Activity 4.1.3 Property Description

Introduction

A legal description of property is used to identify real estate in a legal transaction and can be found in a deed, mortgage, plat or other purchase documents. These documents may be obtained from a county recorder, tax assessor, or similar official. In recent years, many municipalities have begun to provide public access to these legal documents online.

Land patents are the legal documents that transfer land ownership from the U.S. Government to individuals.

In this activity you will search for legal descriptions on the Internet, interpret a legal description, and sketch a plat.

Equipment

  • Computer with Internet access and 3D software
  • Protractor
  • Engineer’s scale or ruler
  • Engineering notebook
  • Pencil

Procedure

Rectangular Survey System

Find a legal description and sketch a plat for a property described using the rectangular survey system.

  1. Visit the Bureau of Land Management – General Land Office (BLM/GLO) Records website at
  1. Select a state (only states that use the rectangular survey system will return results). You may want to try your own last name – people interested in researching family history often use this site to research ancestors. John Smith return results in many states. Note that you can use the percent sign % as a wildcard. So John% will return John, Johnson, Johnathan, etc. Keep trying different states/names until you obtain some search results.Click on a name in the list of search results and view the document image (tab) in any format. Print the document.
  1. Click on a name in the search results and view the document image (tab) in any format. Print the document.
  2. Access and print the Principal Meridian and Baseline Mapavailable at . Locate and highlight the Principal Meridian on which the legal description is based.
  3. Create a series of sketches (similar to those shown in the Legal Descriptions presentation) to indicate the location of the property described in the land patent.
  4. Perform a calculation to verify the area of the parcel.
  5. (Optional) Visit the BLM/GLO Records Survey Search page at . Use the patent land legal description tosearch for a plat. If available, print out a plat and highlight the property described in the land patent.

Metes and Bounds

Research the Palmetto Property for the final commercial project.

  1. The following is a metes and bounds description of the Palmetto Property. Use a protractor and an engineer’s scale or ruler to sketch the property lines on graph paper. Use a scale of 1 inch = 200 feet.

“From the point of beginning (POB) on Bee Hive Road, N 48º 03’ 29” E a distance of 440.55', thence N37º 24’ 11” W a distance of 344.57, thence N45º 44’ 30” E a distance of 496.45’, thence N37º 27’ 44” W a distance of 346.24, thence S48º 47’ 04” W a distance of 165.00, thence N37º 27’ 44” W a distance of 300.00’, thence S 48º 47’ 04” W a distance of 619.67’, thence S36º 00’ 00” E a distance of 372.76, thence S51º 59’ 11” W a distance of 149.76’, thence S38º 18’ 30” E a distance of 658.60 back to the POB.”

  1. Access the Charleston County South Carolina GIS map system at . Then choose the ONLINE SERVICES tab and click on View a Parcel Map. Click on Start.The address of the GIS system is . Note: you may perform a keyword search on Charleston County South Carolina GIS if the link does not work.
  2. Search for the Palmetto Property by TMS.The Palmetto Property is TMS 614 00 00 124.The system should respond with a map highlighting the property. Print this map or save a screen shot of this map with the property highlighted. If you check the Mar 2001 Color Photos box, you can view a photographic aerial image of the property. Record the following data:
  • Current Owner
  • Parcel ID
  • Legal Description
  • General Use
  • Sale Date
  • Plat Book
  • Deed Book
  • Total Acres
  • Sale Date
  • Sale Price
  1. Research adjacent properties. Provide the following information for each adjacent property. You may divide the adjacent property research among your design team members.
  • Parcel Number
  • Address
  • Owner
  • General Use
  1. Research the plat for the Palmetto Property on the Charleston County website. Choose the ONLINE SERVICES tab and click on Search deeds, mortgages. Then click on Plats. Search for the plat book and page number recorded from the GIS research. Be sure to read the Helpful search tips in order to enter the correct information. Find and print the correct plat.
  2. Research the deed for the Palmetto Property on the Charleston County website. Choose the ONLINE SERVICES tab and click on Search deeds, mortgages. Then click on Deeds, Mortgages & Misc.Search for the deed book and page number recorded from the GIS research.
  1. Research past owners of the property on the Charleston County website. Choose the ONLINE SERVICES tab and click on View property record cards. Then search for the record card for the property. Print a copy of all pages of the property record card. What previous owner(s) are named? Be sure to check all pages of the record.

Conclusion

Using the information gathered and additional research, answer the following questions about your team project.

  1. Why is it important for the complete legal description to be recorded with the local courts?
  1. What is the area of the property in acres? In square feet? In square miles?
  1. What does the term “metes and bounds” mean? Where did it originate? How are boundaries established for the perimeters of a property?
  1. Would it ever be useful to combine a rectangular survey description with a metes and bounds description? When would this be beneficial?
  1. Based on the information obtained, would you be comfortable with proceeding with a purchase of the Palmetto Property for a commercial development? Would more research be in order? Why or why not?
  1. Does your local community provide online access to deeds, mortgages, liens, and plats? If so, document the steps necessary to access a deed and plat. If not, where can legal documents associated with land transfer be reviewed?

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