Tips on how to find property corners when buying land.

Planning on buying land? Most of the time when you are looking at land for sale you will want to identify property corners. Although a survey is the best illustration to reference property lines you can sometimes just look at the property and see the natural barriers.

As a land specialist in the Columbia and Blythewood real estate market, I have walked thousands of acres looking for "corners". There are several unique witnesses in identifying property lines. Typically you will find monuments, axles, rebar, and open pipes on the property corners.

Monuments, in my area, are usually ‘blue granite' headstone-like blocks that stand about 2 feet out of the ground. And are about 10 inches wide.

I'm assuming axles were used as a cheap way to mark corners that are easily recognizable. They are vehicle axles that stand about 3-4 feet above grade and look like fence posts.

Rebar seems to be the current trend and can be found in various gauges of thickness. On a survey they are marked something like this "#4 REB". Rebar is traditionally used to reinforce concrete in construction and building but when used by surveyors they are driven into the ground with about an inch above the terrain.

Open pipes are also marked in the same manner as rebar but identified as "IPS" on a plat. IPS stands for "Iron Pin Set". These are iron pipes that are sometimes used in plumbing. The top is usually hammered out to a smooth surface. Sometimes you will see IPF which means "Iron Pin Found". This tells the property owner that there was an iron pin found from a previous survey.

Another simple way to identify land can sometimes be found by the natural characteristics of the land. Many times you can look at the trees and see the difference in height and thickness. I always tell my clients to think of it as their grass vs. their neighbors. Unless you have the same landscaper or yard maintenance company, your grass height will differ from one yard to the next. Acreage and land is very similar. Sometimes you will find the vegetation similar between property lines and other times they are completely different. Look for the differences.

For more information on land, lots, homes, and acreage you can contact one of our Columbia SC Real Estate Agents by email. Or continue to browse through our Columbia SC Real Estate Blog for more answers to your questions.

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