Sound like words you'd like to rely upon? What if the corner isn't where it should be, and the house or barn on the property you're buying straddles the neighbor's property line? What if your beautiful white board fence turns out to be on the neighbor's property? Those are just a few reasons why you should have a licensed surveyor identify the property corners before you finalize your purchase.

Many of the properties you may consider have probably been surveyed in the past. If the property in question falls into this category, the surveyor's job will be reduced to obtaining a copy of the recorded survey map at the county offices, finding the existing property corners, and marking them with stakes and brightly-colored flagging. If there is no recorded survey map, plan on additional expense and time because the surveyor will need to do a complete survey from scratch and set corner pins.

Despite the expense, it's a good idea to know clearly just where your property corners are before you complete your purchase.