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What You Should Know About Your Lot Lines

Written by Posted On Monday, 14 June 2021 13:46
How Can You Find Property Lines? How Can You Find Property Lines?

Things to Know About a Property Line

Are you trying to find the boundary lines at your home? If you are a first-time home buyer who has never purchased a home before, you're probably going to have a strong desire to know exactly what you're buying.  Lot lines are the boundaries of a property, and most of the time, they should be easy to identify. If not, however, there are some ways you can use to help identify them.

In many cases, the land ownership documents specify a plot or lot number, which helps to get more information on lot lines. The simplest way to locate them is to visit your local city hall and ask for the plot plan they have on file. You can also look at your closing papers and see if your lender provided you with what's called a mortgage plot plan. A mortgage plot plan will give you an excellent idea of where you can locate your boundary lines.

There are numerous other ways on how to find your property lines as well. Over at Maximum Real Estate Exposure, you can see a detailed overview of finding your lot lines.

The property line may also appear on your plot in the form of a landmark because such marks are common in surveyor’s maps. However, do not rely on landmarks for accurate property lines because there are better ways to identify boundaries.

You are going to see that property lines are distinct and should never be problematic. In many ways, you should be able to identify your property's lines without having to do too much research.

If you have to go through a lot of trouble identifying the lines, you might be dealing with an issue that requires legal intervention. However, you will see that any property line or lot line is easy to verify when you follow the proper procedure.

Let's take a look at some of the things you need to know when identifying your lot boundaries.

Understanding The Lot Lines

The boundary line of any property is the distinction from the adjacent property or properties. If you want to make any significant improvement at your home, such as putting up a fence, adding a shed, or even installing a swimming pool, it will be essential to know exactly where the property lines are located.

Sometimes boundaries are super easy to identify, and other times they are not. When most people buy homes, the previous owners tell them where the lot lines are located. Sometimes, however, the owner has no idea. This is when things become more problematic.

Real Estate agents are often asked where the lot lines are located, but it would be not very intelligent for an agent to answer. An incorrect response could easily lead to a lawsuit.

How to Find Property Lines

You can already see that there is some security or assurance that many people understand property lines. The reasons for finding property lines range from encroachment and personal reasons for utilizing the property to mere curiosity.

If someone or some entity infringes on your property, you may be suspicious because you know the landmarks. If a landmark has moved or disappeared, it is sufficient reason to find the proper lot lines. Landmarks are not always legal proof for lot lines, but they are essential for monitoring a rough idea of the lot lines.

Anything that lasts for many years could serve as a landmark. In urban areas, roads and public infrastructure are typical landmarks. You can use them by mastering the distance between the landmark and a specific point inside your property.

Landmarks are effective for identifying lot lines because you can always prove the boundaries by yourself. However, you may need more than one landmark point or at least several reference points in addition to one landmark.

Don't worry about that; it is easy to understand. One landmark point is just one landmark or one place on the landmark. So, for example, if the landmark is a road that goes around or along your property line, you have two or more points along the road that help you as landmark points.

Hire a Land Surveyor

You now have the crucial knowledge of landmarks and will be glad to know that they are great for identifying encroachment or places to build fences. If you can access a land surveyor, this is one of the best ways of finding your property lines.

A surveyor is in the business of doing land surveys. Finding property lines is pretty routine work for them. They are professionals and have the tools to do the research necessary to get the job done for you.

While this option will cost a little bit of money, it will also give you peace of mind that the job is done properly. As a real estate agent who has seen many issues before, I would recommend a professional survey as your best option.

Surveyors Maps Can Help

The alternative way for identifying lot lines or property lines is using the surveyor’s maps. First, you will need to use your property number and deed information to help you. The do-it-yourself method, of course, is more than likely going to be the least accurate method. You could easily end up making a mistake using an improper identifier.

Using a surveyor's map, you can focus on roads, rivers, and significant features to narrow down to your neighborhood. Once you land in your neighborhood, you can proceed and focus on the shapes of properties.

Using GPS Coordinates

Still, it would help if you got to the more verifiable piece of information, i.e., GPS coordinates. Consult the surveyor’s map or the land surveyor to identify at least four coordinates that mark your plot or property.

GPS coordinates constitute the surest way to identify your property line or boundary line. GPS coordinates are markings that surveyors get from satellites, and they accurately point at physical points on the land or water surface.

You can make an effort to learn and read the coordinates, record them, and use them to track your property lines.

The GPS devices that you can use to identify, mark, and track property lines are not very expensive. The cost of the devices ranges from 50 to about 150 dollars.

You can also get them on Amazon or other stores. In addition, the devices are straightforward to use because they only display a few numbers, which are the coordinates of any place that you are standing. When you select to verify the lot lines with GPS, you can turn on the device and move around the property. The device will display different coordinates in an orderly fashion.

You should look at the coordinates obtained from the surveyor or map and stop wherever the device matches an accurate coordinate. You can then mark the spot and continue identifying the lot lines all around the property. Again, this method of finding lot lines without any expertise is leaving things to chance.

It would be more advisable to spend the money and hire a pro who can get your property line figured out within inches.

Final Thoughts

You now understand how to find property lines and the various options for doing so. You already see that such lines are supposed to be non-problematic unless there is encroachment or any significant mix-up.

Use landmarks, surveyors’ maps, and GPS to locate and verify the lot lines or property boundary lines. Hopefully, you have found these tips for identifying your boundary lines to be useful.

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Bill Gassett

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