I wouldn’t trust them further than I could throw my tape measure.
That’s pretty much how I feel about those online parcel viewers too. They’re fine for a ballpark idea, but I’ve seen property lines on the map that would put my neighbor’s garage in my living room. Easements are even trickier—sometimes they’re buried in old deeds or city records nobody’s looked at in decades. I always tell folks, if you’re putting real money into something, just bite the bullet and get a survey. It hurts less than moving a shed after the fact, trust me.
I’ve seen property lines on the map that would put my neighbor’s garage in my living room.
- Had a client once who swore by those online maps—until the city flagged his new fence for being three feet over.
- Easements are like hidden treasure maps, except the “treasure” is usually a headache.
- I always say: measure twice, build once... and get a real surveyor before you pour any concrete.
DIGGING INTO PROPERTY EASEMENTS—ANYONE ELSE FIND ONLINE TOOLS CONFUSING?
Those online maps are wild sometimes. I had a project where the digital property lines looked fine, but when we brought in a surveyor, turns out the neighbor’s shed was actually straddling the line by almost two feet. The owner was shocked—he’d been relying on those free mapping tools for years. I get why folks use them, but honestly, they’re just not precise enough for anything permanent. It’s worth the hassle (and cost) to get a pro out there before you start digging or building. Easements especially can be buried in old records and not show up online at all... learned that the hard way once.
Easements especially can be buried in old records and not show up online at all... learned that the hard way once.
You’re spot on—those digital maps are more of a rough guide than anything you’d want to stake a fence on. I’ve seen situations where the GIS data was off by several feet, and easements didn’t show up anywhere online. It’s frustrating, but nothing beats a proper survey and some time at the county recorder’s office. Those “hidden” easements can really throw a wrench in the works if you’re not careful.
I’ve wondered about that too—how do people even catch these old easements before making big decisions? Sometimes I feel like you’d need a detective’s mindset just to buy a plot. Have you run into any surprises after closing, or do you always check in person?
