Professional surveyors and real property descriptions : composition, construction, and comprehension

PROFESSIONAL SURVEYORS AND
REAL PROPERTY DESCRIPTIONS......Page 3
CONTENTS......Page 7
FOREWORD......Page 13
1.1.1 Personal Property......Page 17
1.1.3 Ownership......Page 18
1.1.4 Possession......Page 19
1.2.1 The Concept of Title......Page 20
1.2.3 Limited Title......Page 23
1.2.4 Easements......Page 28
1.3 Transfers of Title and Interests......Page 42
1.3.1 Written Transfers and Conveyances......Page 43
1.3.2 Unwritten Transfers and Conveyances......Page 46
1.3.3 Statute of Frauds......Page 49
1.4 Deeds......Page 51
1.4.1 Legally Sufficient......Page 54
1.4.2 Abstract of Title......Page 55
1.4.3 Recordation......Page 56
2.1 Overview......Page 61
2.2.1 General History......Page 63
2.2.2 Legally Sufficient......Page 64
2.3.1 History......Page 67
2.3.2 Aliquot Division......Page 69
2.4.1 History......Page 72
2.4.2 Recorded Plats......Page 73
2.4.3 State and Local Regulations......Page 74
2.4.5 Linear Tracts......Page 75
2.5 Combined Record System Descriptions......Page 83
3.1 Angles......Page 87
3.1.2 Interior Angles......Page 88
3.1.4 Deflection Angles......Page 90
3.2.1 General......Page 91
3.2.2 True North......Page 92
3.2.4 Magnetic North......Page 93
3.2.6 Assumed North......Page 94
3.3.1 North-South Reference Lines......Page 95
3.3.2 East-West Reference Lines......Page 97
3.3.4 Generalized Directions......Page 98
3.4 Curved Lines......Page 99
3.5 Azimuths......Page 102
3.6 Compass Directions and Headings......Page 103
4.1 General......Page 107
4.2 Projectionless Maps......Page 110
4.3 Conformal Plane Projection......Page 111
4.3.2 Lambert Projection......Page 112
4.3.3 Transverse Mercator Projection......Page 113
4.3.4 State Plane Projection......Page 115
4.3.6 Global Positioning System (GPS)......Page 117
4.3.7 Geographical Information Systems (GIS)......Page 118
4.4 Application......Page 119
5.1 General......Page 123
5.2 Original Surveys......Page 124
5.2.1 Identifying the Bounding Parcels......Page 125
5.2.2 Monumentation......Page 128
5.2.3 Directions......Page 132
5.2.4 Distances......Page 135
5.3 Retracement Surveys......Page 137
5.3.1 Hierarchy of Calls......Page 139
5.3.2 Identification of Lines......Page 140
5.3.3 Area and Significant Figures......Page 141
5.3.4 Recovery of Monumentation......Page 144
5.3.5 Perpetuation of Monumentation......Page 145
5.4 Preserving the Evidence in Words: A Case Study......Page 146
5.5 Reference to Plats in Descriptions......Page 151
6.1 General......Page 157
6.2 Hierarchy of Calls......Page 158
6.2.1 Elements of the Boundaries......Page 160
6.3 Caption......Page 168
6.3.1 Land Record System......Page 169
6.3.2 Clarify Intent......Page 170
6.4.1 Point of Commencement......Page 172
6.4.2 Point of Beginning......Page 174
6.4.3 Elements of the Boundaries......Page 176
6.5.1 Qualifications (Additions, Subtractions, Reservations)......Page 189
6.6 Punctuation and Language......Page 193
6.6.1 Key Words or Phrases......Page 195
6.6.2 Construing Ambiguous Deeds......Page 204
6.7 Deed Discrepancies—Conflicts......Page 218
7.1 Land Title Insurance......Page 223
7.1.1 Why a Survey Matters......Page 224
7.2 ALTA/ACSM Survey Standards......Page 225
7.3 Mandatory Requirements for ALTA Surveys......Page 226
7.4 Accuracy Standards......Page 228
7.6 The Description for an ALTA/ACSM Survey......Page 231
7.7 The Surveyor Is in Charge......Page 232
8.1 Deed Discrepancies—Conflicts......Page 235
8.2.1 Understanding Historical Context......Page 236
8.2.2 Clarity and Completeness: Extrinsic Evidence......Page 240
8.2.3 Clarity and Completeness: Consider the Future......Page 243
8.2.4 Clarity and Completeness: Addressing Three Dimensions......Page 244
8.3 Regional Lexicon and Local Practice......Page 249
8.3.2 Marketable and Registered Title......Page 254
8.3.3 The Effect of Legislation and Courts......Page 257
8.4 Introducing Uniform Language......Page 260
8.4.1 “Commencing” versus “Beginning”......Page 262
8.5 Breaking Old Habits......Page 264
8.5.1 Repeating Old Descriptions Verbatim......Page 265
8.5.2 Destroying Evidence......Page 266
8.5.3 Jargon, Colloquialisms, and Abbreviations......Page 267
8.5.4 Sentence Construction and Punctuation......Page 269
8.5.5 Copying a Writing Style......Page 270
AFTERWORD......Page 271
TABLE OF CASES......Page 273
INDEX......Page 275