Land Surveys are a prerequisite when selling or buying a property, as well as the best way to resolve any disputes you may have with the property.
A Land Survey helps you determine the boundaries of your property, important when planning to sell a property or develop one. However, there’s some confusion as to what survey you need of all the ones available at service, and also when you need one.
In this article, we’ll take a brief look at situations when you need a land survey, along with a description of the most prevalent land surveys in Alberta.
Why do you need a Land Survey?
While land surveys are mandatory in real estate transactions, they’re also important in situations outside of that. Including resolving disputes between the buyers and sellers.
Normally, a land survey is done to determine the price of a property, by calculating its dimensions. A survey provides a buyer with accurate information about the listed property, wherein he can bargain for any inconsistencies discovered.
As a seller, it’s important to know every square inch of your property, as a little ignorance can considerably impact your profit on the deal. A land survey provides you with a clear picture of your boundaries, and any infringement about the same can thus be addressed.
Lastly, a survey can help initiate your process of building a house on the land, suggesting the best areas to build the main structure.
Types of Land Surveys
Boundary Survey: A boundary survey determines the boundaries of a property, taking into account survey plans and other relevant factors, and is one of the most common types of the land survey done in Alberta. This type of survey is often relevant to adjoining lands and helps in determining each region respectively.
Topographic Survey: Topographic surveys are required before creating any development plans for your property. These surveys locate roads, ditches, utilities and many other such features, usually displayed as three-dimensional points on the survey. This type of survey also helps determine whether your property is compliant with construction regulations or not.
Subdivision Survey: A subdivision survey is done to divide a piece of land into smaller estates, by determining the boundaries of the new sections and marketing them accordingly. This is a slightly more complex process than a regular land survey, but a land surveyor will help you with it from the start to finish.
Location Survey: A location survey is fairly similar to a boundary survey, except for the fact that it has a bit more information added expressing the internal improvements of a property. Normally, this type of survey is used for load applications.
Residential Development Permit plan: A residential development permit is required to apply for building permits. This type of permit uses the boundary survey, as well as the topographical survey. And is required for any developmental plans on the property.
We hope this quick guide helped you understand the types of land surveys in Alberta. For any more details, you can check out Core Geomatics, and even contact them for any specific questions you may have before you avail of their service.
