Land Planning Surveys

Due Diligence Before Buying Property

Buying land based on assumptions costs people hundreds of thousands of dollars every year.

The 50 acres advertised as development land turns out to have 30 acres of unbuildable wetlands.

The “level building sites” are actually 20% slopes. The property with “good access” has a landlocked interior that requires expensive road construction to reach.

Land planning surveys reveal what you’re actually buying before you commit.

They document total acreage, usable acreage, access, utilities, terrain, environmental constraints, and zoning limitations.

They answer the questions that determine whether land works for your intended use and what development will actually cost.

What Land Buyers Need to Know

Total acreage matters less than usable acreage. A 100-acre tract with 70 acres of steep slopes, wetlands, or protected stream buffers gives you 30 usable acres.

 If you’re planning development that requires 50 usable acres, the property doesn’t work regardless of total acreage.

Access determines value and usability. Land with 1,000 feet of road frontage is worth more than land with 100 feet of frontage on a dirt road, which is worth more than landlocked land with no direct road access.

The type of access – public road, private easement, deeded right-of-way – affects what you can do and what it costs.

Utilities drive development costs. Land with public water and sewer at the property line costs less to develop than land requiring wells, septic systems, and utility extensions.

The difference can be $50,000-$100,000 per acre in development costs.

Terrain affects construction costs and usability. Flat land is cheaper to build on than slopes. Moderate slopes (5-15%) work for most development. 

Steep slopes (over 20%) require special foundations, extensive grading, and erosion control. Very steep slopes (over 30%) may be unbuildable under local regulations.

Zoning and environmental regulations constrain what can be built. The 50-acre tract zoned agricultural might not allow the commercial development you’re planning. 

The property on a creek might have 100-foot buffers on both sides that prevent construction on 40% of the land.

Common Surprises Land Surveys Reveal

Acreage discrepancies are frequent. Properties advertised as 50 acres measure 42 acres when properly surveyed. 

The difference comes from old surveys using outdated equipment, rough estimates that were never verified, or deliberate misrepresentation. 

On expensive land, 8 missing acres represents serious money.

Boundary locations surprise buyers. The property line they assumed followed the fence line or treeline actually cuts through the middle of cleared areas. 

Improvements the seller represented as being “on the property” are actually on neighboring land or public right-of-way.

Access problems appear. The driveway everyone uses crosses a neighbor’s property with no recorded easement.

The deeded easement shown in title documents doesn’t actually connect to a public road. The access road is too steep or narrow for the development intended.

Wetlands affect usability dramatically. Federal and state regulations protect wetlands and require buffers.

A formal wetland delineation might show 30% of the property is jurisdictional wetlands where you can’t build, clear vegetation, or disturb soil. Development plans based on total acreage collapse when wetlands eliminate that much usable land.

Steep slopes limit options. From the road, land looks relatively flat. Survey reveals it drops 60 feet across the property with slopes exceeding 25%. 

Local regulations prohibit building on slopes over 20%, making most of the property unbuildable.

Due Diligence Timeline

Land purchase contracts typically include contingency periods for inspections and due diligence – often 30-45 days. 

Surveys need to happen early in that window. If survey findings reveal problems, you need time to renegotiate, address issues with the seller, or walk away before your earnest money is at risk.

Order the land planning survey within the first week of the due diligence period. Most surveys take 2-3 weeks to complete. 

That leaves time to review findings, consult with engineers or architects about development options, and make informed decisions before the contingency period expires.

Waiting until late in the due diligence period creates problems.

If the survey reveals issues and you need the seller to address them or need to renegotiate terms, you’re under time pressure. 

Sellers have less incentive to cooperate if they know you’re close to your deadline.

What’s Included in Land Planning Surveys

The survey starts with boundaries and total acreage – verifying what you’re buying legally. 

We locate property corners, compare measurements to deed descriptions, identify adjoining properties and shared boundaries.

Topographic data shows terrain. We map elevations, create contour maps, identify steep slopes, and document natural drainage patterns. 

This tells you where you can build, what grading will cost, and where drainage problems might develop.

Access gets documented – current access points, deeded easements, rights-of-way, and road frontage. 

We verify that access shown in title documents actually exists on the ground and connects to public roads.

Utility locations and availability matter. We identify existing utilities on or near the property – water, sewer, electric, gas, phone, internet. We note where utilities need to be extended and what that involves.

Environmental features affect development – streams, wetlands, floodplains, protected areas. 

We identify obvious wetlands and note areas that might need formal environmental assessment. We document flood zones and protected stream buffers.

Zoning and regulations overlay everything. We research current zoning, permitted uses, setback requirements, minimum lot sizes, and environmental regulations. 

This tells you what’s actually legal to build.

Working with Development Professionals

Land planning surveys integrate with other due diligence work. Engineers use survey data to evaluate site development feasibility and costs. 

Architects use it to assess building site options. Environmental consultants use it to focus wetland assessments on relevant areas.

We coordinate with development teams to ensure surveys address specific questions. 

If you’re planning a specific type of development, we focus on information relevant to that use. If you’re evaluating multiple options, we provide comprehensive data that supports various scenarios.

Our surveys become base maps for preliminary site planning. Architects and engineers overlay proposed improvements on our survey data to see how designs fit the property. 

They can quickly evaluate whether your vision works with reality.

Cost Versus Risk

Land planning surveys typically cost $2,500-8,000 depending on property size and survey scope. On a $500,000 land purchase, that’s 0.5-1.6% of the purchase price.

Compare that to discovering after closing that the property doesn’t work for your intended use. Maybe 40% is unbuildable wetlands. 

Maybe development costs are twice what you budgeted. Maybe zoning doesn’t permit what you wanted to build. You’ve committed $500,000 to property that doesn’t serve your needs.

Smart buyers view survey costs as insurance against expensive mistakes. Spending $5,000 to avoid a $200,000 problem is obvious math. 

Skipping surveys to save money makes no sense when you’re committing six or seven figures to land purchase.

When Problems Surface During Due Diligence

Survey findings sometimes kill deals. The property doesn’t have the acreage represented. Access problems can’t be easily resolved. 

Environmental constraints eliminate too much usable land. Zoning doesn’t permit intended uses and variances aren’t feasible.

That’s exactly what due diligence is for – discovering problems while you can still walk away. Better to lose earnest money than to close on property that doesn’t work.

More often, survey findings lead to renegotiation. The property has 8 fewer acres than advertised – price should adjust proportionally. 

Access requires an easement that needs to be obtained and recorded – seller should handle that before closing. Wetlands affect 30% of the property – price should reflect reduced usable acreage.

Sellers often agree to adjust terms when confronted with factual survey findings. They want the deal to close.

If survey shows legitimate problems, most sellers would rather adjust price or terms than have the deal fail.

Multi-Parcel Assemblage

Some land purchases involve assembling multiple parcels – buying several adjoining properties to create a larger tract for development. Land planning surveys become critical for assemblage.

Boundaries between parcels need to align properly. Sometimes they don’t – gaps or overlaps exist between what deeds describe and what’s actually on the ground. 

Surveys identify these problems before closing so they can be addressed.

Total usable acreage across multiple parcels might be less than individual parcels suggest due to combined setbacks, shared access requirements, or environmental constraints. 

Surveys show realistic development capacity for the assembled tract.

Easements across parcels for access or utilities need to be identified and properly documented. What works informally while different owners hold adjacent parcels needs formal legal documentation once parcels are under common ownership or development.

Environmental Screening

Land planning surveys identify obvious environmental issues but aren’t substitutes for formal environmental assessments. 

We document streams, wetlands, steep slopes, and protected areas we can see. We flag areas that need professional environmental review.

Formal wetland delineations require environmental consultants who follow specific protocols and submit findings to regulatory agencies.

 Phase I environmental site assessments check for contamination risks. Endangered species surveys look for protected plants or animals.

Our survey data helps environmental consultants focus their work. If we identify 15 acres of obvious wetlands, consultants know where to concentrate detailed assessment. 

If we show steep terrain that limits development to certain areas, environmental review can focus on those areas.

Environmental issues discovered late cause expensive problems. Finding wetlands after you’ve designed buildings and gotten preliminary approvals forces redesign and permitting delays. Finding contamination after closing makes cleanup your responsibility and expense.

Development Capacity Analysis

How much can you actually build on the property? That’s what buyers want to know, and it’s more complex than dividing total acreage by minimum lot size.

Start with total acreage. Subtract wetlands and protected stream buffers – you can’t build there. Subtract steep slopes beyond local slope limits – those are unbuildable. 

Subtract land needed for roads, utilities, and stormwater management. Subtract setback areas around property perimeter. What’s left is potentially buildable land.

Then apply zoning density limits, parking requirements, open space requirements, and other regulatory constraints. The buildable area might support fewer lots or less building area than simple math suggests.

Land planning surveys provide the factual basis for these calculations. Engineers and planners use our data to model development capacity accurately. 

You know before buying whether the property supports your development program.

Long-Term Value

The survey you get during due diligence serves you throughout ownership. When you’re ready to develop, you start with accurate base information about property characteristics and constraints.

 Engineers and architects build on that data rather than starting fresh.

When you eventually sell the property, providing survey documentation adds value. Buyers can conduct due diligence faster and with more confidence when comprehensive survey data already exists.

For property holding, survey data helps with management decisions – timber harvest planning, lease boundaries, agricultural use planning, conservation easement evaluation.

Why This Matters

Land planning surveys prevent expensive mistakes. They show you what you’re actually buying, not what you think you’re buying or what the seller represents you’re buying.

They reveal problems while you can still walk away or renegotiate.

The cost is minimal compared to land value and development investment.

The protection is substantial – knowing definitively that land works for your intended use before committing to purchase.

The Land Surveying Company provides estate planning surveys for families throughout Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, and Kentucky.

We’ve worked with attorneys and families on property divisions ranging from simple two-way splits to complex multi-generational divisions involving dozens of heirs.

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and everywhere in between”

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We are a land surveying firm in Georgia dedicated to fast and friendly service in Georgia, Alabama, Kentucky and Tennessee. We service residential, commercial and industrial surveys.