Questions we hear most.

Land surveying measures and maps land: its boundaries, features and elevations. It’s how you know what you own, where you can build and what a piece of land can become.

When you’re buying or selling real estate, dividing land, building a home, an addition or a fence, creating an access easement, or applying for building and septic permits. Not sure? Tell us what you’re planning and we’ll tell you whether you need one.

It isn’t always required, but we recommend a survey as part of any real estate purchase. Real estate is often the most valuable thing you’ll buy, and a survey shows you exactly what you’re getting.

Generally, the buyer orders the survey. Selling only part of your land is different: that takes a subdivision. And if you know of an issue with your boundary lines, a survey up front gives your buyer answers early and can keep the sale moving smoothly.

A survey measures and maps the property’s boundaries and features. An appraisal estimates its market value. A lender often asks for both when you buy.

A survey measures the land and what’s on it. A title search reviews the ownership history and the recorded rights and claims against it. Together they tell you what you’re buying.

A boundary survey is a surveyor’s professional opinion of where your parcel’s boundary lines are. We work from the record deeds and plats and gather evidence in the field: corner monuments, evidence of occupation, roadways, utilities and other improvements. We reconcile the record with the field evidence, conclude where your boundary line is and always has been, and deliver our findings as a certified map.

Not always. For a survey of an existing parcel, recording may be optional, though in some cases we still recommend it. For subdivisions and recombinations, recording is often required. We’ll always talk through the options with you.

Recording places the map in the permanent record at the county Register of Deeds. It’s linked to your parcel, becomes part of the legal record and is open to the public. When you convey the parcel, an attorney can reference the recorded map as its legal description.

Not always. A new boundary and physical survey is a good idea in any real estate transaction, and the closing attorney or the buyer’s lender may require one. It has every requirement of a boundary survey, with the house and improvements located.

Yes. Every corner without one gets a rod, and we can mark them so they’re easy to see. Where a corner falls in a creek or a road, we set reference points so it can still be found.

Every property is different, so every quote is too. Cost is driven by the acreage, the number of corners, the research and the conditions on the ground. Send the address or parcel number, and if we’re a fit, we’ll quote it within one business day.

Almost always, we can offer a free quote. Rarely, a boundary question takes so much research before we can even scope the survey that we can’t quote it for free. In those cases, we offer a consultation for a fee: we research the property, talk through what we found and the challenges, and quote the survey when we can. We’ll always tell you before there’s a fee.

A survey maps what can be seen, like manholes, valves and meters, along with any utilities a locator has marked. Finding buried lines takes a utility locating service, and we can bring one in when a design depends on it.

We don’t pull permits, but a survey, and a site plan when the project needs one, is often what a permit application asks for. We’ll help you get the right documents in hand.

Digital. You get a signed and sealed PDF, ready to send to your attorney, lender, builder or the county. A recorded plat is also on file at the Register of Deeds.

No. Land surveys do not change ownership of property. Only a recorded conveyance, such as a deed, typically prepared by an attorney, can transfer title to land.

A boundary survey is a snapshot of the existing conditions on the tract and how they sit relative to your boundary lines. It gives you facts and information. Resolving any dispute or concern a survey reveals generally takes an attorney.

Two licensed surveyors reviewing the same records and evidence will generally reach very similar conclusions. As licensed land surveyors, we have a duty to the public as well as to our clients. When we locate a boundary, our goal is to follow the facts and put the line where it has always been.

Every property and project is different, so every quote is too. Cost depends on the size of the property, the research, the conditions on the ground and the type of survey. Send the address or parcel number, and if we’re a fit, we’ll quote it within one business day.

The location, by address, parcel number or a description of the area, and what you want to accomplish. The goal matters as much as the address: it tells us which survey will get you there.

It depends on the size and complexity of the project, and a town or county review adds time to a subdivision. Your quote gives our current timeline, and we will always try to meet your schedule.

Tell us your closing, permit or construction date when you ask for the quote. We will always try to meet your schedule, and we’ll tell you up front if we can’t.

Dividing one parcel into two or more lots to sell or build on. Two lots or twenty, North Carolina law calls it a subdivision. It doesn’t mean new roads or new utilities. A few kinds of division are exempt from the full review, and those often have a shorter path to approval. We’ll tell you which applies to your land.

Generally, yes. Outside a few narrow exceptions, a survey is required to convey or hold separately part of a larger tract. In most cases that means a boundary survey of the entire parcel being divided, but in some situations we only need to survey a portion. We’ll advise case by case.

It can be. We’ll always advise on your next best step when you’re considering new development, and if subdividing isn’t it, we’ll refer you to other services.

Most subdivisions need county or town review and approval. Each new lot has to meet the local ordinance for size, road frontage, access and setbacks. We check what your land allows before we draw anything.

It depends on the jurisdiction. Some review a plat in hours, others take weeks, and the number of review cycles isn’t in our control either. We’ll give you a realistic range when we quote.

Generally, yes, but talk with your lender first. To convey part of a mortgaged property to a new owner, you’ll likely need a release from the lender for that part.

You have all the information you need to work with an attorney to convey title, or with a real estate agent to sell the lots.

Every project is different, so every quote is too. Cost is driven by the number of lots, the parent tract and the review fees. Send the address or parcel number, and if we’re a fit, we’ll quote it within one business day.

An ALTA/NSPS survey is a boundary survey prepared to a detailed national standard set by the American Land Title Association and the National Society of Professional Surveyors. It addresses the title commitment and the records it refers to, plus any optional items the lender or title insurer chooses from the standard’s Table A.

Usually only when a lender or title insurer asks for one on a commercial purchase or loan, and we need a copy of your title commitment to complete it. For a typical residential purchase, a standard boundary and physical survey is all that’s required. Tell us who’s asking for the survey and we’ll recommend the right one.

Table A is a list of optional items that can be shown on or included with an ALTA/NSPS survey. Many are straightforward and chosen on nearly every survey. Others are truly optional and can have a real effect on the fee and the schedule. We’re always happy to advise on which items make sense, but the final choice belongs to the lender and the title underwriter.

Yes, that’s what the standard is for. We deliver the certification language the underwriter asks for and work with counsel wherever they are.

A map of the land as it is today: the shape of the ground and its elevations, plus what’s on it, like buildings, pavement, trees, drainage and visible utilities. Engineers and architects design from it.

A topographic survey generally supports larger residential developments and commercial projects, or any time designed stormwater management is required. Most single-family home builds won’t need one, but the information can still be useful. We can always advise on which services make the most sense for your project.

We have several tools to choose from: conventional ground survey, on-the-ground SLAM lidar scanning and drone (UAV) survey. Once the scope is set, we evaluate the site and pick the most efficient method to meet your goal.

Yes. Boundary, topo, control, right-of-way and utility mapping, then the staking and as-builts. We can be your survey partner from the first site visit through the last as-built.

We locate visible evidence and measure inverts where we can. Locating buried lines is a separate service. When a design depends on it, we bring in a private locator.

The staking we provide generally supports two goals. First, making sure what you build sits on your lot where it’s intended, in line with setbacks, buffers and any other zoning requirements. Second, helping make sure what you’ve designed is built to the design. Different projects have different needs, and we’ll always advise on what services make the most sense for yours.

Generally, yes, though there can be some added time and expense. On many projects, it’s in your interest to have the surveyor who did the original survey provide the construction layout.

Yes. Send the design files and we’ll stake from them.

Approved plans and site access. If the boundary isn’t settled, we’ll tell you before we mobilize.