A Matter of Land | Consult your land surveyor when buying property or before you build

Good day, readers. Today we take a break from responding to your questions to discuss a matter of great importance. This concerns the role of your land surveyor in locating your property when you are buying or building.

Many persons think it is a waste of money to engage the services of a land surveyor to assist them in locating property that they plan to purchase or plan to build on.

However, the commissioned land surveyor will help prevent you from purchasing a lot that you don't want or prevent you from building on the wrong property.

I remember getting a call a few years ago from a female voice sporting a thick British accent enquiring about my services in locating a property which she had purchased about five years previously. The property was located in the beautiful parish of Portland.

UNABLE TO DETERMINE

She had purchased the property but now wanted to sell it but was unable to determine where exactly her property was. I gathered the information from her, then I got the requisite documents and went to Portland to locate the property and determine its boundaries.

When we arrived she took me to the top of a hill that provided the most amazing view imaginable, and told me her property was in the general area but she needed to know the actual boundaries.

When I did my reconnaissance and my surveys I found that where she was wrong is where she had thought her property was.

Instead of on top of the hill with an amazing view she had bought a piece of land that was in watercourse and was almost totally useless. At this time the lady began to cry as she had invested her hard-earned cash into a place that was worth very little and wasn't what she thought she had bought.

To avoid a similar situation when you are planning to purchase property, consult your land surveyor to assist you in identifying the lot on ground. That is what he is trained to do.

Before you construct on any property you should also have the land surveyor identify the lot and the boundaries so that you don't build on the wrong lot, across the boundary lines or too close to the boundary.

You may consider paying the land surveyor an added expense but it can save you so much more in the long run. Don't be 'penny wise and pound foolish'. This is a major investment, treat it as such.

Until next time, traverse well.

- Craig Francis is a commissioned land surveyor and managing director of Precision Surveying Services Ltd. He can be contacted for questions or queries at craig_r_francis@yahoo.com or Precision Surveying Services