Surveys

• According to the NJSPLS, professional land surveys are recommended for anyone purchasing a piece of property. Surveys outline the specific limitations of a property and, more specifically, show the homebuyer the corner markers that set the boundaries. Surveys also determine if existing or proposed construction -- of a fence or driveway, for example -- do or will interfere with an adjacent property.
  
  

Legal Protections

• According to the NJSPLS, land surveys provide critical protection against property-related lawsuits. The survey acts as a shield between the property owner and any neighbor who may claim, for example, that the aforementioned owner is building a shed on part of his yard. Obtaining title insurance designated by the land survey is an additional legal protection available to property owners and mortgage lenders. An owner's policy with a survey endorsement shields homeowners and lenders against all matters of alleged encroachment and boundary-line disagreement.
  
  

Mapping

• All official boundary surveys must include a hard copy map. The map provides visual determination of property lines and the exact length and width of the specified area. Boundary surveys update existing property lines and, as a result, may change the details on the property deed. Boundary survey maps also offer additional details which -- in conjunction with title insurance -- provide property buyers leverage, when negotiating any disputed property issues before a purchase settlement commences.
  
  

Abandonment

• Abandoned property is returned to the state, according to the New Jersey Law Revision Commission. No third party has rights to a property without official legal documentation -- the third party's name on the deed, for example. All abandoned property is reclaimed by the state for public service purposes. As of publication, if it is determined that the former owner of an unclaimed property resides in another state -- Texas, for example -- the civil court in the New Jersey County where the property in question is located and the civil court in the Texas County where the property owner most recently resided must decide on a legal resolution.