 TITLE: How to Get a Property Survey CONTENT: What Is a Property Survey?\n--------------------------\nThere are several types of property surveys, but the types individuals are most likely to need are:\n*   **A boundary survey:** This determines the perimeter of a property to establish exactly how much land is included within it and to ensure the title is accurate. It may also identify whether any neighboring properties have encroached upon the property as well as any _easements_, or areas where access to the property is shared by others. For example, if you're buying a house near a beach, there may be an easement allowing the public to cross part of your property to reach the beach.\n*   **An ALTA\/ACSM survey:** Also called a mortgage survey or Extended Title Insurance Coverage Survey, this may be required by your mortgage lender or title insurance company. It determines property lines, identifies any utilities on the property and notes improvements (such as outbuildings, garages or fences). ALTA\/ACSM surveys comply with requirements of the American Land Title Association and the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping.\n*   **An elevation or floodplain survey:** This shows the various elevations of the land to reveal how great the risk of flooding is.\n*   **A topographic survey:** This type of survey identifies not only boundaries and man-made features of the land, such as buildings, but also natural features such as elevation, streams, lakes or hills.\nFor an additional cost, you can include boundary staking, which has surveyors put markers—typically concrete pillars or rebar—at the corners of the property and along property lines.\nThe cost of a property survey depends on:\n*   The type of property survey.\n*   The size, shape and terrain of the property. For instance, surveying acres of undeveloped mountain land with indistinct boundaries costs more than surveying a suburban home with a small fenced lot.\n*   The amount of research that's required to find previous property surveys, titles and other records regarding the property.\n*   Travel time, due to the fact that surveyors charge more for driving long distances.\nThe average cost of a property survey in the U.S. is $504, according to homeowner services company HomeAdvisor, with the cost to survey a one-fifth-acre lot (the average U.S. home property size) ranging from $400 to $700.\nCosts also vary by location. Angi, another homeowner services company, estimates average costs for a property survey as follows:\n*   **New York**: $380 to $900\n*   **South Carolina**: $250 to $600\n*   **Texas**: $200 to $550\n*   **Oregon**: $375 to $1,500\n*   **Illinois**: $350 to $700 END