How To Choose A Land Surveyor |
First, I have to say that I hope you hire Merebrook LLC to meet your land surveying needs. That being said, surveying is a large field with many specialties to it. No company can fit the needs of all potential clients. Like looking for a doctor or lawyer, you need to find the one that is right for you; and here is how.
1. Seek recommendations from other professionals. Those who use land surveying services get a good idea of the strengths and weaknesses of land survey companies in their area. County Recorders can often make recommendations but they are not supposed to direct business to nay particular company. County Assessors often see the finished surveys in detail as they try to put it in their GIS system, often finding overlooked errors or omissions. Title companies can make recommendations as well. Ask them who they would use for the tough ones or if came to a lawsuit.
2. Look for a land Surveyor with the experience you want. You may want them to be the new company, looking to make a name for themselves, an old timer that has seen and done it all, or someone who has a lot of experience performing just the type of survey that you need.
3. Look at the quality of the work done in the past. Does it meet your needs? A low price for a survey is no guarantee of quality. Does the surveyor adequately research the property? Do they make good decisions? Do they cut corners when they find they under-bid a project? where the surveyor cuts corners does researching the property
4. Check to make sure that the surveyor is licensed. Occasionally, someone presents themselves as a licensed land surveyor when they are not. State registration boards normally provide an easy easy-to-use website to look up licensees. Check out the Useful Links for a quick way to the Missouri licensing board.
5. Sometimes it is best to call around for quotes. Be up-front with the surveyor about what you are doing. It can cost between fifty and one hundred dollars to put together a quote for a small boundary survey, with no assurances they will get the job. By calling around and being honest about what you are doing, you can sometimes find a company that has previously done work on that site or near it, thereby reducing the work for the surveyor and the cost of the survey.
6. Keep in mind that companies are usually geared-up to handle certain types of surveys efficiently. A large company that normally spends all its time staking out pipelines, often finds it difficult or impossible to provide a mortgage survey for the same cost as a two-man company.
7. Remember that companies sometimes have extensive historical records from both previous private work and from copies of the surveys in the public record. This can reduce the amount of time for them to perform research and/or provide a higher quality survey because of the wealth of historical information.
1. Seek recommendations from other professionals. Those who use land surveying services get a good idea of the strengths and weaknesses of land survey companies in their area. County Recorders can often make recommendations but they are not supposed to direct business to nay particular company. County Assessors often see the finished surveys in detail as they try to put it in their GIS system, often finding overlooked errors or omissions. Title companies can make recommendations as well. Ask them who they would use for the tough ones or if came to a lawsuit.
2. Look for a land Surveyor with the experience you want. You may want them to be the new company, looking to make a name for themselves, an old timer that has seen and done it all, or someone who has a lot of experience performing just the type of survey that you need.
3. Look at the quality of the work done in the past. Does it meet your needs? A low price for a survey is no guarantee of quality. Does the surveyor adequately research the property? Do they make good decisions? Do they cut corners when they find they under-bid a project? where the surveyor cuts corners does researching the property
4. Check to make sure that the surveyor is licensed. Occasionally, someone presents themselves as a licensed land surveyor when they are not. State registration boards normally provide an easy easy-to-use website to look up licensees. Check out the Useful Links for a quick way to the Missouri licensing board.
5. Sometimes it is best to call around for quotes. Be up-front with the surveyor about what you are doing. It can cost between fifty and one hundred dollars to put together a quote for a small boundary survey, with no assurances they will get the job. By calling around and being honest about what you are doing, you can sometimes find a company that has previously done work on that site or near it, thereby reducing the work for the surveyor and the cost of the survey.
6. Keep in mind that companies are usually geared-up to handle certain types of surveys efficiently. A large company that normally spends all its time staking out pipelines, often finds it difficult or impossible to provide a mortgage survey for the same cost as a two-man company.
7. Remember that companies sometimes have extensive historical records from both previous private work and from copies of the surveys in the public record. This can reduce the amount of time for them to perform research and/or provide a higher quality survey because of the wealth of historical information.