One of our brokers brought a new listing in for review. After scrutinizing the listing data and then taking a look at the plat map and aerial photo, there was an immediate indication that the owner did not know where his property lines were located. This fact was manifested by the visible “cut line” of the timber, which was obviously outside the lines shown on the plat map. In other words, we could see from the map that when they cut the timber, they had erred by a significant margin. When the agent consulted with the seller, they admitted that they had relied on a survey marker that was shown to them when they purchased the property. The agent advised them to seek the services of a surveyor.
The subsequent survey confirmed our suspicion that the seller had never known the correct property boundaries but had erroneously assumed that the marker they had relied upon was theirs, when instead it was a corner marker for a property on the opposite side of the road. This seller had mistakenly cut approximately five acres of timber from the adjoining property. This is not a rare or isolated incident!
In another recent case, a quick glance at the aerial photo revealed evidence of recent excavation that exceeded the boundaries of the property. A survey confirmed that the recently installed septic system was almost entirely encroaching on the adjoining property. Of course, a survey should have been completed before that installation in order to avoid the very negative consequences that followed as the two owners worked to resolve the dilemma.
One of the best tools for landowners is the aerial photo. This does not mean you need to get up in an airplane or hire a drone to take photos. Local counties have high-quality aerial maps available to the public on their websites, often with plat maps superimposed over the aerial imagery. Some of these maps can even show wetlands, zoning, and various overlays.
If you have not seen your property from this perspective, you should go to your county’s website and take a look. Be prepared to enter your parcel number or address in order to access your property profile and aerial photo. The property lines shown are not always perfect and do not replace an actual property survey, but they can give you a very good look at your property from above. Maybe you’ll discover something new about your property from that angle!