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Should You Have a Property Survey At the Ready When Selling Your House?
A property survey is a document that shows your property lines, including any land, structures, and features that you legally own as a schematic diagram of angles and measurements. A property survey looks like a sketch drawn from an aerial perspective and may be as simple as four boundary lines with their respective dimensions. Surveys can also be more detailed and include past improvements to the property, topography, utilities, and more.
Generally, a property survey is not required to sell a house. Sometimes, if your lot is well-defined, you don't need to bother with it.
"The majority of the time, we don't do surveys on city residential lots unless there's a specific reason that we need to. A lot of newer subdivisions have fences. You can see where the homes are. It doesn't necessarily mean they're built in the right place, but it gives you an idea of the lot. So we don't usually do surveys unless there's something weird that caught your eye and indicated we should probably get a survey and make sure this is right."
— Derek Gilbert, top real estate agent, Centennial, Colorado
When a Property Survey Might Change the Direction of a Transaction
Property surveys in general may help to add transparency to a home purchase. Here are cases and property types where a property survey might change the direction of a transaction:
Acreage Properties
A buyer who purchased 50 acres discovered later that the fences on the land were all off by about 98 feet. The result was a lengthy, expensive court process to prove the boundary that should have been demonstrated before the purchase. Any time you have two attorneys and court filings, it's going to be an expensive deal.
The Property Has a Unique Hazard
An upfront property survey could save a seller from getting too far into a deal that later unravels. In one case, a buyer discovered after signing a purchase contract that the property was on a sinkhole-designated area — putting it at risk for flooding and collapsing. About 20% of the U.S. is at risk for sinkholes, especially Florida, Texas, Alabama, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania.
Boundary Confirmation
When you sell real estate, the size recorded with the title must equal the actual property size. Sometimes neighbors accidentally build over the property line or fences encroach on the area designated by the title. A survey may be ordered to confirm the actual boundary and any discrepancy between the recorded land deed and the current boundary.
Proper Noting of an Easement in the Deed
Easements on a property are a 'legal right to trespass.' Utility companies could have an easement to access utility lines, or an owner could grant access to a private road to a neighbor. Easements can be an issue when you have to clear title and they're not properly documented — potentially costing tens of thousands of dollars to correct.
Homes Without a Defined Lot
If the property is unique or oddly shaped, a survey can bring clarity to the buyer about where exactly the lot lines are. Sometimes it can even make the sale more enticing — like if the property is bigger than everyone initially thought, or if there's good placement among utility lines for a potential addition or outbuilding.
Property Additions
Whether you're selling or not, you may need a property survey to avoid boundary encroachments when planning a home addition, garage, new building, fence, patio, deck, or major construction project.
"We once had a property whose boundary didn't match up to the title. Turns out the neighbor added an extension to his home without checking the property lines. The extension encroached on the seller's property. Needless to say, the deal didn't go through, which was a shame because the buyer really liked the house."
— Ralph DiBugnara, President, Home QualifiedWhen to Get a Survey for Property Additions
Consider getting a property survey before any of these projects:
- General home addition
- Garage addition
- New building on the property
- Any other type of major construction
- Planting trees or shrubs
- Building a fence
- Adding a patio
- Adding a deck
"A property survey will show you a picture of your property with all the improvements, utilities, and easements on it. With all that information, you can plan your deck expansion and know you're not going to be pushing it out to another property or digging holes where there should be utilities. Surveys let you plan better for whatever improvement it may be, whether that's shrubbery, or an addition to the building, or adding a deck, or pouring a concrete patio."
— Rick Wilson, professional land surveyor
Who Pays for the Property Survey?
There's no hard and fast rule designating who pays for the property survey in a home sale — it often comes down to who wants one. If the buyer wants it, the buyer pays. If the seller wants it, the seller pays. It can also be worked into a sale and negotiated between the buyer and the seller.
The cost of a survey can vary based on where the home is located. Both Gilbert and Wilson have seen property survey costs range between $400 and $1,200. The lower end is usually for newer subdivisions, and the higher end is for older ones. According to Angi, the national average is about $543. HomeGuide says the average range is between $200 and $1,200.
"We're doing one now where the subdivision was built in the 1890s. There's very little monumentation, so we are doing a lot of interpretation and spending a lot more time on it. It's going to cost more."
— Rick Wilson, professional land surveyor
Where Can You Get a Property Survey?
In some states, property surveys are public record — but in others, they aren't. Check with your public records office first to determine if they have one. At the least, they might have a plat map, which shows the lot lines, buildings, and streets of a neighborhood.
Getting a New Survey
If you're starting from scratch on a property with no survey already done, the easiest way to find a surveyor is to search online — or ask your real estate agent for a referral. They'll have people they're comfortable with and have prior experience with, and they'll also be able to tell you if you even need one.
Finding an Old Survey
Getting a property survey for a house that's already had one will save you both time and money. Most surveyors will give homeowners a copy of a previously ordered survey upon request. If you weren't the original person who requested the survey, you'll still be charged a fee to cover updating the survey, redirecting it to a new owner, and covering any copyright costs — but it will be less than starting fresh.
"I always encourage people to go back to the original surveyor because they've already done the job once. It's easy to retrace it and update it."
— Rick Wilson, professional land surveyor
Key Takeaway
Property surveys may not always be required, but they're a smart investment — especially on acreage, older lots, or properties with unusual features. Ralph DiBugnara's experience shows how a boundary mismatch can kill a deal entirely. When in doubt, a survey costing $400–$1,200 is cheap insurance against a transaction that unravels at closing.
Originally published on HomeLight by Jennifer Billock · July 30, 2024.
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