Bird's-Eye View
By Jim Palmer Jr.

Modern technology has provided many tools that have enhanced our ability to work smarter in real estate.  One of those tools is the bird’s-eye view.  Yes, that satellite is looking down on you!  Aerial photos allow viewers to see exactly what their property looks like from the air.  Google Earth is a fun place to go just to get a virtual look at the earth, but you can access your county website to see actual property lines drawn in on the aerial photo of your property.  According to county disclaimers, these drawn lines may or may not be accurate, but from personal experience I can tell you that they are close enough to be a very valuable tool! 

In one case, prior to writing an offer, a buyer’s agent noticed from the aerial photo of a perspective property that the neighbor’s garage was partially across the boundary line. Of course in that case they would be wise to include in their offer a contingency that the property be surveyed prior to closing, since that would be the only sure way to know whether there was an actual encroachment or not.  Without having the chance to see this from a bird’s-eye view, this problem may have gone undiscovered, allowing the new buyer to inherit the existing encroachment problem.  The problem was obvious from the air, but not so obvious from the ground.

In another case, a listing agent noticed from the aerial photo that there was a huge discrepancy between the drawn parcel lines and the very visible “cut line” of the logged trees.  Because of this observation the seller hired a surveyor to determine exactly where the property lines were.  The survey substantiated their worst fears.  The property owner had erroneously assumed that a stake in the ground near the road was the property corner. 

It was in fact a corner marker for the property across the road and wasn’t even close to the actual boundary of their own property.  This mistake stood out like a sore thumb from the satellites’ view.   The owner had built his house on the wrong property, not to mention the fact that he had encroached onto the same neighboring property when he logged the marketable trees off the property. 

Access your computer one day soon and check out your own property from the aerial photo.  Enhancing your perspective may open up Pandora’s box or will give you some peace of mind!