Pre-Purchase Property Assessment
Know more about the land before you buy.
Before purchasing property, find out whether there are reasons to be concerned about its boundaries. You may not need a full boundary survey to make that decision.
When buying a home, most people understand the value of a professional home inspection. But the condition of the house is only part of what you're purchasing.
What about the land?
At NxNW Surveying, we offer a Pre-Purchase Property Assessment to help prospective buyers identify potential concerns before closing.
Our assessment provides a professional review of available records and information, supporting documentation, and a written recommendation from a licensed professional land surveyor regarding whether a boundary survey should be considered before purchasing the property.
It's not a boundary survey. It's a professional assessment of whether you should consider getting one.
Assessment Pricing
Most Pre-Purchase Property Assessments start at $600.
The final cost depends on the property's characteristics, the availability and complexity of records, and any optional services selected.
Apply Your Assessment Cost Toward a Boundary Survey
If the original assessment purchaser commissions a boundary survey from NxNW Surveying for the same property within six months of completing the Pre-Purchase Property Assessment, the cost of the standard assessment will be credited toward the boundary survey.
Optional add-on services are excluded from this credit.
This allows you to begin with a more affordable evaluation without losing that investment if a full boundary survey becomes necessary.
What's Included?
Our standard assessment is performed in the office using readily available public records and imagery. It generally includes:
Survey records research: A limited review of recorded surveys, subdivision plats, and other readily available public survey records.
Survey history review: Identification of relevant existing survey documentation and when previous surveying was performed.
County mapping review: Examination of county GIS and assessor information for potential concerns.
Aerial imagery review: Examination of available current and historical aerial imagery for apparent conditions warranting further investigation.
Professional evaluation: Review of the available information by a licensed professional land surveyor.
Assessment package: A written report, relevant supporting documentation, and a professional recommendation regarding whether a boundary survey is advisable before purchase.
Our records search generally includes the subdivision containing the property or the applicable quarter-quarter sections of the Public Land Survey System, including adjoining areas as appropriate.
The assessment is a limited review of readily available information, not an exhaustive investigation of all historical records.
Optional Additional Services
Title Report & Easement Review
If you provide a preliminary title report and the relevant recorded documents, we can review them from a land surveying perspective.
This may include identifying recorded access or utility easements and evaluating whether available imagery and documents suggest potential inconsistencies between recorded easements and apparent property use.
For example, does an existing driveway appear to correspond with a recorded access easement?
This review does not determine easement locations, verify that improvements lie within easements, or constitute a legal title examination.
Additional cost based on the documents and complexity involved.
On-Site Visual Assessment
When records and aerial imagery do not provide sufficient information, an optional site visit may help identify visible conditions warranting further investigation.
A surveyor can observe and photograph readily visible fences, driveways, structures, or other improvements that may raise questions about possible boundary issues.
This is a visual assessment only. It does not include field measurements, monument recovery, boundary location, or staking.
Additional cost based on property location, accessibility, and scope.
What Will I Receive?
You will receive a Pre-Purchase Property Assessment Package prepared specifically for you.
The package includes a written summary of our findings, identification of the records and information reviewed, relevant supporting documentation and imagery, and a professional recommendation regarding whether additional investigation or a boundary survey is advisable before purchase.
Regardless of the outcome, the recommendation is based on the information reviewed. It is not a certification of the property's boundaries or a guarantee that boundary-related problems do not exist.
Important Limitations
A Pre-Purchase Property Assessment is not a boundary survey and does not establish, locate, verify, or certify property boundaries.
It does not determine whether fences, driveways, buildings, or other improvements encroach across property lines, nor does it guarantee the absence of encroachments, boundary disputes, or other property-related issues.
County GIS and assessor parcel maps are administrative tools, not boundary surveys, and should not be relied upon to determine property line locations.
Each assessment is prepared exclusively for the purchaser identified in the service agreement and assessment package. It is not intended for reliance by sellers, real estate agents, lenders, title companies, subsequent purchasers, or other third parties.
The assessment reflects the information reviewed as of the assessment date. The full scope, limitations, and terms of service are provided in the written agreement before work begins.
Know What You're Buying Before You Buy It
Discovering a boundary problem after purchasing property can be expensive, stressful, and difficult to resolve.
A Pre-Purchase Property Assessment gives you an opportunity to have a licensed professional land surveyor evaluate the available information and identify whether further investigation is recommended before you commit to the purchase.
You may discover that a full boundary survey is advisable. Or you may learn that the existing information does not reveal a specific reason to recommend one.
Either way, you'll be making a more informed decision.
Contact NxNW Surveying to request your Pre-Purchase Property Assessment.
Want to know more or to request an assessment? Contact us!
Want to learn more about when a boundary survey may be necessary?
