Brian's House Building Blog

Above and Beyond: Why You Can — and Should — Definitely Trust a Land Surveyor

by Peyton Sanders

If you're considering making a land purchase anytime soon, then you'll know exactly how sizeable such an investment can be. If you're putting that amount of money into something, you should be absolutely certain that it's the right thing to do. When buying land, one way to confirm this is to utilise the services of a land surveyor. They can tell you everything you need to know about your upcoming purchase, including any potential problem areas that you should know about. But how do you know that you can trust what a land surveyor tells you? Is it just guesswork? Absolutely not, and here's why.

Theory

Before land surveyors are permitted to even begin their practical training, they must complete a qualification. Usually, this is a full university degree, but alternative certifications are available. In either case, the prospective surveyor spends a significant amount of time learning the theory behind their future job. They'll study not only what they're looking for, but why. It's not something that can be learned in a matter of weeks, or read up on overnight.

Practice

Once they've achieved their formal qualification, prospective surveyors will complete a training period under the supervision of an existing qualified land surveyor. This way, they're taught how to apply their theoretical training in practice under the watchful eye of somebody who can confirm that they're doing their job correctly. Only once this period of supervision is complete can they begin to work alone. The training period will vary between states.

Insurance

Even after your surveyor's training, in the unlikely event that they make a mistake or miss something — you're still covered by their insurance. If something should appear that they ought to have noticed, as a paying customer of their company, you'll be entitled to compensation. It's not at all likely to happen, but it's good to know that there's a fallback in the worst case scenario.

In short, land surveyors are highly trained professionals whose opinions are not only trustworthy, but extremely useful. It may feel frustrating to add another cost on top of the land purchase, but what you're paying a surveyor for is peace of mind. After all, if there is something wrong with the land that you weren't aware of, then it's likely to be very expensive to fix it. By trusting a land surveyor before purchase, you could dodge that bullet entirely and make savings in the long term. Even if there are no issues, after the survey is complete, you'll know without a doubt what you're buying. That's the kind of assurance that helps any big purchase.

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