We live in a delusional world. We make false assumptions based off of what we can see. Those assumptions can become obstacles in our futures. However, there’s hope, at least when it comes to knowing what property you do and do not own. Having a boundary survey performed will show you the obstacles you may have to jump through, over or around. In the example below, we show what some of those obstacles could be (starting at the front left property corner and going clockwise):
- Public sidewalk is located onto our property
- Neighbors (adjoining property) driveway, retaining wall and planter are located onto our property
- Our fence (subject property) is built way inside of the property line (we own the land on the “other side of the fence”, yet have purchased it and are paying yearly taxes on it).
- Neighbors shed is built on our property
- Our fence along the back is built on the neighbor’s property and extends onto the property to the right of us, too
- On the right side, the neighbor built their fence onto their own property – but we have “fenced that area in”, are using it, mowing it, etc. even though we don’t actually own it.
- Our concrete driveway goes onto the neighbor’s property
How many obstacles are there? While it looks like a lot, you may not need to worry about all of them. The underwriter at the title company (you know – those people who are insuring your purchase) will review the survey and advise you as to what items you do and don’t need to worry about. Listen to their advice, deal with the problems head-on so you don’t have to worry about them in the future!