In the nearly 25 years that I have been a surveyor, thousands of property owners have contacted me to have their land surveyed. Too often they make their decisions based on a single factor, price; which often leads to dissatisfaction with your choice and sometimes a substandard survey as well. The following 10 tips were developed from my experience and will help you hire the right professional surveyor to survey your land.
1. Is the person you are hiring licensed to perform surveying services?
- Professional land surveyors must be licensed by the state in which they work or provide services. If you hire someone to survey your land who is not legally qualified to survey in the state you live in, you are wasting your money and that person is breaking the law. If you have any questions, contact your state licensing board to confirm that this person is a licensed professional land surveyor.
2. Does this person have Professional Civil Liability Insurance?
- This is insurance, like medical malpractice insurance, that protects you if the professional surveyor makes a mistake. Surveyors are no different from any other human being and can make mistakes in their professional capacities. Would you visit a doctor, or have surgery, knowing that the doctor or surgeon does not have malpractice insurance?
3. Does this person or business have workers’ compensation insurance?
- Every state is different, and not every state may require this: but who is responsible if the person you hire, or their employees, are hurt or injured while surveying your land? If this type of insurance is required in your state, make sure the person or company you hire to survey your land has this insurance and complies with your state’s laws.
4. Does this person have experience performing the services you require?
- There are usually no licensed specialties within the surveying profession, but make sure that if you hire a professional surveyor to do, say, a boundary survey, they have boundary surveying experience. Some surveyors may concentrate on the following areas: construction design, topographic surveys, mapping, geodetic, land development, and boundary surveys. Therefore, if you need a professional surveyor for a boundary dispute, and the person you are considering is primarily concerned with construction design, hire another professional with boundary surveying experience. Also ask how long this person has been working as a professional surveyor. Only hire an experienced professional surveyor to survey your land.
5. Is this person seeking continuing education?
- Professionals keep abreast of technological and professional advances. It is the experience gained from years of professional practice and a love of learning that makes a true professional. The professional surveyor you hire to survey your land should be knowledgeable and value continuing education.
6. Does this person have a professional demeanor?
- Do they have a professional appearance and treat you professionally? It’s all about respecting yourself and it starts with your initial call and interaction. If they don’t act professional, they probably aren’t when inspecting your land. Do they return calls and emails promptly? Are they willing, even eager, to take the time to explain how a survey is conducted? Are your office and vehicles clean, organized, and professional in appearance? I’m not talking about extravagant or expensive (which you will pay for); just clean, organized and professional.
7. Do you use modern equipment?
- With all the technological advances it has seen in recent years, such as in personal computers, the surveying industry has also seen incredible advances in technologies and techniques. We are now able to use a wide range of technologies such as Global Positioning Systems (GPS), Computer Aided Drawing (CAD), robotic inspection systems, and laser scanning, to name a few, that provide greater precision, accuracy, and efficiency. Hire a professional surveyor who has and invest in advanced technologies to continually improve your work, which translates into cost savings for you. You may not be familiar with some of these tools or what they are called, so ask if they use “AutoCAD Civil 3D”, “Robotic Total Stations” and “Survey Grade GPS” for example.
8. Ask for a written contract and when do you have to pay?
- A surveyor should be more than willing to provide a written contract detailing their services and what you will be charged for. Also ask when the payment will be due. It is common for a surveyor to receive at least half of the total fee up front, depending on his creditworthiness and whether he is a first-time customer. They can accept credit cards, such as MasterCard and Visa. If you and your professional surveyor are clear about the scope of work, rates, and when payment is expected, you’ll all be on the same page.
9. What is being installed in the corners of your property?
- The reason you hire a surveyor to survey your land is to determine the extent or outline of the property. If the corners of the property are not marked, how will you know this? And, if it’s not marked with permanent markers, which are likely to last for many years, what good is it? You should never accept wooden stakes as property markers unless they are temporary due to some extenuating factor such as impending grade grading or nearby construction activity, plastic pennants dangling from a branch, or vague explanations when the project is supposed to have been completed. survey, such as “near the Pole,” “near the mailbox,” or “under the bush.” Suitable permanent markers include plastic stakes, iron rods, iron pipes, rebar, railroad spikes, magnetic nails and other nails on paved areas, holes drilled in boulder or stone walls, concrete and granite boundaries.
10. Will they tour the property with you?
- In the course of conducting a survey, your surveyor will establish many independent survey control markers and find many existing monuments; not all of these can be in the corners of his property. It can be confusing at first. So make sure the professional surveyor is willing to walk your property with you to identify the actual monuments and markers that mark the corners of your property.
In conclusion, the above 10 tips on hiring a professional surveyor to survey your land are so you can find an experienced professional surveyor who will provide value and quality. Your land is too valuable not to hire the best professional surveyor and have the best relationship with this professional, right from the start.