East Texas

[tressa27884]

Hey y'all!
Texas is a big ole state, and I think we East Texans need our own forum. So whether you're all ready here, moving here, or from here - let's chat. I'll go first.

I'm moving to Cooper end of the year. I just bought 19.55 acres and hope to be moved by 12/31. I'll be bringing my 2 children, 4 dogs, a parrot and a cat with me on the drive. First thing I have to do is find a pair of goats for my LGD puppy so he doesn't get bored and can learn his job better.

Looking forward to getting to know y'all

 

[Baymule]

Tressa, I read on your moving to Texas thread that you are having the property surveyed. We had our place surveyed for the FHA loan and all they did was mark the corners on one side. Here's how it works-they only have to mark where another property line joins your property. So on one side there were 6 adjacent properties and the surveyors marked that 1186' long line very well. The other side is adjacent to another tract the same size (8 acres) as ours, so only the corners were marked. A line 1186 feet long is too long to be guessing at, so we had to get them back out here and pay them $400 to mark the other line for fencing.

If you have long spans, you might want to tell them you need it marked for fencing.

 

[Devonviolet]

Same thing here. The previous owners paid for a survey. Our 5 acres is 150'×1486'. When we were trying to find the property line, to do fencing, we couldn't find it. The surveyors only marked the 4 corners. Our land is high in the middle, so there is no way you can run a string line.

Our neighbor, on the south side had the same problem. He has more $$$ than we do, so he paid to have his whole property surveyed & asked us to pay 1/2 the cost of our common property line, plus 1/2 the cost of putting in the fence. When we are able to put the fencing in, we will measure over 150 feet to put the north fence in. That way we won't have to pay another surveyor to duplicate what was done before we bought the property.

Personally, I think it is a racket. A way to get paid twice for doing the survey once.

 

[Baymule]

Yeah, I was ticked off. Why didn't they tell me that up front, so I could have had it done to start with?

 

[Devonviolet]

BTW, congrats on getting through the next step. We are looking forward to having you as "neighbors"!

@animalmom, it's too bad y'all don't live a little closer, to join the East Texas community!

Finding a couple wethers shouldn't be too hard. I'm so glad we were able to get our 4 little guys when we got our two LGDs. It really helped them hone their built-in guarding skills. They really have turned into great LGDs!

 

[Devonviolet]

Yeah, I was ticked off. Why didn't they tell me that up front, so I could have had it done to start with?

EXACTLY!!!

 

[greybeard]

Surveys are expensive. It took me only one survey to learn to always be there when they do the work.
Been my experience, that surveyors walk along long spans and put in temporary wooden stakes all along the run to hold their surveyed path in case at the end, it doesn't measure out to what is on past surveys or recorded deeds and they have to go back over it to find where they were off. Just walk along with them and drive your own permanent stakes right in the same place their temporary mid run stakes are.

Make sure you understand, that in the event there is an obstruction to line of sight present, and they can't easily hack it out of the way, they often move off to one side of the line until they do have line of sight, and put a stake there--it's not a true line stake. They record in their log, how many feet, inches, and fraction of an inch they are offset (usually writing it on the stake in magic marker) You can then move back over the same amount of distance and drive your own stake to mark the true line. Once they get past the obstruction(s) they will move their instrument back the same distance and get back on true line.

Be glad one of your property lines isn't a river channel. Metes and bounds with dozens of entries along the curving path of the river channel....and highways are another problem. I once owned a parcel where the actual property line is out in the paved part of a state highway.


or this (taken from my front porch)


Those folks can get pretty anal about their trees and brush...

 

[Latestarter]

I asked the surveyors while they were here if they could put stakes about every 100' or so and they said they charge an additional $90 an hour to do that I personally think that's a racket! They're marking the line about that distance anyway as they move along it! Anyway, since I wasn't paying for the survey, I couldn't really do anything about it. They spent 2 full days here so that would have been exorbitantly expensive. I did pay attention to their ground markers, so should be able to track them down and there was already a perimeter fence, though degrading, that's marked on the survey so I can re-fence based off those measurements.

Anyway, Welcome to east TX Tressa! Lookin forward to meeting you once you get here.

 

[greybeard]

I asked the surveyors while they were here if they could put stakes about every 100' or so and they said they charge an additional $90 an hour to do that I personally think that's a racket! They're marking the line about that distance anyway as they move along it! Anyway, since I wasn't paying for the survey, I couldn't really do anything about it. They spent 2 full days here so that would have been exorbitantly expensive. I did pay attention to their ground markers, so should be able to track them down and there was already a perimeter fence, though degrading, that's marked on the survey so I can re-fence based off those measurements.

Anyway, Welcome to east TX Tressa! Lookin forward to meeting you once you get here.

$90 /hr extra...
Which is why I suggested the property owner(s) walk along with them and drive their own stakes down at the mid line points.
But having said that, I don't consider 2 days @ $90/hr to be overly expensive to get a good property line established for a fence. Two 8 hr days=16X$90=$1440. That's a lot cheaper than having to pick up a new fence and move it over if a neighbor complains my fence wandered off on to his property.
Sure, surveys ARE expensive, but so is farming and getting hauled into court because of an angry neighbor or his heirs, is even more so. The survey and perimeter fence is but the 1st step on a new piece of property. Get that correct at the start, and you're money ahead for all the time you own and farm the property.

 

[tressa27884]

8 days til we close! I'm getting excited AND nervous. This week, my task is finding a moving company that won't bleed me dry. I sent Kate's Cackling Ranch an email through Facebook to see if she had any goats available for sale. I've not heard back from her, but since she doesn't know who I am - I'm not surprised. I can buy a lamb here to travel with Amos but I don't want to. Part of my stress is the idea of driving through the snow to pick Amos up. I'm scheduled to pick him up on the 26th and we head out the 27th. It would be easier for him to have a pet of his own while traveling, but it won't be easier for me.

In addition to the survey happening this week, the structural engineer is also coming out to confirm the house is on a permanent foundation. Who knew FHA would be such an ordeal? I am NOT complaining - I just want it done all ready. I'm not sure the owners want to walk along with the surveyor and place stakes in the ground, if I was closer it wouldn't be a problem for me to be a pest and walk with him.