ALTA | NSPS | ACSM Land Title Survey
An ALTA/NSPS Land Title Survey is a detailed property survey mostly used for commercial real estate. It’s designed by the American Land Title Association (ALTA) and the National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS) to give clear, accurate info about a property, following strict national standards. Since it’s THE survey that follows all of the regulations set by national authorities, it holds up under the most strict legal scrutiny. If you want to ensure that you won’t have property issues, this is the survey that you’re going to want to request. In many situations, particularly with land transactions, both parties will agree that this is the standard that they want to base the acquisition on.
ALTA/NSPS Survey Basics
This survey maps out property boundaries and shows things like easements, encroachments, or buildings. Surveyors use tools like GPS and total stations, plus old records and title documents, to make sure everything lines up with the property’s legal description and to flag any issues. In simple terms, for this survey, our team is turning over every single rock that they can find. It’s an essential part of the process, particularly with plots of land that have been under some form of dispute. It could also help draw up actual boundaries in areas of vacant land that haven’t been put through a ton of scrutiny over a decent period of time.
Importance for Property Deals
Deeds can have mistakes, and property lines might not match what’s on paper. An ALTA/NSPS survey spots problems, like a neighbor’s fence over the line or an unknown easement. A lot of times, some of these issues, like a neighbor’s fence crossing over a property line, were accepted through a gentleman's agreement, and that’s why it didn’t cause any issues. There’s no legal requirement that would force a new property owner to respect an unwritten agreement. That’s why some of these disputes come to light when there’s going to be a new potential owner taking over.
How the Survey Gets Done
Surveyors start by checking title documents and historical records, then visit the property to measure and mark boundaries with things like iron pins. The time it takes depends on the property’s size and how messy the records are. As mentioned, our team of experts really has to take a deep dive and make sure that they turn over every single rock for these. It’s the most comprehensive survey that you’re going to be able to find. These are the projects that we take the most pride in. Since we’ve been providing this information for a long time, our experts have an easier time accessing local information and verifying its authenticity. That’s why you want to work with local experts on these types of projects.
What You Get from It
You’ll get a clear map, digital files, and a report explaining boundaries, easements, and any issues like encroachments. Surveyors can go over it with you if anything’s unclear. Banks, title companies, and lawyers for sales or legal matters trust the standardized results. If you have any specific requests, please let us know at the beginning of the process so that we can make sure to include any additional information or backup files, whatever it may be!