Get the survey done and get a lawyer to advise.

At the link below, there is a survey from University Presidents.

I don't think I'd consider any of that to be perfectly fine, you can check your survey that you may have gotten with your purchase to see if it is on your property, if it is I'd see if the neighbor is willing to split the cost with you. 

The seller and his attorney recently paid for a survey to be done and also paid someone to spend a lot of time at the city to persuade them.

I'm an Illinois real estate attorney and have little knowledge of the real estate laws and customs of North Carolina.However, Cash is king and you should make sure you are covered/protected before you complete the transaction.First, yes complete an inspection if you want to and that can take as long as you can to have it completed.Next, although I may feel ok with giving the Seller's attorney my Earnest Money, I would not do the transaction unless a title company is involved as the escrow agent for the parties, takes/receives my payments, and can guarantee me clear title ownership.In Illinois, as a Seller's Attorney, I can be ready for a cash closing in about a week, subject to the time it will take to obtain a Plat of Survey, HOA documents, mortgage payoff letter and city inspections, and cleaning up any title exceptions, if any.  

@Antonio DeFlorioI've also seen:Buyer to pay for survey and provide a sealed copy to seller.Buyer agrees that their attorney has reviewed the contract and accepts all terms.All contingencies waived.Should seller decide to appeal previous year's property taxes, buyer is to pay their pro-rata share of the legal expenses to do so.Like you said - buyer pays all closing costsAnd all of these things are always buried in the middle of 16 pages.

@Don ThorntonThe Annual Census, known as the American Community Survey, is a good resource to consider using. 

I don’t do anything else until that survey hits my inbox.

No worries though, I always get an email at least two weeks prior if Section 8 decides to change the amount of rent that they will pay out, so I'll know ahead of time what they're paying and what my tenant will pay.Personally, I like the program and I plan on getting my new rental property surveyed in order to be able to accept Section 8 tenants.

The neighbor's biggest obsession seems to be the retaining wall, which he owns per a complaint he tried to make in 2015 that I saw in the code enforcement website, he had a survey done and the findings were that he owns the wall.The building inspector called me on Monday 7/31 and said he'd give me more time for the other violations if I re-route that downspout as my next project-stated-they've been getting a lot of contact from my neighbor and he's trying to help me avoid litigation.