California Surveyors Forums

Has anyone done an ALTA Survey for a townhouse? The townhouse in questions is one of a few inside a building on a lot with many buildings. How would a surveyor approach doing an ALTA survey for just one inside a building with 4 of them? The client has been told he has been told he needs an ALTA survey so that the townhouse can serve as collateral for a loan. I want to help, but I don't know what the scope of work would be.

What's the description on your client's deed?

Initially, I'm thinking that you would locate the building relative to the overall property (land) parcel boundaries and locate the party walls of your client's unit relative to the building corners. You may have to clarify to what extent they are requiring info of the overall property. If they're only looking for what's pertinent to the one TH unit, you may not need to show easements and other encumbrances which have no effect on that unit. Same would go for other improvements.

If you go that route, review the documents carefully to ensure that you don't omit something that has an effect that is not obvious. If in doubt, show all encumbrances affecting the underlying parcel.

The legal description in the title report basically says Parcel One is "Unit # as shown on Condo Plan recorded blah blah. The Condo Plan covers Lots 1 & 2 as shown on Subdivision Map recorded blah blah." It then lists other parcels which state a common interest in other parts of the complex for common areas, and other exclusive/nonexclusive easements for ingress/egress, Patio, etc. I don't have the Condo Plan yet. Do I need to show all of the interests and easements (which means I have to show most of the Condo Map that is applicable to us)? Love to have someone respond that has done a number of these. Seems like a niche area of surveying.

Tell your client to get a different lender.

speak directly with the lender, ask what They require.
the buyer is picking up the tab, so the lender does not really care how many contortions ($) you would need to go thru.

"niche area of surveying"? maybe. I doubt there is actually any market at all for residential, maybe some in commercial.

LA Stevens wrote:Tell your client to get a different lender.

that will probably be the ultimate result.

First thoughts: I agree with the person that said advise the client to get a different lender.

Second thought, figure out what is in the blah-blah-blah of the description. Does the Unit include the, walls, earth and sky? Or is it an air-space unit that is limited by walls and such? For the latter would you be required to as-built the interior because for air-space the structure, sheet rock, arch ways interior walls etc. are not typically part of the Unit. Condo plans show dimensions that approximate the shell of the living area but not necessarily all the interior walls. Those get taken out using words, essentially a bounds description. I