How To Locate Your Property Lines — And Why They're Important
September 29, 2021
General Real Estate
Whether you already own a home or are simply shopping for one, it's likely that you have a vague idea of the property's boundaries. There may be a fence, the edge of a planter bed or lawn, a driveway, or maybe even an outbuilding that indicates where one homeowner's property ends and another's begins. For most purposes, that general sense is enough — after all, most of us have no reason to question a fence's placement or whether a tree is in our yard or our neighbor's. However, there are a number of circumstances in which locating your property lines is a crucial necessity. Understanding how to locate your property lines, and when and why those lines are important, may be one of the simplest, but most critical tasks, any homeowner faces.
What Are Property Lines?
Property lines are the legal boundaries of the plot of land upon which your home is built. They may be marked by a fence, road, driveway or ditch, or they may be invisible. The distance from the front of your home to the property line at the street is known as "frontage," while property lines to either side of the home are called "sidelines." The property line in the back of your home is known as the "rear lot line." These lines are described in the title deed to the property, and a record of all property lines in your jurisdiction is kept on file with your local recorder or assessor's office.When Do I Need To Know My Property Lines?
Knowing your property lines tells you exactly what you own, and what you're responsible for as a homeowner. If you're a buyer, they can help you evaluate your property's value and assess risk — knowing whether that large tree is your responsibility or your neighbor's can help you understand your obligations and potential costs of ownership. Mortgage lenders, title insurers, and home insurance providers, likewise, will all need to understand the exact extent of what they're investing in or insuring. Understanding your property's boundaries also helps to avoid legal entanglements with neighbors. For example, if you've invested in improvements to your property such as walls or fences, additions, or outbuildings, the last thing you, as a homeowner, want to hear is that your hard work and financial outlay has inadvertently encroached onto your neighbor's land. Conversely, if your neighbor has unintentionally built onto your property, knowing your rights can help you reach an amicable solution. One such amicable resolution might be a boundary line agreement. A boundary line agreement is a written contract in which an encroached-upon neighbor allows an encroaching structure to remain over the property line without giving up title to the encroached-upon portion of the land. In the case of a neighbor building on your property, the neighbor acknowledges their mistake in encroaching on your property and, in exchange, you allow the structure to remain standing. You, as the owner of the encroached-upon land, retain the right to the property, and once the structure or improvement is torn down, it must be rebuilt entirely on the encroaching neighbor's property. Dealing with these issues early is critical — finding out that a neighbor has built onto your land can hold up or even cause a buyer to walk away from a sale.How Do I Find My Property Lines?
Your local county recorder or assessor's office will permit you to access public maps of your street, on which you can locate your property's boundary lines. In many counties in the Chicagoland area, including Cook County and Du Page County, you can access property maps online. If your home is located on platted or mapped land, you may be able to access the plat maps online. A plat map is a map of a section or subdivision that shows the location and property lines for individual properties within the map's boundaries. These detailed maps often contain aerial views and outlines of individual properties. If you have a plat map, you can retrace the original surveyor's steps by locating the starting point, labeled on the plat as the "common point" or "point of beginning." Once you have located this point, you can follow the original surveyor's measurements with a measuring tape or phone app that measures distance. In addition, your land may include line markers in the form of iron stakes called survey pins that can indicate the corners of your land. These pins may be visible, or you may need a metal detector to locate them. You can also check your property's deed for a written description of your property's boundaries. Either your current deed or an older one will provide this description. However, if you have to review an older deed, it may refer to landmarks or other features that no longer exist. Finally, a professional surveyor can provide a measurement of your property lines. Land surveyors will also research the property's recorded history, and will visually inspect the property to determine the legal boundaries. If you need to know your property lines to make an improvement, buy or sell the property, or acquire insurance, you may need to invest in a professional land survey.When Home Means More, You Need A Team With More To Offer
When you're negotiating in a unique real estate market, you need a team with the right expertise. That's why your local Baird & Warner agent knows everything there is to know about Chicagoland, and will be with you at every step of the way. From finding the perfect home to connecting you with local experts in mortgage and title, your Baird & Warner agent is ready to make sure you're prepared to take on Chicago's unique market like a pro. Whether it's the beginning of a story or the end of a chapter, we're here to help.Tags:
