“From the chestnut stump at the bend in Wolf Run, four chains, to the hemlock growing by the stone pile.” Such colorful descriptions were typical in 19th century surveys but those chestnut stumps are long gone now and Wolf Run has changed course dozens of times.
If you are looking at land you’ll need to know its boundaries and that is accomplished with a survey by a licensed surveyor. Sometimes surveys are straight forward with a well documented property that has been surveyed several times in the recent past. Often, however, they are more complicated, especially when dealing with a piece of land that has not changed hands in many years.
When surveyors are tasked with surveying a Country Property, they start with a title search, which may reveal neighboring properties that have recently changed hands with new surveys. They’ll also take note of cemeteries and any other historic and utility easements including VDOT right of ways that might exist. Usually, they’ll find an old survey for reference which hopefully refers to existing monuments like irons and pins. Often, the survey will refer to fence lines and stream courses that might easily have changed over the years. It can be a complicated puzzle, piecing together the bits and pieces to make the whole.
When you find a country property or piece of land you wish to purchase, ask your Realtor about the survey. You will need one that is acceptable for title insurance and thus to a lender if you are using one. It may already exist but it is important to know that in the standard Virginia Association of Realtors sales agreement, survey costs are the responsibility of the Purchaser. A new survey of a large tract of land can be very expensive so be aware of those costs when negotiating your offer.
Surveyors are a wonderful resource for questions about land planning and land use. They are also a treasure trove of stories gleaned from a life outdoors enmeshed in all the changes that occur to our landscape throughout history. Give your local Realtor a ring and they can connect you with the best surveyors in the Central Virginia region.