When buying or selling a home in the Quinte area, it is essential to understand the intricacies and exact location of property boundaries.

A property boundary is an invisible line that indicates the end of one property and the beginning of another. These lines are determined by historical surveys, older plans of reference, survey indicators such as stakes or flags, and the legal descriptions of the subject piece of land and adjoining parcels. Only a licensed land surveyor can provide the exact property boundaries for your piece of land or a parcel you are interested in. Fences, tree lines, hedges, and other property features should not be assumed to be the property line.

In a perfect world, every property would have easily identifiable property boundaries that are clearly marked and have up-to-date surveys. But we don’t live in a perfect world, and many properties are sold without a precise indication of where land ownership begins and ends.

This can cause issues with buyers not feeling satisfied with the property they purchased, future arguments over fence placement, and poorly understood rights of way and easements over the properties.

As a REALTOR®, we provide our clients with tools, resources, and links to help them understand the property boundaries of homes and lots they are interested in and always recommend speaking with a professional land surveyor to get more specific information.

If you are buying or selling a home in the Quinte area, there are various tools available to the public to explain property ownership. Geographic Information System Mapping (GIS mapping) provided by the municipality is a great place to start. These maps are not precise and do not have the same validity as a formal survey provided by a registered land surveyor, but do an excellent job at indicating the approximate boundaries for properties so that you have an understanding of what is included with the property.

If you are buying or selling a home in the Quinte area, there are various tools available to the public to explain property ownership. Geographic Information System Mapping (GIS mapping) provided by the municipality is a great place to start. These maps are not precise and do not have the same validity as a formal survey provided by a registered land surveyor, but do an excellent job of indicating the approximate boundaries for properties in the area so that a buyer or seller has an understanding of what is included with the property they are purchasing.

Your local Quinte real estate agent may also provide a copy of a document from GeoWarehouse, which has approximate property boundaries and measurements outlined. MLS® advertisements typically reference GeoWarehouse or a survey when providing property information but should not be taken as fact, it is always best to review any available surveys, plans of subdivision, or reference plans available for the property in question. If those are unavailable, review the secondary resources such as GIS and contact a real estate lawyer to see if they have access to any surveys or the property boundary description listed on the title of the property.

In cookie-cutter subdivisions with smaller lots, it is much easier to visualize where properties end and begin. However, in rural settings, especially when dealing with large acreages, irregular property shapes, and agricultural land, it can be much more difficult to be sure where the exact end and beginning of a property is. Now, remember, it is always the best practice to refer to any available registered survey material or consult with a registered land surveyor for more reliable and exact information.

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