Be sure you know where your fence, and your neighbors' fence, belong!
Say you buy a puppy and decide you need a fence to keep yourself from being forced out into the rain with Spot when he needs a midnight bathroom break. Or, say this incredible summer heat is getting simply too unbearable to deal with unless you have a beautiful new in-ground pool to lounge in. Both of these things are realistic situations that could possibly get you into heaps of trouble, and you’d never even know before it was too late. How? Because you don’t know where your property lines are!
Some of you might find this post incredulous (Not knowing your property lines? Gasp!), but you’d be surprised just how many people don’t realize where they’re parcel of land actually begins and ends. It can be really detrimental to your property to be unfamiliar with your boundaries for many reasons.
For example, a family buys a house and doesn’t have it immediately surveyed. Three years later, she finds out that their neighbors’ fence is actually over her property by six feet! Unfortunately, the title insurance may not cover the issues of the land, and if the two neighbors can’t come to an agreement, there may be a lawsuit.Neighborly disputes can get really gruesome, too. Just a few months ago, a man in Miami was actually murdered by his neighbor over a property disagreement!
“But my neighbors and I get along great! I don’t mind if they’re on my side a little!” Though this may be the case, it can have serious consequences later on. If you go to sell your house, the buyers may have problems closing because of the infringement, and this could cause a serious hassle. Not to mention, if the structure stays on that land long enough, in some circumstances, the neighbors may actually obtain the property!You may love your neighbors, but do you love them enough to give them a piece of your property?
If you’re a real estate professional, this article may seem redundant to you, but you should be aware that not all lenders require a survey to be done before a closing of a house. In these cases, if you deal directly with a buyer, you may want to warn them with some friendly advice to get the survey, just in case.
It’s easy to avoid these situations by having a survey done before you buy a piece of land.A licensed professional can tell you exactly where your property ends and your neighbors’ begins, preventing any later disputes and bringing already standing infringements to awareness before you ever sign the papers. Some things, however, like trees, are special cases that require a little bit more intense look at the law. Check out this video that explains some of those often-forgotten rules:
In an ideal world, people would always stay on their side of the line. Sadly, we all know someone who thinks it’s greener on the other side, so be cautious that they can’t infringe on your Emerald City!
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