Recommendation for Land Surveyor? (Austin: refinance, credit, first time home buyer)

[atxcio]

Hi All,

I'm in need of a surveyor (in Austin) for a typical residential survey, like the kind you'd get when purchasing a house or getting a refinance. The few that are reviewed on Angie's List all have terrible grades (D or worse), and the one my Realtor recommended hasn't returned my calls. Is it really that busy right now?

So if anyone has a reco they'd like to share, would you mind DMing me the info? Thanks!

[TexasHorseLady]

Well, with the big rush to get houses closed by the deadline for the First Time Home Buyer's Tax Credit, yeah, it's pretty busy right now, but the surveyor should at least have returned your call.

Is this for a purchase? If so, you might ask the title company what surveyor they use - in fact, if it's for a residential purchase and the survey is included in the contract (it is in the standard residential contract promulgated by TREC and should be addressed in any contract), the title company is usually the one who orders the survey and they tend to use good ones, as they're the one who is likely to have to pay out if there's a problem with it down the line.

[FalconheadWest]

Even if it's not for a purchase or refinance, still contact a title company as they're the ones who hold the names of the "good" survey people.

[atxcio]

Thanks. No, it's not for a purchase. It's for a fence and possible refinance, the existing survey I have from the purchase is very old. Thanks everyone for the tips and recommendations via DM. I didn't realize it was so busy. Didn't they extend the credit?

[TexasHorseLady]

Not yet. The Senate has just voted to extend it, but it still has to go through the House and be signed into law by the President. (The House may vote on it today.)

Some think it's a sure thing, and they may be correct, but I didn't get to my advanced age without learning (the hard way) not to say it's a done deal until it is, indeed, a done deal.

[waytosouth]

Atxcio....the truth is there is no easy survey. There are rules and regulations set forth by the courts and states that govern surveying. If a surveyor doesn't follow these rules he faces fines and possibly loss of their license. So if you called asking for a basic and easy survey of your boundary...they probably think you want the job done for a $100 when in truth it may cost a lot more. I know this is generalization on the surveyors part, but it is a common occurrence. With it being common many surveyors will not call back because they feel that it might be a waste of their time.

I would call the surveyors and say you want a boundary survey of your property for a future fence. You will get a better response. As far as "a good" surveyor...like I said above. The profession is very regulated and all surveyors should be working on a common ground. That said, if you get three quotes for $1000 and a fourth for $150...... sometimes cheaper isn't better.