All Forum Posts by: Eli Molloy

That's a really good price in my area. The size of the lot isn't going to affect the cost much. The work is about the same for a 0.15 ac lot as it is for a 3 ac lot.

Surveyors make errors from time to time, but 6 ft is a huge bust. I don’t know how well you know your neighbor but if they’ll let you look at the survey research documents it might explain the difference. A survey of your own might be the best, although priciest, way to get to the bottom of this. 

Congrats on the new place!

Search here if you are feeling thrifty. 

https://www.biggerpockets.com/files

But I think you’ll have better luck here:

https://get.biggerpockets.com/forms/index/

I can’t speak for Raleigh specifically but $850 seems like a pretty reasonable price. The cost of a survey can vary widely depending on many factors. I think you may have gotten lucky on the last 2, that is incredibly cheap for my area. Just curious, were the previous lots adjoining and platted together?

I agree with @Jay Hinrichs, a civil engineer is who you want to talk to. But, it will take them several hours, probably days, to get a good estimate together and it could be pricey. If you are wanting to get some very high level numbers the MoDOT bid prices at the link below are a good place to start. 

http://www.modot.org/eBidLettingPublicWeb/viewStre...

I would recommend checking google earth and USGS topo maps before hiring a surveyor to make sure it looks like you are actually out off the flood plain. You don’t want to spend hundreds just to find out you are 20 ft. below the flood elev. A nice surveyor (especially if they have plenty of work) will probably give you an idea of where you stand. 

Get several prices. Surveyors familiar with the area can be significantly cheaper. 

Make sure you are comparing apples to apples. Some will run a level circuit to determine elevation. This is the proper, but more expensive, method. Others will quote you using GPS. 

Did the surveying company give you a quote immediately or are you waiting for one? I think anyone familiar with the area would have a standard price they could quickly give you. Make sure you get several quotes, prices for these in my area can vary quite a bit. 

Do you think it’s an error that it is in the flood plain? Someone familiar with the area and flood plain maps should be able to compare the maps and various online resources (google earth) and have a pretty good idea if it is in or out. 

I opened this thread to let you know about the landfill issue but it looks like everyone else did too. Watch "Atomic Homefront" on HBO if you are looking for a good documentary. One thing I would highly suggest is getting a radon test during the inspection/due-dilligence period. 

I’m curious. Are you having issues finding a property manager that will take on your property or finding one that you like and trust?

+1 for calling a local scrapper. If you can, make it part of the deal that they have to remove everything and not just the metal. That way you won’t have to rent a dumpster after they are gone.