Unit 8: Legal Descriptions

datum

A point, line, or surface from which elevations are measured or indicated

an acre contains

43,560 square feet.

A unit of measurement used almost exclusively in farm and ranch deals is the "chain." How long is a chain?

66 feet (four rods, 100 links)

survey sketch

A document that shows the location and dimensions of a property, as well as its legal description

survey

boundaries are measured and land areas are determined

bench marks

permanent references markers used for marking datums

In the metes-and-bounds description reading "beginning at an iron rod set for the corner; thence 90° 0' 0" E 180.0'; thence 0° 0' 0" S 160.0'; thence back to the POB," the parcel identified is

a triangle

One of the basics of pricing land is to express the price

in the same unit in which cost is given - such as per square foot or per acre.

base lines

run east and west

principal meridians

run north and south

Property descriptions by metes and bounds is the oldest method of describing property. As such, property descriptions used today could date back to

when Texas was under the rule of Spain

Each section has an area of approximately

1 square mile

3 basic methods used to describe real estate

1. metes and bounds 2. rectangular government survey 3. recorded subdivision plat

A square foot is equal to

144 square inches

How many acres are in a quarter-section parcel of land

160

a cubic yard is how many cubic feet?

27 cubic feet

How many inches are in a vara?

33 1/3

a square yard how many square feet

9 square feet

What is the effective life of a datum or benchmark?

Datums and benchmarks are considered permanent markers that can be (and have been) used for more than 100 years.

What is a critical problem in using made-made monuments in metes-and-bounds property descriptions?

Humans may move the monuments by mistake or fraud.

In any dispute involving the location of boundaries based on monuments, what is the typical resolution?

Natural monuments take precedent over man-made monuments.

When a surveyor completes a sketch of a parcel of land and has it approved, does that sketch become a legally binding document?

No, the sketch is a very close approximation of the land but the legal description is what is binding.

What two terms are essentially interchangeable in legal property descriptions. They are

POB and POC (point of beginning and point of commencement).

While it is obviously permissible to sell off pieces of a section in a land transaction, is it permissible to blend pieces of sections together?

Pieces of adjoining sections may be combined without restriction so long as the legal description is accurate.

Under what circumstances does a legal land description not return to its point of beginning (POB)?

Property descriptions always return to their POB (closure)

What was the original importance of the school section (Section 16) on a township map?

Revenue from rent or sale of that section was, by law, directed to support local schools.

township squares

When the horizontal township lines and the vertical range lines intersect

Are surveys required in an average real estate transaction?

Yes, most significantly if the buyer has a loan that may be sold on the secondary market.

The term "sections" is used throughout the real estate industry, and throughout Texas, but is the term of any practical use in urban areas?

Yes, section numbers are still key to locating property on maps, even if descriptions eventually are broken down into much smaller units.

A brass plate embedded on the siding of an historical building near the Texas coast contains the words "elevation 30 feet above mean sea level." The brass plate is which?

a bench mark

Who is responsible for the preparation of a subdivision plat that must be filed and approved by county officials before lots can be assigned?

a licensed surveyor

recorded subdivision plat

also known as lot-and block -system used for most urban property in texas

township tiers

designated by consecutive numbers north or south of the base line

legal description

exact way of describing real estate in a contract, deed, mortgage, or other document that will be accepted by a court of law

rectangular survey system

government survey method, to standardize the description of land acquired by the federal government -system used in most of the country.

Because each city or town is permitted to establish datums, the elevation point

is decided by the U.S. Geological Survey and is the accurate local measurement of height above sea level in New York Harbor.

The bearing of MOST property boundary lines in Texas is

northbound or southbound

The land on either side of a principal meridian is divided into six-mile-wide strips by lines that run north and south, parallel to the meridian. These north-south strips of land are called

ranges

Which way of describing real estate uses two sets of intersecting lines that form a grid?

rectangular survey system

improvement survey

shows location, size, and shape of buildings located on a lot

metes and bounds

the actual distance between monuments takes precedence over linear measurements set forth in a description.-points of beginning and monuments

lot-and-block

uses numbers referred to in a plat map

Public Land Survey

which states use metes and bounds and which states use the rectangular survey method for describing property