Pins – I am not sure that is an easy trick, but good advice.
6. Dig out your Deed for Additional info-
7. Consider the Metes and Bounds Survey- it was noted a metes and bounds survey will describe the exact distance and direction between corners. Also, they read like a Shakespearean play (Some would argue more like James Joyce).
8. Find Property Lines online – this says that many places have a GIS with parcels on them.
9. Bring in a Professional Surveyor – finally we made it. A link is provided to another one of their articles “How Much Does a Land Survey Cost” which again shows the national average of $526.

Conclusion

All in all, these articles do try to make it clear to readers that sometimes there is a need to hire a land surveyor. Some of the articles place more emphasis on that need, but they all make it clear that sometimes, especially if there is a dispute, a land surveyor must be called in. I think for the most part these articles are helpful to readers trying to determine what to do to find their boundaries. I don’t think it is a problem for a reader to try some of the other options when they just want to know where their boundaries are. The articles make the reader aware of land surveyors and the professional skills that surveyors provide.

The United States has a wide range of available information with at least 50 states that all want to do things their way. So, it would be impossible for one of these articles to address all the variations in the states on the best ways to get available information on the reader’s boundaries. That said, they do give a good starting point for interested readers. However, for those of you that get a call from a reader of one of these articles, you may have a hard time explaining why your fees are above the national average.

Links to articles

– Dawn Weinberger, CorinneTynan. “How To Hire A Land Surveyor: Checklist And Tips”, Lexie Pelchen, . Forbes Home Online, https://www.forbes.com/home-improvement/lawn-care/how-to-hire-land-surveyor/. Accessed 30 May 2025

– Lexi Klinkenberg. “How to Find Your Property Lines: Fast, Easy, and Precise”,  REDFIN Blog, https://www.redfin.com/blog/how-to-find-property-lines. Published 29 August 2023. Accessed 30 May 2025.

–Josephine Nesbit. “How Do I Find My Property Lines?”. Lisa Rajala, Dawn Bradbury, U.S.News & World Report/REAL ESTATE,  https://realestate.usnews.com/real-estate/articles/how-do-i-find-my-property-lines. Published 20 May 2024. Accessed 30 May 2025

Bob Vila, Glenda Taylor. “How to Find Property Lines”. bob vila, https://www.bobvila.com/articles/how-to-find-property-lines. Updated 24 January 2022. Accessed 30 May 2025.