Survey or not to survey?

[hunts_with_stick]

So a new neighbor has been overly friendl. Super nice guy, we think alike so good to have as a neighbor. I only have 12 acres. I like to be left alone, he likes to come over when I’m working and talk for a bit. He is probably in his mid 50s. Based off the county website, it appears as though he might have his tree stand on my property and might be mowing part of it as well (he only owns 2 acres). Do I get a survey done and let him know I’m thinking about putting a fence in, one a hedge row? Based off where his stand is, it will have no effect on my h7nting. I wouldn’t put one there. But I don’t necessarily want him thinking it is his property if it is mine?

 

[hunts_with_stick]

Sopry for the typos..

 

[drycreek]

Good fences make good neighbors, or so they say.

 

[FarmerDan]

So a new neighbor has been overly friendl. Super nice guy, we think alike so good to have as a neighbor. I only have 12 acres. I like to be left alone, he likes to come over when I’m working and talk for a bit. He is probably in his mid 50s. Based off the county website, it appears as though he might have his tree stand on my property and might be mowing part of it as well (he only owns 2 acres). Do I get a survey done and let him know I’m thinking about putting a fence in, one a hedge row? Based off where his stand is, it will have no effect on my h7nting. I wouldn’t put one there. But I don’t necessarily want him thinking it is his property if it is mine?

To survey or not I can't say. Would you want to spend a thousand dollars more or less to find out? What you see on the county web site is not a legal representation of property ownership. It's for tax purposes. Could be the property lines as found on the tax maps are spot on. Could be they are off. I've seen both.

 

[Mortenson]

Survey could go the wrong way also.

 

[gjs4]

Here's the easy start- pull it up on the county auditor website (or Onx, etc) and see. If your suspect concerns are correct there, are there others elsewhere? I have a d-tool neighbor who is making claims he owns things that were surveyed. Ask; what is that land worth to you, your hunting goals, a realtor....is this just the first instance noted of someone taking advantage of you. My neighbor is a" give and inch and hes on a roadtrip guy"... nip that chit fast. If your neighbor is on your land (for sure) and hunting your land.; address it promptly but also be a good neighbor to all. Surveys help but they do not settle disputes....thats court and more money.

 

[Jerry-B-WI]

Check to see if his land has been surveyed. Won't cost you anything and could solve everything.

 

[GoldenTriangleIL]

A word of warning (not legal advice), most states recognize some form of the legal concept of "Adverse Possession." If your neighbor is encroaching onto your property and continues to do so, he can eventually obtain ownership of it if certain conditions/elements are met. A survey would reveal if there is indeed an encroachment. Another pro-tip (once again, not legal advice) in many states, if the actual owner gives permission to the encroaching neighbor to use actual owner's property, it defeats claims of adverse possession, as such possession is no longer adverse.

 

[PatinPA]

Be careful with the County maps online. Ours shows my property corners incorrectly. If you know where the corner stakes are and have good enough signal you might be able to track the property lines with your phone.

 

[Ikeman]

Here's the easy start- pull it up on the county auditor website (or Onx, etc) and see. If your suspect concerns are correct there, are there others elsewhere? I have a d-tool neighbor who is making claims he owns things that were surveyed. Ask; what is that land worth to you, your hunting goals, a realtor....is this just the first instance noted of someone taking advantage of you. My neighbor is a" give and inch and hes on a roadtrip guy"... nip that chit fast. If your neighbor is on your land (for sure) and hunting your land.; address it promptly but also be a good neighbor to all. Surveys help but they do not settle disputes....thats court and more money.

GIS survey lines and Aerial overlays are OFTEN very different. For actually determining boundaries… NEVER trust an aerial map overlay.

The real question is, is this worth the cost and potential friction?

You might lightly broach the subject that, to your recollection, those things may be on your land. But, I would do it gently and neighborly as possible.


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[gjs4]

GIS survey lines and Aerial overlays are OFTEN very different. For actually determining boundaries… NEVER trust an aerial map overlay.

The real question is, is this worth the cost and potential friction?

You might lightly broach the subject that, to your recollection, those things may be on your land. But, I would do it gently and neighborly as possible.


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In my experiences the aerials, auditors info and my actual paid for survey(s) all align but would agree that one should not use ONx or online aspects as fact. To refute though, your auditor is taxing you on those lines so theyre a great place to start the discussion.

Also, in my case, my neighbor is trying to steal (taking what is not his, in my case he routed his pasture fence to the top of a/my draw rather than through it and it steep breadth claiming 2 ac).

Is it worth the friction? Depends on pride with being bullied and lied to, the cost of two acres of land, what do you get in return and a number of other factors. While you attract more with honey than vinegar, you will always be the a-hole in someone's eyes who used the property as their own when you take that ability from them. God forbid you're an out of stater too...they cry and swear until dehydrated.

 

[Turkish]

So a new neighbor has been overly friendl. Super nice guy, we think alike so good to have as a neighbor. I only have 12 acres. I like to be left alone, he likes to come over when I’m working and talk for a bit. He is probably in his mid 50s. Based off the county website, it appears as though he might have his tree stand on my property and might be mowing part of it as well (he only owns 2 acres). Do I get a survey done and let him know I’m thinking about putting a fence in, one a hedge row? Based off where his stand is, it will have no effect on my h7nting. I wouldn’t put one there. But I don’t necessarily want him thinking it is his property if it is mine?

Not to be ‘that guy’ but some questions are better asked before closing on the property. You are likely to find that a survey doesn’t really address the root cause here.

 

[Tree Spud]

I wouldn't buy a piece of property without a survey. Don't worry about the relationship with him. If he is on your property, he is taking advantage of you. Just wait till deer hunting when he starts shooting onto your property. A survey just to mark the corners by looking for existing pins is not that expensive.

 

[H20fwler]

This is the same guy from your Friendly Neighbor thread.
He is already overstepping, nip this whole thing in the bud.
Get it surveyed mark the true boundaries blatantly and be a dick if you have too.
Not worth headaches down the road or getting an ulcer over having this overbearing goof encroaching all over you. No way is this guy not a problem.

The guy has two acres and he lives on it, no way to hunt that. Tell him to buy his own land that is big enough to hunt.

I had a new landowner farmer right next to me farm over on me eight feet. I got it surveyed and staked the shit out of it. Problem solved.

 

[hunts_with_stick]

Great point. Will do and thanks!

 

[Ikeman]

In my experiences the aerials, auditors info and my actual paid for survey(s) all align but would agree that one should not use ONx or online aspects as fact. To refute though, your auditor is taxing you on those lines so theyre a great place to start the discussion.

Also, in my case, my neighbor is trying to steal (taking what is not his, in my case he routed his pasture fence to the top of a/my draw rather than through it and it steep breadth claiming 2 ac).

Is it worth the friction? Depends on pride with being bullied and lied to, the cost of two acres of land, what do you get in return and a number of other factors. While you attract more with honey than vinegar, you will always be the a-hole in someone's eyes who used the property as their own when you take that ability from them. God forbid you're an out of stater too...they cry and swear until dehydrated.

The taxes are based on the actual Survey, not on the GIS data or the Aerial photography over which the GIS data is laid. Those are just helpful tools that we may have access to. It is not uncommon for aerial photogrammetry to off by up to 100 feet when pulled from satellite. It is QUITE difficult (and correspondingly expensive) to get survey accurate imagery overlays. Almost no one outside of major industry or current large government easements is willing to foot the bill for that. Assume that ALL imagery, and ALL boundaries that are overlaid on them, are simply “in the ballpark”


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[gjs4]

....."AUDITOR'S information".......

I happen to work in a place where GIS is relied on to be very accurate, including for property boundaries just as an FYI.

Not here to argue, just wanted to provide some insight and experience to the OP. Its okay if you don't agree with me or you're a neighbor ..... I don't care.

 

[Bill]

Can't speak to the exact lines they show but OnX can kiss my A$$. I owned 114 acres that was listed as owned by an absentee power company. Everyone and their third cousin thought they could hunt it for about a year.

OnX had very little interest in my problem because their info came from the government who is never wrong.

Sorry rant over, back to OP..

 

[Howboutthemdawgs]

Onx is way off, especially east of the ms. Too many parcels of land to be accurate. Mine is off 14 acres after a survey.

Also onx may not exactly be on the up and up

OnX hypocrisy

Eric Siegfried and his company onX have vocally positioned themselves as champions for opening access to landlocked public land. https://www.onxmaps.com/blog/onx-releases-film-on-broken-country https://www.onxmaps.com/hunt/blog/landlocked-public-lands-onx-trcp-improve-access...

rokslide.com

 

[FarmerDan]

Tax parcels are the responsibility of county governments. ONX simply aggregates what has already been produced. In as much as there are over 3,000 counties in the United States there are a variety of precisions. All the county cares about is collecting revenue.. The history of how we got where we are and the explanation of where we are is too long to go into here. GIS - Geographic Information Systems. It provides a model of reality. It intends to represent reality and in some instances it does extremely well, in others not so much. Only a deed and/or a registered survey plat can describe property ownership.