When purchasing real property, one of the issues presented is - Should I get a survey?
If you are financing your purchase, the decision will undoubtedly be made for you by your lender. Most, if not all, lenders will require a survey of the property so that the survey exception will be removed from the lender's title insurance policy.
If you are paying cash for the property, you must decide whether or not to obtain a survey. The following are some guidelines for you to follow:
A) If the property is not a platted lot within a subdivision, you should definitely obtain a survey;
B) If the property is a platted lot within a subdivision and the neighboring properties do not have any improvements near the apparent boundary lines of the property, a survey is probably not necessary;
C) If there are improvements near the apparent boundary lines of the property, a survey would be recommended;
D) If you intend to make any improvements to the property post-closing (a room addition or the installation of a swimming pool), you should definitely obtain a survey.
In the last case, once you have the survey in hand, you should visit with the building officials in your city or county to verify that you can, in fact, build what you desire to build upon the property.
The cost of a survey is generally low in relation to the cost of the purchase itself. Therefore, when in doubt, obtain a survey and present it to your closing agent so that your title insurance policy will not contain a survey exception. Additionally, when you sell your property, your buyer may be able to use your survey.