At what point during the home buying process do you get a survey. Who is responsible to pay for it?

You are responsible for the payment of a survey. The settlement company should explain to you the different kinds of survey with each different fees. At what point? Probably a week or two before closing.

At what point during the home buying process do you get a survey. Who is responsible to pay for it?
When you go to see the house, ask the realtor if there is a survey. If so, ask for a copy. And, if they don't have one on hand, ask them to point out the boundaries. Tell them you are interested in putting in an offer, but you need to make sure the property is adequately surveyed. When you put a written offer in, make sure you include a condition that the offer for purchase is based on the survey being adequate and up-to-date for your purposes and registration purposes.





You are not responsible for paying for a survey, however, if there isn't one, you may want to barter with the owners by giving a lower offer and in return you arrange the survey. Or you could make the offer conditional on their providing an up-to-date and adequate survey. Whatever decision you meet, make sure it is in writing. Always write conditions and agreements down and have them signed by both parties.





If you are the actual owner of the property, you will have to decide if you are going to provide an adequate survey when selling your house. You can go to the registry office yourself and ask them if your survey is adequate enough to be registered. Depending on the answer you will have to decide whether you want to update it or maybe you even need a brand new one (if you didn't have one in the first place). If you aren't going to provide a survey, make sure you indicate it in writing.





Just remember to have everything in writing in order to protect yourselves - buyer or seller.





Update: Most lending institutions will not give a mortgage without ensuring there is an up-to-date survey.





1. Offer is conditional on the buyer being able to obtain suitable financing by such and such date, otherwise, this offer shall be considered null and void.





2. Offer is conditional on there being an adequate survey for mortgage purposes. The vendor is to provide the survey. If the vendor is unable to provide a survey, this offer shall be considered null and void.





Just an example. By the way, this is Canada.
Reply:The location survey, like the appraisal, is paid for by the buyer and ordered towards time of closing by the lender.....
Reply:Many real estate conditions vary from region to region. This is one of them. In my area, it is not customary to get a survey. The lenders do not require it and, unless there is an obvious boundary dispute, it is not necessary. That is because I am in the midwest where we use a recorded plat method of describing land. On the east coast, where metes and bounds descriptions are used, it is more common for lenders to require a survey.





If the lender does require a survey it is generally done after other conditions. The home inspection and mortgage approval would be first. Then would come the appraisal and survey. The reason they are done in this order is to save money if there is a problem. There is no sense getting a survey if the property does not pass inspection. Whether the buyer or seller pays for the survey depends largely on local custom. That is why you will get conflicting answers here. Some areas the buyer pays, other areas the seller pays. Check with a title company in your area to see who traditionally pays for this or just write it into the contract that the other party will pay for this if you are not past the contract stage.





Good luck, I hope this helps.