Alta Survey

There are a broad range of situations where a land survey might become necessary, but they’re most often associated with real estate transactions. A land survey, in its most basic form, is a graphical layout of a property. It shows the legal boundaries that are present, amongst other things. But it’s important to know that there are a variety of land surveys that you might employ for your situation, and of those options, an ALTA survey is almost assuredly the best way to go. At Susquehanna Surveying and Mapping, we’ve established an extensive service record when it comes to ALTA surveys, so you can simply sit back, relax, and wait for reliable results from our land surveyor professionals. Below, you can discover more information regarding the nature of ALTA surveys, not to mention the reasons that you might want to employ our land surveying staff in the first place. For any other questions or queries, our customer service representatives are available.

What are ALTA Surveys?

Before we get into the reasons that you might want to use an ALTA service for a property, we first need to examine exactly what these surveys are. In basic terms, an ALTA survey is a property survey performed to a standardized, minimum set of standards. These standards are laid out by the American Land Title Association (ALTA) and the National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS). Generally speaking, an ALTA is the most detailed form of land surveying. An ALTA survey will include: boundary lines, improvements and structures, access points, water features, historical monuments, cemeteries – and the list goes on and on.

The Gold Standard

One of the reasons that an ALTA survey is going to be your best bet is because it is considered the established gold standard when it comes to land surveying. That doesn’t just mean that all of the boxes are being ticked with regard to the survey itself, it means that those that are involved with the real estate transaction – title professionals, lenders, attorneys, surveyors – are all going to be familiar with the survey standards. Having everybody on the same page when it comes to this information is no small benefit, and can help to speed things along.

Exposing Encroachments and Easements

If you’re not familiar with them already, an encroachment is where a property owner violates the property rights of a neighbor by building something on or over their land. It might sound like an issue like this would be immediately apparent, but that isn’t always so. If the property being survey has an encroachments, the ALTA survey should bring them to the fore.

Title Considerations

For any real estate transaction, the information relating to the deed and the title is always important. With an ALTA survey, title research takes place before the issuing of the final ALTA survey report – so potential issues are raised before the transaction trundles further along. This can save you time and energy during this challenging transactional period.