What Is Land Surveying, And What Do Land Surveyors Do When You Buy A House?

Knowing about the approximate location of your property lines for mowing the grass sounds good enough. But land surveying becomes inevitable when it comes to buying or selling the land. In fact, an appropriate survey of the property by a qualified and licensed surveyor is essential to initiate a property deal. 

You need to necessarily get important details about the house and the land to avoid numerous complications involved in selling or buying a property. Eventually, a site surveyor with adequate efficiency and experience can only produce accurate details like the size of the land, boundaries, property description, value of the property, etc.

What Is Land Surveying?

Land surveying involves many things beginning from a simple and small house or land selling and buying to the construction of megaprojects like dams, highways, bridges, tunnels, etc. If you are yet to know what is land surveying, it is the mapping and measurement of a certain piece of land using certain equipment, technology, and mathematics. 

For example, if you are planning to buy a house or a piece of land which is beyond debate a big investment, you should know whether it is good to buy or not. Similarly, the planning and design of almost all government and corporate megaprojects start with the land survey details that the site surveyor and the team produce. 

Surveying the land is important before buying or selling the land. You need to necessarily do a land survey if you are improving or dividing the land for commercial purposes. Below are some of the basic purposes of a property survey. 

• Land surveying is essential for property conflict resolution.
• It helps in protecting the investment.
• It provides an accurate answer to whether a property comes in a flood zone or not.
• It helps you to determine what documents you should check before finalising the deal.
• Land surveying reveals the correct size of the land.
• A land survey shows the presence and location of the land.
• It reveals the drains and underground cables and shows if there are disputes over the corners and boundary lines of the land.
• Land survey shows how the property and neighbouring touching property are co-related.
• It examines the description of the land record and reveals any difference between the record and the actual occupation or use of the land.
• The simple, precise, and perfect reply for the people who ask what is land surveying would be “land surveying is the only reliable source of information about the property for finalising a deal”.

What Are The Different Types Of Land Survey?

You should essentially know about different types of land surveys if you are selling or buying a house or a land/property. This will not only help you to determine what type of surveyor you will hire or engage but also reduce the cost. Above all, knowing about the different types of property surveys and surveyors is extremely important for first home buyers. Secondly, there are different types of land surveys conducted in different countries. So, know about different types of surveys and surveyors in Australia.

• Topographic Survey: A topographic survey is conducted to define any man-made and natural structures over a piece of land. A topographic surveyor identifies various natural elements like sloppy land, hedges, creeks, trees, etc., on the target area. Similarly, man-made elements include homes, commercial buildings, institutions, barriers or fences, landscaping, etc. The topographic survey helps the developers or buyers to determine the value of the property based on its natural and man-made structures and elements. If you are a first-time homebuyer and are confused by saying what do land surveyors do when you buy a house, a topographic surveyor can help you determine the value of the property and plan and design it.
• Aerial Survey: An aerial survey is a survey conducted from above by drones and aeroplanes to survey large-scale urban infrastructures, agriculture, defence, mining and industries, etc. They help the civil engineers through their findings to plan and design projects.
• Environmental Survey: Environmental surveys are usually conducted for research and study purposes by institutions and governments to promote and protect ecology, wildlife, and sustainable development.
• Cadastral Survey: This is another survey that can help you if you are planning to buy a house but say do I need a land survey when buying a house. A cadastral surveyor determines the dimensions and boundaries of your property. The findings of the surveyor will help you to accurately know the size of the location and define the boundary of your property.
• Mining Survey: Mining surveyors are specialised surveyors with the efficiencies and skills to work in the mining sector, especially the underground. They provide valuable information about mining and tunnels to the mining companies.
• Hydrographic Surveys: Hydrographic surveyors conduct surveys in the ocean, rivers, lakes, etc. They provide hydraulic details, navigation information, etc., to investors and developers.

What Exactly Do The Land Surveyors Do?

It is not surprising when some people say what do land surveyors do when I buy a house as it is a strange topic. However, real estate investors, property brokers, and homeowners know how valuable a land surveyor is. Land surveyors perform numerous tasks that are essential both for property sellers and buyers. 

Their activities involve updating the boundary lines of the target land or property to prevent legal disputes, they find out and reveal the details of the property, and they also measure and produce the actual size of the property. Their report or description of the property is valuable because it helps you to determine the correct value of the property, and then you start planning and designing your project.

The bottom line of the discourse to help those who ask do I need a land survey when buying a house is important because land surveyors in fact protect the interest of home buyers and sellers. You can never determine the real value of your property unless and until you hire the service of a land surveyor. Similarly, it is the land surveyor who protects you from legal complications.