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Which Survey is Right for my Summit County Real Estate Purchase?

Improvement Survey PlatYou finally found the Summit County property that is just right for you! Now an offer needs to be submitted to the seller telling them what we want from them. One of the items sometimes requested is a survey. Do you even need a survey? And if so, what kind of survey should you specify?

Do you need a survey?

Your real estate agent should be able to help you determine what is necessary for your specific situation but here’s an overview to give you a basic understanding. Typically, if you the property you are buying doesn’t come with land, a survey isn’t necessary. Real estate that doesn’t come with land could be a condominium or townhome. For those type of properties, the title documents should include a condo map that shows the placement of the condo or townhome within the building or development. If you are buying some land, you should consider asking the seller to provide a current survey. It would be awful if you bought a piece of property only to find out sometime later that the house you have been living in is partially on the neighbors land. It would be even more terrible if the neighbor asked you to remove your house from their land. Afterall, it is their land. What right would you have to have your house on it? The easiest way to avoid any chance of that type of scenario happening to you is to get a survey and make sure the house you are buying sits on the land you are buying. The survey would also show you if anyone else is using your property. Things like fences and parking areas next to a driveway are common encroachments onto neighboring property.

What type of survey is best?

​SurveyIf you have determined a survey is a good idea, the next question is what type of survey do you need? An ILC, Improvement Location Certificate, is typically the least expensive option. This gives a rough idea where the improvements are and if there may be encroachments onto or from this piece of property. An encroachment is when someone has been or is using someone else’s property for themselves. Encroachments could be a trail leading into the National Forest, a fence, a driveway or a multitude of other things. An ILC is the surveyors opinion of encroachments. If you’re more concerned about where exactly your property lines are an Improvement Survey Plat, ISP, may be a better type of survey for you. On top of the items in the ILC, the surveyor will verify and often flag the corners of the property. This is the way to go if you are considering adding on to the property or if you have concerns about encroachments and need more exact boundary information. The Improvement Survey Plat is the surveyors opinion of property boundaries. If you are buying a vacant piece of property this same type of survey is called a Land Survey Plat.

Survey cost

In the Summit County market the seller typically pays for a survey so the buyer doesn’t have to be too concerned with the cost of a survey. Prices vary with each property and with each surveyor. An ILC will typically cost around $300 and an ISP $600+. Keep in mind the time of year will also have an affect on how thorough the surveyor can be. They can only document what they see so if something is buried under the snow, it won’t show up on the survey. If you buy a house in the winter and when the snow melts you discover a fence under the snow, the surveyor may come out and update the survey for you at a reduced price. That reduced price, if they offer one, may not be as low as you would anticipate. Regulations dictate surveyors confirm all previous information before signing a new survey so while we just see them adding a fence to the previous drawing, they are actually measuring and reconfirming all the original information which can be a time consuming process. Every piece of property is different and it is impossible to give a blanket statement about the type of survey that is best for you without knowing the specific situation. A real estate professional should be able to offer advice and you can always talk to the surveyor directly. If they have done a lot of surveys in the area the surveyor may be aware of some frequent problems with properties in the neighborhood.

Posted in: Buyer Tips Tagged: Encroachment, Improvement Location Certificate, Improvement Survey Plat, Survey

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About Us

Mountain Living Real Estate, a.k.a. The Mountain Living Team, is a family owned, second generation, real estate company that has been helping buyers and sellers in Summit County since the early 90’s.  Mountain Living Real Estate is committed to going above and beyond to ensure their clients have the most amazing real estate experience possible.  Jason & Meredith take a personal approach to educate their clients, empowering them to make high quality decisions no matter the situation.  They take exceptional care throughout the sales process and beyond; striving to make each client’s path in Summit County one filled with fun, excitement & great memories.

Work with Mountain Living Real Estate and you’ll understand why so many people say, “We Love Mountain Living!”

Testimonials

Jason used amazing strategy for pricing, selling and acquisition of our next property. In this market this strategy is critical for success – especially with the buying process. Summit County real estate is a challenging market. We have bought and sold two properties and just bought our third. Jason and Meredith have been there for Continue Reading

Ben from Centennial February 2, 2022

You were very knowledgeable and supportive during this transaction. I was most impressed with your calmness and smart decision making during a chaotic process. Thank you again for your calmness during all of this.

Barbara from Centennial January 24, 2022

home in Breckenridge

We were very impressed with your professional skills, timely communication, and excellent listening skills. We felt you cared about us and our success.

Frederick from Colorado January 24, 2022

Living room in Dillon condo

(I was most impressed that they) Kept us informed through it all and helped navigate the things that needed to get down in a timely fashion. Also really appreciated help getting people to do some of the things done around the house.

Kate from Ft Collins November 4, 2021

House in Hamilton Creek

You guys did an exceptional job for us and went the “second mile” in many ways. We were most impressed with Pro-active and involved interaction with us and everyone in the process. Your team was exceptional. Recommended many things for us to do, and then helped us do them. Followed up,, checked in, and helped Continue Reading

Warren & Sue from TX August 12, 2021

Treehouse condo

Over the years we have bought and sold over 30 pieces of property and this was one of the most efficient and painless processes. Service and attention was A-perfect!

Jack from FL August 9, 2021

Gateway condo in Keystone

I very much enjoyed working with both Meredith and Jason, they really focused on our needs and questions. Their knowledge of the Summit County Area was worth its weight in Gold. Thank you guys!

Glen from GA July 27, 2021

sale of house

We were most impressed with your good judgement and advice on everything. Thank you for navigating us through the sale of our house.

David & Cecile from Boulder July 14, 2021

Copper Mountain Ski Resort

Great service- more forward leaning than previous realtors Most impressed with follow up, knowledge of local market, going the extra mile on document review and getting HOA questions answered. Good advice on price point, patience, and negotiations. Understandably you aren’t always available to look at properties, but in the crazy COIVD market there was one Continue Reading

Holly from Colorado Springs June 14, 2021

Most impressed with the dedication to getting the best deal for us! Exceptional service, skilled negotiators, truly worthy! I wouldn’t consider hiring anyone else. Thank you Meredith and Jason.

Lloyd from Salida June 4, 2021

Contact Us


Jason and Meredith Adams

Jason & Meredith Adams
Mountain Living Real Estate

101 Main St, #109, PO Box 4115 Frisco, CO 80443

(888) 666-0844
team@mountain-living.com

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Jason & Meredith Adams are both licensed to sell real estate in the state of Colorado

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