Title Search

Services: Title Search

picture of old deedThe first phase of nearly every land surveying project is to perform a Title Search of the property being surveyed. During a title search, the land surveyor must become aware of all critical features and legal aspects of the property. In order to do this, the land surveyor must obtain and investigate the deeds and any other information available for the subject property within the local land records. In addition, it is also typically necessary for the land surveyor to obtain deeds and other available information on the properties and roadways which abut the subject property from the local land records.

When going through the title research, the land surveyor studies deeds, referenced maps, and other information to determine the monuments, natural features, or man-made structures that are described as pertaining to the property boundaries. In addition, the surveyor also must determine the rights that a property owner or possibly adjacent property owners or municipalities may have over the subject property. For example, a property which borders a subject property may have access rights over the subject property in order to access their property. Other times, a municipality may have an easement over a subject property that has a municipal stormwater or sewage pipe running through it. These rights granted to parties other than the subject property owner can greatly limit the property owner’s ability to develop or make improvements to their site.

Title searches performed by a land surveyor are usually completed with a much different goal than a title search performed by an attorney or title company. A title search performed by a land surveyor primarily involves the research of boundaries, easements, restrictions, and other matters that can be mapped for the subject property. Many times a land surveying title search must trace back to a period of time far beyond the 40 years required of title companies in order to find the location of a piece of land by owner called out in a deed that may date back to the mid 1800’s. Title searches performed for strictly legal purposes disclose other matters, such as liens, and are not necessarily geared toward finding and establishing property boundaries.

Once the land surveyor conducts the title search for a property and becomes familiar with the important aspects of a property, they are then able to proceed to the field work stage of the land surveying process. With a solid grasp of the important features identified during the title search of a property, the land surveying field staff then conducts a search to locate these features. Once the key features of a site are found and located using the survey equipment, the collected data is then compiled and used by the land surveying office staff to determine and plot the boundaries of a property as part of an “A-2” survey map. Once the property boundaries of a property are establishes, it is then possible for the land surveyor to generate a Legal Description that can be used to confirm or revise an existing description or to compose a new description.

If you are interested in having a survey done, it is important to have a quality title search performed. The land surveying field and office staff of Arthur H. Howland & Associates, P.C. specializes in conducting comprehensive title searches for their clients.Contact us at (860) 354-9346 so that we can personally discuss the title search process with you and get your next land survey project started on a solid foundation.

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