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Always get a surveyor, not a pin finder. The higher cost is WELL worth it. I know someone that used a "pin finder" and later discovered that the pin finder was off by nearly 35 feet. It cost them thousands to correct the error of where their house was positioned and bring it up to code. You may think you're saving by using a pin finder, but in truth, you are not.
John Dirgo, R, BIC, EcoBroker, ABR, e-PRO
Aloha Coast Realty, LLC
808-987-9243 cell
http://www.alohacoastrealty.com
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Good to see you back John, we missed you!
Aloha,
John S. Rabi, GM,PB,ABR,CRB,CM,FHS
808.327.3185
johnrabi@johnrabi.com
http://www.JohnRabi.com
Typically Tropical Properties
"The Next Level of Service!"
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If you know the size of lots in your neighborhood, you can easily see a 35 ft. error with any intuition at all. Download the tmk map for your area so you can figure it out. The only apparent difference between a surveyor and pin finder is the license and the liability. They have the same equipment, and use the same math. They aren't out there just sticking a wet finger in the air and guessing. If there wasn't such thick brush all over puna, you could probably go back there and just find the pins yourself.
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quote:
You may think you're saving by using a pin finder, but in truth, you are not.
John Dirgo, R, BIC, EcoBroker, ABR, e-PRO
Aloha Coast Realty, LLC
808-987-9243 cell
http://www.alohacoastrealty.com
In truth, you ARE saving, as the cost is about half. Unless you are the 1 guy who built 35 ft. over their property line, then you didn't save money.
Posts: 6,214
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Not all pinfinders use surveyors instruments, and not only do they do not have license, they probably do not have liability insurance and bonding for errors, you assume that.
How are you determining which lot is yours? Is it because the seller/agent said it was the lot you were at?
Are you using utility poles? Do you know for certain that they are the same poles, or is there a possibility they were moved, with a replacement since the time the pins were placed?
Did you start your measure from some known benchmark, or from some place like a street or pole?
How accurate is your measure? How many times in your transit are you adding inaccuracy? In the center of many of the streets in Puna, you can have 1/2 mile of measure, or about 27 times measure on a 100' tape.... (ETA: remember to keep that measure level, or to compensate for the inaccuracy - - same with the angles from the the baselines, amazing what a couple of degrees can do in a long lot line....)
If you are not sure, then hire a surveyor, if you are sure, go with your own measure, GPS or a pinfinder.... really it is only money one way or the other, but only with the surveyor do you have recourse for errors.
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If anyone buys a lot ONLY because the seller/agent said it was the lot you were at, they are idiots. It's not that hard to get a tmk map, see what else is around you, use a little intuition, and navigate to the lot by yourself.
And if you are using a pinfinder with NO equipment, then maybe that's the wrong pinfinder. The one I suggested is well-equipped.
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Does a Pin Finder find your property or are they only finding the existing pins? What if the existing pins are not where the legal property boundaries are located?
When I sold my folks property the surveyors could care less where the existing pins were located, they flagged the boundaries according to their survey. If it was where the pin was, that's good, but if the surveyed boundaries were not where the pins were located, they discovered that.
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For building of ANY sort I would ALWAYS use a surveyor over a pinfinder.
That said, in our case we had had our lot surveyed about 4 years back with all 4 pins visible and assessible. But they were 1680 feet apart. The neighbors and us wanted to erect a field fence between our 2 properties, we used "Island Boundaries" to help establish where the property lines were. In our case, we didn't care if it was exact only wanted and estimate since we were both sharing the cost of the fence, but I was very impressed with Island Boundaries knowledge and professionalism, they were way more on it than I had expected. I found them through a licensed surveyor I had spoke with, when I was calling around for bids. This is one example where a pinfinder may be of good use. Angela
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In my case, Island Boundary found the back corner pin within 3" of where he determined the corner to be. Not bad.
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I know a guy in my neighborhood who moved a pin about three feet to make room for a catchment tank. He thoughtfully cleared around the new location to make it easier for a pin finder to locate it.
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Stoneface
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